The Ellis Railroaders's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They suffered a tough 68-43 loss at the hands of Norton. While losing is never fun, Ellis can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 292nd, while Norton is ranked 78th).
Despite the loss, Ellis saw an underclassman step up: Aiden Aschenbrenner scored 17 points along with three steals. Another player making a difference was Logan Russell, who scored seven points along with five rebounds.
Ellis struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Norton racked up 17 assists.
Norton's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Eli Jones led the charge by scoring 19 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Jones is absolutely dominating the point category: he's posted at least 15 every time he's taken the court this season. Rylen Murray was another key contributor, scoring 20 points.
Ellis has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season. As for Norton, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Ellis on the road again on Friday and play against Trego at 7:00 p.m. on February 2nd. As for Norton, they will face off against Colby at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
