By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth boys’ basketball team posted a pair of road wins against South Section 3A teams.The Panthers opened the campaign by besting Edgerton Public by 13 points in Edgerton Thursday before rolling to a 22-point victory over Southwest Star Concept in Okabena Monday.Ellsworth, 3-0 overall, opens the home portion of its 2005-06 schedule Tuesday against Tracy-Milroy-Balaton.Ellsworth 63, SSC 41An outstanding second half by the Panthers set the stage for a 22-point win over the Quasars in Okabena Monday.After the teams battled to a draw at 25 in the first half, EHS switched defensive tactics in the second half to outscore SSC 38-16."We switched from man-to-man defense to a full-court press in the second half. We created some turnovers and made some easy baskets," said Panther coach Markus Okeson.The change in tactics proved beneficial instantly as EHS opened the second half with a 19-2 run that settled the issue.Cody Schilling, who led the Panthers with seven rebounds and six assists, netted 15 of his 21 points in the second half. Aaron Van Der Stoep pumped in 13 of his team-high 25 points in the final 18 minutes. Bryan Kramer added five steals to the winning effort.Box scoreDeBerg 3 0 0-1 6, Kramer 2 0 0-0 4, Schilling 8 0 5-8 21, Van Der Stoep 3 6 0-0 24, Herman 2 0 0-0 4, Chapa 1 0 0-0 2, Jansma 0 0 2-2 2.Team statisticsEllsworth: 25 of 49 field goals (51 percent), seven of 11 free throws (64 percent), 33 rebounds, 24 turnovers.Ellsworth 70, Edgerton 57In a game between two teams expected to contend for the South Section 3A boys’ basketball title, the Ellsworth Panthers gained early-season bragging rights by posting a 13-point win over the Flying Dutchmen Thursday in Edgerton.After falling behind 17-6 early, the Panthers switched defensive tactics to help take a 38-32 halftime lead. Ellsworth proceeded to outscore Edgerton 32-25 in the second half to win handily."We were down 17-6 early, then we went to a press and fell into a zone," said EHS coach Okeson."Our full-court pressure was the difference. We forced turnovers and scored some easy points with our press."Schilling, who pulled down eight rebounds and passed for five assists, scored 16 points in the first half and finished the game with 26 counters. Kramer and Van Der Stoep added 15 and 14 points respectively to the winning cause. Ben Herman led the Panthers with 11 rebounds and Nick Deutsch charted a team-high seven steals.Box scoreDeBerg 1 0 1-1 3, Deutsch 0 2 0-1 6, Kramer 5 0 5-6 15, Schilling 8 1 5-6 26, Van Der Stoep 2 2 2-4 14, Herman 2 0 0-0 4, Klaassen 1 0 0-0 2.Team statisticsEllsworth: 42 percent field goal shooting, 13 of 19 free throws (68 percent), 47 rebounds, 10 turnovers.