GREENWAY—The Timberwolves lost a heartbreaker here on Tuesday on a last-second Greenway bucket that left the Raiders on top 52-51.
The hard-fought defensive contest was close throughout, although the Wolves took a 28-23 lead into the break. The Raiders came back in the second half as both teams traded the lead more than once. Sophomore Jack Davies, who drove the Wolves offensively with 32 points, sunk a shot with 14 seconds left to give the Wolves a one-point lead. But the Raiders scored on their next possession and Ely couldn’t score in the remaining five seconds.
Despite the loss, Head Coach Tom McDonald generally liked what he saw. “We lost to them at home by about 20 points earlier in the month and I thought we did a better job defensively with them,” he said. The Raiders’ 6’-8” sophomore was tough to control given the Wolves’ lack of height. “He had 22 points and 16 were in the second half on offensive put-backs at the rim,” said McDonald. “There wasn’t much we could do with it.”
Junior Caid Chittum added 11 points to Ely’s total.
Playing at home last Friday, the Wolves had their hands full against Littlefork-Big Falls, but came away with a satisfying 69-60 victory in overtime. “It was our best overall game of the year so far,” said McDonald. “We played excellent defense against them and also played well offensively. “They have had six games going over 100 points this season and I thought we did a great job of limiting their great opportunities on offense.”
Davies again led the Wolves offensively with 25 points. Chittum and sophomore Drew Johnson both notched double-doubles on the night. Chittum poured in 19 points and added 11 rebounds, while Johnson scored 13 and posted 11 boards as well. He also notched six assists.
The Wolves are off until next Tuesday, when they head to Deer River.