By John Rittenhouse
Two boys' basketball teams were searching for their first Tri-County Conference wins of the season when Ellsworth traveled to Hills Monday.
In what was a tight game the entire way, Hills-Beaver Creek produced a field goal with 1:00 left to play, and it proved to be the difference in a 53-52 outcome.
H-BC, which trailed 40-39 entering the fourth quarter, gained a one-point edge with its late field goal.
Ellsworth had a chance to win the game with a last-second shot, but Dylan Kvaale's 20-foot attempt fell short of the rim as the final buzzer sounded.
The visiting Panthers sported a 13-11 edge after eight minutes of play before being outscored 22-14 by H-BC in the second quarter to trail 33-37 at halftime.
EHS moved in front 40-39 with a 13-6 scoring advantage in the third quarter, but the Patriots prevailed with their 14-12 scoring edge in the final eight minutes of play.
David Top helped the Patriots win the game by drilling five three-point shots during a 21-point performance. Matt Buck added 13 points, six rebounds and three assists to the winning effort.
Lyle DeBoer had four rebounds and three assists for H-BC, while Lance Crawford and Brad Haak collected four rebounds each. Darin DeBoer had four assists for the winners.
Dean Moss pumped in 19 points and passed for four assists for EHS.
Curt Schilling and Brant Deutsch snared seven and five rebounds respectively. Curt Chapa registered four assists and Kvaale came away with three steals.
Box score
Ellsworth
Schilling 2 1 2-2 9, Jenniges 0 1 0-0 3, Kvaale 0 1 2-2 5, Moss 4 2 5-7 19, Deutsch 1 0 1-3 3, Kramer 2 0 0-0 4, Peters 2 0 0-0 4, Chapa 1 1 0-0 5.
H-BC
D.DeBoer 2 0 2-2 6, Fransman 0 0 0-0 0, Haak 0 0 3-8 3, L.DeBoer 2 0 0-2 4, Top 2 5 2-5 21, Crawford 1 0 4-6 6, Buck 5 0 3-6 13.
Team statistics
Ellsworth: 18 of 48 field goals (38 percent), 10 of 14 free throws (71 percent), 26 rebounds, 11 turnovers.
H-BC: 17 of 47 field goals (36 percent), 14 of 29 free throws (48 percent), 22 rebounds, 11 turnovers.