The Ell-Saline Cardinal girls’ basketball squad wrapped up pool play at the Hilltop Hoops Classic in Great Bend on Wednesday afternoon, falling in defeat to the state’s top-ranked team in Class 1A, the Central Plains Oilers by a final score of 90-12.

Central Plains (11-0) wasted no time putting the game out of reach, scoring the first 39 points in the contest before Cardinal junior Brynna Rowley hit a free throw early in the second quarter to put Ell-Saline (0-12) on the scoreboard.

By halftime, Central Plains had gained a 62-5 advantage, largely due to the efforts of senior standout Emily Ryan.  The Iowa State Cyclone commit finished the first half with 31 points.  By the time the final horn had sounded, Ryan had amassed a triple-double in the Oiler victory, finishing with 33 points, 15 steals and 12 assists.

Three additional Oilers cracked double digits in the scoring column as sophomore Kassidy Nixon finished with 18 points, senior Delaney Rugan with 15 points and freshman Brynna Hammeke with 12 points.

Rowley led the Cardinal effort with five points in the loss.

After finishing 0-2 in pool play, Ell-Saline lands in the fifth place game on Friday afternoon and will face the Larned Indians.  Both teams will enter play Friday seeking their first victory of the season.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

Central Plains   35   27   20   8  –  90

Ell-Saline            0     5      5    2  –  12