ELY— Grace LaTourell had a big day here on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with Duluth-Marshall, which outpaced the Timberwolves, 70-53. LaTourell went a spectacular 14-for-14 from the charity stripe as she tallied a team-high 29 points in the game. She also added eight rebounds to her impressive stat total.
Other Ely players shot well from the field, as the team connected eight times from beyond the arc. “But we just turned the ball over too many times to overcome,” said Head Coach Max Gantt. “Marshall is a good team and we shot the ball well, but we just had too many turnovers.”
Sarah Visser had a strong outing as well, notching eight rebounds and four assists.
With the season now past the mid-point, Gantt said he’s looking for an increase in consistency and intensity. “We lost to three good teams in the past week and played good basketball in each game. Now it’s time to play that level of basketball for the full game against a good team, and that will start with valuing the basketball and the possessions we get.”
Gantt said his team is still improving and is getting close to where they need to be to compete as the playoffs loom. “Our best basketball is ahead of us,” he predicted.
Ely’s Monday contest with Bigfork was postponed until Feb. 8 due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The team is set to take on Duluth Denfeld on Friday. They’ll host Two Harbors on Saturday, with a 2:45 p.m. varsity start. They’re scheduled to remain at home to host Nashwauk-Keewatin on Monday.