The Ell-Saline Cardinal boys’ basketball squad hosted the Chaparral Roadrunners in the Heart of America League – Central Plains League challenge Friday evening in Brookville.  While the Cardinals hung tough early, in the end, the Roadrunners sped away for a 81-34 victory.

Ell-Saline (0-6) cashed in on three three-point buckets in the game’s first quarter, keeping the Cardinals in the hunt.  After the first quarter, Chaparral (3-3) led 22-16.  In the second quarter, the Roadrunners stymied the Ell-Saline offense while adding 20 points to the scoreboard to take a 42-20 advantage into halftime.

It was more of the same in the second half as the Roadrunners outscored Ell-Saline by nine points in the third quarter and by 16 in the running-clock fourth quarter.

Senior Jonah Wootoon put on a clinic in the first half, pouring in 20 points for Chaparral before intermission. Wootoon didn’t see the floor much after halftime, finishing the night with a game-high 24 points.  While no other player reached double digits for the Roadrunners, it was a true team effort as all 12 players on the varsity roster finished with at least two points.

Ell-Saline was paced on the night by junior Carter Underwood and sophomore Taegan Bradley who each finished with nine points in the loss.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

Chaparral  22  20  21  18  –  81

Ell-Saline  16    4    12   2  –  34