CRESTON, IOWA -- In what head coach Bryan Bender called a "gritty and disciplined performance," 4th-ranked Ellsworth gained a place in the Region XI postseason championship game with a 76-62 win against No. 1 DMACC Sunday night. The teams had divided their two regular season contests, but it's the Panthers who will move on and play at Iowa Lakes with the winner guaranteed a spot in the NJCAA National Tournament. The showdown will be in Estherville at 7:30 Thursday night.
Ellsworth, one of the highest-scoring teams in NJCAA DII, won this game with a superb defensive effort. They limited DMACC to just 34.3 percent from the floor and 5-for-26 from 3-point range and the Bears only grabbed 5 offensive rebounds. "We played a complete game on the defensive end," Bender said. "We limited our turnovers and bad shots. We also imposed our will in the paint in the second half and opened the game up in transition."
It was another balanced scoring effort for the Panthers, with 5 players in double figures. Jordan Glenn-Hawkins paced them with 14 points, followed by 13 apiece for Clinton Efinda, Bessanty Saragba and Arlandus Keyes and 12 by Cameron Liggins. Saragba led on the glass with 10 rebounds and Jaron Crews contributed 6 steals.
Two free throws by Keyes allowed ECC to go in at halftime leading 31-27. The Panthers then outscored the Bears, 45-35, over the final 20 minutes.
"This was obviously a huge win for our program" said the second-year head coach at ECC. Now, we need to rest and prepare mentally for another physical game on Thursday."
Iowa Lakes is the only ICCAC team that Ellsworth, with a 26-6 record, failed to defeat in the regular season. The Lakers won 81-69 in Estherville and 93-88 in Iowa Falls. "Iowa Lakes has had our number on their court and we haven't won a championship in 38 years," Bender said, "but we will be ready! Our guys earned the right to compete for a title and we are in a great headspace right now."
The Panthers had to play the first two postseason contests without their leading scorer, Chimobi Ikegwuruka, who was injured in the regular-season finale at Kirkwood. Bender says his status is uncertain for Thursday.