BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
HOISINGTON – Ellinwood's aggressive defense paved the way for a 47-37 victory over Hoisington in Monday's Winter-Jam basketball championship.
Ellinwood all-stater Britton Dutton scored 18 points and the Eagles' patient ball-control offense dictated the tempo. Ellinwood (12-0) won the Hoisington title for the second time.
"We were glad to check that Hoisington box off the list," said Ellinwood coach Derek Joiner. ""Hoisington always plays well at the Winter Jam. Their guys played well. We competed pretty well the past few years. Pratt featured two good players in the semifinals.".
Hoisington (5-7) was paced by Leyton Haxton with 17 points and Tony Moore with 12 points. The Cardinals are a 7-time Winter-Jam champion and qualified for the finals eight consecutive years.
Dutton contributed five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
"Even when Britt isn't making shots, he grinds it out and enjoys a strong game," Joiner said. "He plays aggressive and has been a defensive factor for us."
The Eagles played zone for much of the tournament. They prefer to play man-to-man with various pressure schemes where ballhandlers are trapped. Ellinwood has enjoyed success with half-court and full-court schemes.
"We're making teams take hard shots and earn their points. We're playing defense with more discipline without fouling," Joiner said. "The guys are committed to film sessions and they're not gambling or leaving their feet. We've rebounded the basketball better as we've gone along."
What Joiner's enjoyed is seeing various players step up offensively when teams focus their defense on Dutton.
"We rely on Parker Scheck and Koy Behnke, but we've seen players like Mason Moore, Drew Heinz, Cooper Hosman and Campbell Coleman step up at times," he said. "It's nice seeing our guys gain confidence and see our depth pay off."
Ellinwood 14 14 11 8 – 47
Hoisington 10 9 6 12 – 37
ELLINWOOD (12-0)—Dutton 8-17 1-2 18, Moore 3-4 0-0 7, Brack 3-8 0-0 7, Heinz 2-4 0-0 6, Behnke 1-3 0-0 2, Hosman 1-4 0-0 2, Scheck 2-6 1-2 5, Totals 20-46 2-4 47
HOISINGTON (5-7)—Haxton 7 0-0 17, Moore 3 5-6 12, Robinson 2 0-0 4, Martin 1 0-0 2, Steinert 1 0-0 2, Totals 14 5-6 37
3-pointers—E 5-20 (Heinz 2, Dutton 1, Moore 1, Brack 1); H 4 (Haxton 3, Moore 1). Rebounds—E 27 (Dutton 5, Heinz 5, Scheck 5). Assists—E 15 (Dutton 4, Hosman 4). Steals—E 7 (Dutton 3)
PRATT 62, ELLSWORTH 52 (3RD) – Pratt's Carson Hoeme converted five 3-pointers and scored 21 points and Max Younie added 12 points. Ellsworth's Will Cravens scored a tournament high of 29 points.
Pratt 15 12 20 15 – 62
Ellsworth 12 10 11 19 – 52
PRATT (8-5)—Carson Hoeme 7 4-6 21, Myers 2 2-2 6, J’air Johnson 2 1-1 5, Younie 4 4-7 12, Tatro 3 2-4 8, Morrell 1 0-0 2, Riley 3 1-1 8, Totals 22 14-21 62
ELLSWORTH (8-4)—Will Cravens 9 7-10 29, Rolfs 2 1-2 9, McGowen 3 1-4 7, Stone 2 1-4 5, Gwinner 1 0-2 2, Totals 18 20-22 52
3-pointers—P 6 (Hoeme 5, Riley 1); E 6 (Cravens 4, Rolfs 2);
HOISINGTON TOURNAMENT
MONDAY—1ST—Ellinwood 47,. Hoisington 37—Pratt 62, Ellsworth 52; 5TH—Victoria vs. La Crosse, canceled; 7TH—Cimarron vs. Otis-Bison, canceled
SECOND ROUND—Ellinwood 49, Pratt 38; Hoisington, Ellsworth 2 OT; Victoria 58, Otis-Bison 29; La Crosse 59, Cimarron 49
FIRST ROUND—Ellsworth 47, Cimarron 35; Hoisington 57, La Crosse 47; Ellinwood 89, Otis-Bison 28; Pratt 71, Victoria 27
