RHS Hoop Teams Sweep Ellis

Girls: Russell 54, Ellis 39
Boys: Russell 51, Ellis 48
Kelvie Reeves scored a season-high 21 points as the Russell Lady Broncos took control early on their way to a 54-39 victory over Ellis in Mid-Continent League Basketball action Monday evening at Amos Morris Gymnasium.
Aubrey Birney's five first quarter points propelled the Lady Broncos to a 12-4 advantage after the opening eight minutes. Russell then exploded for 21 points in the second stanza paced by nine points from Reeves on their way to a 33-10 lead at intermission. The third quarter was even as the Lady Broncos held their lead at 46-23 before playing most of the fourth quarter with reserves as Russell put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Nine different players scored for Russell (6-9, 2-3 MCL) which also held a 24-19 edge in rebounds. Isabella Eck led Ellis (6-9, 2-4 MCL) with 12 points while Natalee North added 10 points.
The Boys game was a much closer affair. After Russell bolted to an early seven-point lead, they were tested throughout the game by the Railers before a key turnover sealed a 51-48 Bronco victory.
Jake Mooney and Sam Thielen each knocked down three-point baskets to give Russell a 9-2 lead midway through the opening quarter before Ellis finished the stanza on a 6-2 run to narrow the lead to 11-8. The second quarter was back and forth as the lead changed hands several times before the Broncos closed the first half on a surge that helped them take a 27-23 lead into the break.
Russell widened the lead to as much as eight points a couple of different times during the third period but Ellis would not go away and the Railers cut their deficit to 37-34 heading into the final quarter.
Ellis tied the score 39-39 midway through the fourth quarter but Trey Carlson was key for Russell, scoring six points down the stretch including two free throws with 14.9 seconds left to give the Broncos a 51-48 lead. The Railers had one last opportunity to tie the game and force overtime but Aiden Aschenbrenner who was pressured by the relentless Russell defense as he moved down the floor, threw an errant pass right to Mooney as the clock expired and Russell earned its sixth victory in its last eight games.
Carlson registered a double-double for Russell (8-6, 3-2 MCL) with 20 points and 12 rebounds while Mooney had another big night from beyond the three-point arc with five treys, amounting to 15 points. Jaren Frickey was the scoring leader for Ellis (6-9, 2-4 MCL) with 10 points. The Railers held a slight edge in rebounding by a margin of 31-27.
Monday's games were originally scheduled for January 7 but were postponed by the early-winter blizzard, which means the Russell teams have a short turnaround for their next games on Tuesday night at Plainville. Tip-off for the Girls game is at 6 p.m. with the Boys game slated to tip off at around 7:45 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on KRSL 95.9 FM, online at KRSL.com and streamed on Alexa devices.