The Ell-Saline Cardinal basketball squads split a pair of varsity battles Monday night in Heart of America League action on the road at Remington High School.

GIRLS:  Ell-Saline 49, Remington 41

In the girls’ matchup, Ell-Saline (3-16, 2-6) avenged a 42-37 loss to Remington (2-15, 0-7) just nine days ago in Brookville.  The game was close throughout, with the eight-point margin of victory equaling the Cardinals’ largest lead of the night.

Remington received a balanced scoring attack early on, as six Broncos cracked the scoring column in the first quarter to edge out ahead of the Cardinals by two points at the end of the period.  By halftime, Ell-Saline had cut the deficit to one, largely in part due to the play of junior Brynna Rowley.  Rowley hit five first-half field goals – three from beyond the arc – to tally 13 of Ell-Saline’s 21 first-half points.

In the third quarter, the Ell-Saline defense locked down, forcing six Remington turnovers while limiting the Broncos to just five points in the period.  By the time the final quarter began, the Cardinals held a five-point advantage.

Ell-Saline was able to hold of the Broncos down the stretch with a strong showing at the foul line.  The Cardinals went 7-for-11 from the line in the fourth quarter, while Remington went just 5-for-13.

While Rowley scored just one point in the second half, a host of Cardinals stepped up to fill the scoring void.  Seniors Erin Lange and Paige Vogt, junior Reece Ditto and sophomore Sadie Bradley combined for 26 of the Cardinals 28 second-half points to help Ell-Saline win its second consecutive game.  The back-to-back wins are the first for the Ell-Saline girls’ basketball program since the 2016-2017 season when the Cardinals defeated Hutchinson Trinity on February 14, 2017, then followed that up with a win over Minneapolis on February 20, 2017.

Rowley led all scorers on the night with 14 points in the Cardinal victory, while Remington junior Desiree Ingalsbe paced the Broncos with 13 points in the loss.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

Ell-Saline     11   10   11    17  –  49

Remington   13    9    5    14  –  41

BOYS:  Remington 73, Ell-Saline 43

In the nightcap, Remington (4-13, 1-6) earned its first Heart of America League victory of the season in runaway fashion.

The Broncos, propelled by a 24-point first quarter, grabbed a 15-point edge over Ell-Saline (0-19, 0-8) after the games’ first eight minutes.  The Cardinals battled back early in the second quarter, using a 9-4 run to trim the Remington advantage down to ten at 28-18, but the Broncos outscored Ell-Saline 12-2 to close out the half and take a 20-point lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, Remington freshman Sam Entz erupted for 12 of the Broncos’ 20 points in the period to thwart any hopes of a Cardinal comeback.  Entz finished the game with 17 points to lead all scorers.  Bronco senior Ty Martin ended the night with 15 points, while senior Adrian Spencer and junior Toby Lewis also reached double digits, finishing with 11 and ten points, respectively.

Ell-Saline was led by junior Carter Underwood’s 14-point performance, while sophomore Taegan Bradley chipped in with 12 points in the loss.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

Ell-Saline       9     11     13    10  –  43

Remington   24    16    20    13  –  73

Ell-Saline will wrap up the regular season on Tuesday evening, hosting the Moundridge Wildcats on Senior Night in Brookville.