MT. IRON— The Ely boys hoops squad kept it close throughout the first half here on Tuesday, but the Rangers used a smothering defense to keep the Wolves under wraps in the second half. The Rangers went on to win 62-51.
“We couldn’t get into any flow offensively in that second half as they were really aggressive on defense,” said Ely Head Coach Tom McDonald. Senior Joey Bianco managed 23 points in the face of the Rangers’ defensive assault, while freshman Jack Davies added 17.
The Wolves had better success last Friday against Chisholm as they held off the Bluestreaks, 62-51. “We played well on both ends of the floor and really limited what they were able to do offensively,” said McDonald.
Bianco poured in 22 points and added six assists. Davies had 16 points and Erron Anderson tallied seven rebounds.
The Wolves have a major test at home on Friday against South Ridge. “That’s a big one and the one next Friday at Fond du Lac is also a big game for us,” said McDonald. “We will need to keep playing defense down the stretch here and take better care of the basketball to have a chance in those games and in the playoffs.”