Picture courtesy of Diane Dowell

It was the last home game of the regular season as the Ell-Saline Cardinals welcomed the Berean Academy Warriors to Brookville. It wasn’t the night the Cardinals were looking for as the Berean Academy took the girls game 56-21 and the boys game 44-35.

GIRLS: BEREAN ACADEMY 56, ELL-SALINE 21

Berean Academy pressured the young Ell-Saline squad from the beginning as the lady Warriors raced out to a 22-6 lead after the first quarter.

Ell-Saline was able to slow down Berean a little bit in the second quarter as Paisley Jensen scored 5 in the quarter. Berean won the quarter 12-8 and took a 34-14 lead into the locker room.

The Cardinals struggled to knock down shots in the half as the lady Warriors continued to pull away. Berean Academy outscored Ell-Saline 22-7 in the 2nd half as the lady Warriors coasted to a 56-21 win.

Paisley Jensen led the way for Ell-Saline as she knocked down 10 points in the loss.

Bridget Webb and Fionna Morgan both finished with a game high 14 points for Berean.

Ell-Saline drops to 4-16 on the season and 2-8 in HOA play and will finish the regular season on Friday with a trip to Sterling to take on the lady Black Bears. Berean Academy moves to 13-6 on the season and 5-4 in HOA play and will play Tuesday night against Marion on the road.

CITY PLUMBING HEATING AND COOLING PLAYER OF THE GAME: Paisley Jensen (10 Points)

BOX SCORE

BEREAN ACADEMY (13-6) – 22 – 12 – 13  – 9 / 56

ELL-SALINE (4-16) – 6 – 8 – 4 – 3  / 21

BOYS: #2-2A BEREAN ACADEMY 44, #6-2A ELL-SALINE 35

In the night cap the Ell-Saline Cardinals were looking to avenge an earlier loss to Berean Academy. The Cardinals fell to the Warriors 45-27 in the championship game of the Eli J. Walter Invitational in Elbing on January 23rd. Ell-Saline kept it much closer this go around but the #2 team in the state in 2A left Brookville with a 44-35 win.

The game got off to a slow start for both teams as they were trying to figure each other out. Berean led just 8-4 after the first quarter.

It was much of the same in the 2nd quarter as it was more back and forth. Jace Unruh for Berean scored 5 in the quarter as the Warriors outscored Cardinals 12-7 and took a 20-11 lead into halftime.

Collin Dent and the Cardinals started the 2nd half on fire as Dent scored all 7 of his points in the quarter including 2 big threes. The Cardinals pulled themselves with 2 at 22-20, before Berean went on a 10-2 run to finish the quarter with a 32-22 lead.

Ell-Saline fought hard in the 4th quarter and won the quarter 13-12 but damage had already been done as Berean Academy won its 17th game of the season with a 44-35 victory.

The difference in the game was the free throw shooting, Berean attempted 20 free throws knocking down 16 of them while Ell-Saline shot 11 and making 6 of them.

Ell-Saline was led in scoring on the evening by Trey Williams who finished with a game high 11. Reese Krone (10) also found double digits for Ell-Saline.

Jace Unruh knocked down a team high 10 for the Warriors in the win.

Ell-Saline drops to 16-4 on the season and 7-3 in HOA play and will finish the regular season on Friday with a trip to Sterling to take on the #1 team in 2A and defending state champs the Sterling Black Bears. Berean Academy moves to 17-2 on the season and 8-1 in HOA play and will play Tuesday night against Marion on the road.

CITY PLUMBING HEATING AND COOLING PLAYER OF THE GAME: Trey Williams (11 Points)

BOX SCORE

BEREAN ACADEMY (17-2) – 8 – 12 – 11  – 12 / 44

ELL-SALINE (16-4) – 4 – 7 – 11 – 13  / 35