ELY — The Ely boys basketball team could be forgiven if they didn’t know whether they were coming or going this past week – with four games in six days, two at home and two away, it was hectic.
It began on Thursday with a trek to Mt. Iron-Buhl, with the 9-2 Rangers still smarting from an 81-53 loss to Sacred Heart.
MIB and Ely battled toe-to-toe in a defense-driven opening stretch, with neither team finding much rhythm early. The game was tied 15-15 midway through the first half. Ely leaned heavily on Jack Davies early, but MIB tightened its half-court pressure, disrupting passing lanes and forcing turnovers that shifted momentum.
The Rangers turned those mistakes into points, closing the half on a 17-5 run to take a 32-20 lead into the break. Ely never fully recovered, as the constant pressure wore down the Wolves. Davies managed only two points after halftime as MIB steadily extended the margin. By the final buzzer, the Rangers had pulled off a convincing 65-43 win, forcing Ely into 24 turnovers and limiting scoring chances throughout the second half. Davies led the Timberwolves with 15 points, and Drew Johnson added 10, the only Ely players in double figures. The Rangers placed four players in double digits and pulled away comfortably over the final 18 minutes.
Saturday found the Wolves back at home taking on the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers, and Ely bulldozed their way to a 43-point win, 96-53. The Hilltoppers hung in early at 6-6, but a devastating 21-0 Ely run left no doubt about which was the better team. The Wolves led 50-23 at the half, and Head Coach Tom McDonald pulled his starters with six minutes remaining and the Wolves leading 87-40, and reserves from both benches closed out the blowout Ely victory.
Davies was on fire, exploding for 35 points with ten three-pointers. The Wolves were 20-of-32 from behind the arc, a school record. Johnson scored 24.
On Monday, the Wolves survived at home against a valiant effort by a youthful but spirited North Woods squad, 70-62, as reported elsewhere in this week’s Timberjay, and set their sights on a Tuesday road trip to McGregor.
The Mercuries buckled early as the Wolves took a 22-12 lead with seven minutes left in the half, but McGregor remained within striking distance as they closed the gap to 31-27 at the half. A triple by Davies at the 5:23 mark gave Ely a ten-point cushion, and a pair of charities and a basket by Johnson padded the lead to 54-40 with just over four minutes remaining.But an Ely cold streak had the Mercuries back in the thick of things with 32 seconds left and trailing by four, 56-52. After a pair of Davies free throws, McGregor cut the lead to three with a trey with 23 seconds showing on the clock. In a scramble for the ball on the ensuing inbounds play, Ely was called for a foul and the Mercuries converted both free throws to trail 58-57 with eight seconds left. McGregor fouled immediately to preserve seven seconds on the clock as Johnson stepped to the line and calmly sank two charities to ensure overtime in the event McGregor scored a tying three. The Mercuries drew up the perfect play during their timeout, breaking the Ely press for a wide-open three that flew off the mark, letting the Wolves escape with the 60-57 win.
Johnson led the Wolves in scoring with 24 points.