SOUTH RIDGE — The Ely boys got a hard test last Friday when they traveled to South Ridge to take on the Panthers, one they aced with some last-minute heroics from Drew Johnson and Max Brandreit.
The lengthy Panthers presented a challenge for the Wolves on both ends of the floor. From an early 9-9 tie, South Ridge edged out to an 18-11 advantage with effective penetration of the Wolves’ zone defense and playing tough man-to-man on the other end. Ely could only match their production as South Ridge took a 27-18 lead at the break.
Wyatt Tedrick got the Wolves rolling in the second half with a spinning layup, and with a pair of threes by Johnson and a bucket down low by Brandreit, Ely pulled to within two at 30-28. Johnson tied the game at 40-40 with a pair of free throws, and a driving basket by Tedrick with 6:15 remaining gave Ely a 44-42 lead. But the Panthers took the lead back on a pair of free throws with 36 seconds left, and Ely Head Coach Tom McDonald called time out.
Ely broke the South Ridge press and Jack Davies handed the ball off to Johnson along the left sideline near midcourt. Johnson edged past his defender and drove to the basket, making a ball fake to clear the way for a go-ahead jumper with 19 seconds on the clock.
South Ridge had ample time to get off a good shot, and with time running down, they took a baseline jumper that bounced off the rim. Brandreit muscled into position for the rebound, preventing a put-back attempt, and put the ball in the hands of Davies, who was fouled. He calmly sank two free throws to seal the 53-50 come-from-behind win.
Tedrick led the Wolves in scoring with 19, followed by Johnson with 16 and Davies with 12.
“We’ve beaten them four years in a row, and I’m not sure there’s been a season that we probably should have with the size they have and the athletes they have,” McDonald said. “But we just played really well on the defensive end and played zone and kind of took their athleticism away and we squeaked out a win there. Tedrick was the key. He just kept attacking and wasn’t afraid of their size or athleticism. Jack kind of struggled from the field and didn’t shoot really well, so it was good that Wyatt stepped up and helped us get a win.”
After a win against North Woods on Tuesday, the Wolves were scheduled to wrap up their regular season with a home game against Fond du Lac on Friday.