Ellington kept in check in title tilt East Carter teams claim third place at BRL

ELLINGTON – Effort and energy is never at issue when it comes to the Ellington Lady Whippets basketball team’s performances.

The squad, led by senior Kaylee King, has had a strong run of play over the past three-plus seasons and even if the roster has changed, the intensity and intent have remained with the sole focus of going 100 percent.

On Saturday, the host Lady Whippets took on No. 1 seeded South Iron in the finals of the Black River League tournament, and a competitive first half did not translate in equal measure after the break as the Lady Panthers cruised to a 59-33 win over the No. 2 Ellington girls for the title.

King led Ellington with 19 points while Anna Parker scored 22 points for South Iron and Enzley Dinkins added 16 points for the winners.

Playing with a short bench can only go so long before it catches up to a team and that’s where Ellington has to find ways to make do, and against a relentless attack from a team like South Iron, that task is exacerbated.

“We were running our offense and we weren’t tired in the first half and that was the biggest difference – we played defense pretty well and that’s why we kept it close,” Burrows said. “We were just worn down (in the second half) and weren’t getting up and down as much as we usually do. It wasn’t as much their pressure as much as it was us just wearing down.

“That’s why we weren’t jumping their rears at the end – they gave it all they got for all four quarters. We have a couple of days for a breather and we will come back to work on some things and have some good practice time.”

Ellington moves on to the Big Springs Conference tournament where it opens up play in a Thursday semifinal.

Ellington led 9-2 early on as the team’s defense was on point and despite being double-teamed mercilessly by South Iron, King was a steady hand and found open teammates and got some scoring opportunities for herself during the run.

Ultimately, the Lady Panthers scored the last eight points of the opening quarter to lead 10-9.

The second quarter was a nip-tuck affair and when it ended the Lady Whippets were definitely in the conversation for the title as they trailed 26-24 at the break.

That’s when South Iron got down to business.

The Lady Panthers didn’t change much but they kept up their intensity on the defensive side, sped up their attack when the opportunities arose and slowly ground Ellington down as the Lady Whippets fortitude and legs were put to the test.

South Iron led 42-28 after the third quarter ended and the momentum cascaded into the final eight minutes to account for the final margin.

East Carter double finish on high

The East Carter Redbirds won the boys third-place game, 62-60 over Ellington when David Wiley capitalized on a late turnover to score on a layup with eight seconds left to break the tie.

It was a back-and-forth contest from the opening jump until East Carter got the lead and then waited until a potential game-winning trey by the Whippets fell short.

Micah Thompson finished with 23 points, Wiley added 19 points and Kasen McCarty contributed 13 points.

Conor Miller led Ellington with 19 points while Brock Morey and Colby Hedrick each completed 14-point nights.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way at the end to make a big play,” East Carter head coach Jordan Penn said. “We just got to be better at extending and holding a lead in the fourth quarter. It was a tough environment to play and they play a good first half against us the last time we played so they have confidence coming in.

“With it being (in Ellington) we have to be able to put it away.”

Penn said the win can only help district seeding and the Redbirds are 4-0 against teams in that group.

The Lady Redbirds held on tight for a 68-63 win over Bunker to also claim third place and wipe the bad taste from their mouths after a rough night Wednesday in a semifinal loss to South Iron.

Breanna Dohleman (25 points), Parker Golden (20 points), and Brooklyn Kearbey (13 points) came up big for the East Carter squad.

“It felt a lot better and we played a lot more as a team and that helped a lot,” Dohleman said. “We came together and we had a conversation and figured things out and that’s what we needed. We needed to improve our communication on defense and not let ourselves get down.

“We lost to Bunker previously and it was off the help defense. It’s always good to get a win, especially after the loss like we had Wednesday.”