Looking like anything but an 8-12 team, the seventh-seeded Bearcats outplayed and outhustled the second-seeded Trojans girls to a 21-12 lead with less than two minutes to go before halftime.

But a 3-pointer from the top of the key by senior Emily Ratzlaff ignited a 9-0 Hillsboro explosion that tied the game by halftime and ultimately carried the Trojans to a 45-34 comeback victory.

Ellsworth took a 4-0 lead to start the game, and maintained a 13-8 advantage by the first break, thanks in no small part to a combined 6-for-6 free-throw-shooting performance by the Bearcats' Kody Martin and Katy Eddy.

When Caitlin Smith completed a traditional three-point play and Katie Mount followed with a layup off a steal, Ellsworth looked like upset makers with a 21-12 advantage and 3:45 left in the half.

"I think we were a little tentative," coach Becky Carlson said about her team's start. "Ellsworth has a pretty good team. They're quick and the really do some good things.

"I don't think I underestimated them, but I don't think I realized that they were that good a team. I felt like they were the aggressor."

After Carlson called timeout, Hillsboro worked the ball until an open Ratzlaff drained the 3-pointer that seemed to flip the Trojans' "on" switch.

Hannah Marsh followed with a stick-back 36 seconds later, Megan Peachey scored on a layup off a steal and Tina Frick came off the bench to toss in a stick-back that tied the game at 21 with 16.5 seconds left in the half.

"All of a sudden, we clicked," Carlson said. "Sometimes you just get a shot off that somebody hits, or a steal-and that's what happened. We just started playing."

Carlson said she didn't make many adjustments at halftime, but encouraged her team ride their momentum to victory.

Ellsworth struck first blood when Eddy scored in the paint to start the third quarter, but JuliAnne Chisholm hit three straight baskets and Marsh added a fourth one for an 8-0 Hillsboro run that put the Trojans in charge for good.

At the end of the quarter, Hillsboro led, 35-28, and then extended the lead to 42-30 on a 7-2 run to start the final period. The Bearcats never mounted a serious threat down the stretch.

"I felt like in the second half we played a really good half of basketball with some nice ball movement and some great shots-and our defense really picked up," Carlson said.

Chisholm was slowed by Ellsworth's box-and-one defense in the first half, but the sophomore stepped up with 14 second-half points and took game honors with 18 for the night.

"I moved Amy (Duerksen) inside and had Juli run the baseline," Carlson said. "It seemed to open up the middle a little bit more."

Marsh added nine points, Megan Peachey seven and Ratzlaff six as the Trojans improved to 14-7 for the season, but more important, advanced to the semifinals of sub-state play.

The Trojans recovered from 8-for-27 shooting in the first half with 11-for-22 shooting second half to finish at 39 percent for the game.

Ellsworth, who was led by Eddy's 11 points, shot 5-for-17 in the second half and 11-for-36 (31 percent) for the game.

Hillsboro will square off against Lyons on Thursday night on the Lions' home court. Lyons, the No. 3 seed, defeated Marion, 76-58, on Monday night.

"We'll just have to be ready to play," Carlson said.

Hillsboro defeated Lyons (14-7) by three points back on Jan. 14 in Brown Gymnasium.