The Ell-Saline Cardinal varsity basketball squads were swept by the Hutchinson Trinity Celtics on Tuesday evening in Heart of America League action in Brookville.

GIRLS:  Hutchinson Trinity 56, Ell-Saline 24

In the girls’ matchup, Hutchinson Trinity (3-3, 1-0 HOA) used a stifling 1-3-1 half court trap to force eight Ell-Saline (0-8, 0-2 HOA) turnovers in the first quarter, helping propel the Celtics to a 15-4 advantage after the first eight minutes.

The Celtic offense continued to consistently churn out points throughout the remainder of the contest, extending their lead to 19 points at halftime, then to 26 points by the end of the third quarter on their way to the 32-point win.

Hutchinson Trinity was led in the scoring column by junior Hayley Hughes who claimed game-high honors with 18 points.  Senior Meg Friday added 12 points in the Celtic victory.

Ell-Saline junior Hannah Backhus and sophomore Raleigh Kramer shared scoring honors for the Cardinals, each finishing with six points in the loss.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

Hutchinson Trinity  15  17  14  10  –  56

Ell-Saline                     4   9    7    4  –  24

BOYS:  Hutchinson Trinity 74, Ell-Saline 21

In the nightcap, Hutchinson Trinity (3-3, 1-0 HOA) had things all but locked up by the end of the first quarter, outscoring Ell-Saline (0-8, 0-2 HOA) by 22 points in the period.  The Celtics continued to pour it on from there, outscoring the Cardinals by 12 in the second quarter and by 16 in the third quarter before calling off the dogs in the fourth.

Hutchinson Trinity received tremendous individual efforts in the victory from juniors Landon Gray and Lucas Hammeke.  Gray and Hammeke finished the night with 21 and 20 points, respectively.

Ell-Saline junior Carter Underwood led the Cardinals with seven points in the loss.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

Hutchinson Trinity   26   18   24   6  –  74

Ell-Saline                      4     6     8    3  –  21