GAME 1 – (2) Bennington 48, (3) Ell-Saline 32

Bennington completed a three-game season sweep over local-rival Ell-Saline on Thursday night, taking down the Cardinals thanks to a solid defensive showing.

The only quarter in which Ell-Saline totaled double-digit points was the 4th, where they doubled their output from 16, to 32 points in the game.

Bennington’s offense never struggled, leading by as much as 23 in the second half before cruising into the Sub-State Final matchup set for Saturday night in Hillsboro.

Eli Lawson led the Bulldog attack with 13 points, while Kian Wilson followed close behind with 11.

Marshall Johnson would lead the Cardinals with 13 points on the night, scoring nine of them in the second half. Ell-Saline ends the season with a 13-9 record.

GAME 2 – (4) Sacred Heart 58, (1) Chase County 45

Fresh off their win over the two-time defending 2A State Champions of Hillsboro, Sacred Heart continued their strong postseason showing on Thursday night, smacking top-seed Chase County  by 15 points.

The Knights shot the lights out, nailing seven three-pointers in the game, and making 20/27 free throws.

Max Ehrlich would lead the way for Sacred Heart, scoring 23 points on the game, making four threes. Michael Matteucci pulled his weight as well with 16 points.

The Knights used a solid defensive effort in the second half to build its comfortable edge, holding the Bulldogs to just 21 points after halftime, and a good chunk of their fourth quarter scoring coming with the game already in hand.

Sacred Heart will now meet up with Bennington at 5:30 PM on Saturday night in the 2A Sub-State Final in Hillsboro. The winner will earn a trip to the 2A State Tournament in Manhattan, at Bramlage Coliseum.