ELY— The Timberwolves had an off-night against one of the section’s toughest teams and it resulted in an 80-69 loss to the Bluestreaks here on Monday night. The loss dropped the Wolves’ season record to 18-4.
“We played pretty poorly defensively, but give credit to Chisholm, they shot the lights out of the ball,” said Ely Head Coach Max Gantt. The game was close most of the way although Chisholm’s prowess at the charity stripe allowed them to pull away as Ely resorted to fouling in the final few minutes.
“We played a little too chaotically on offense,” said Gantt. “Even so, I’m super proud of the way we never gave up, but when you give up 80 points, finding a way to win is tough.”
Ely’s Grace LaTourell led the Wolves Monday night, pouring in 23 points and grabbing ten rebounds for a double-double. “And Clare Thomas played an exceptional game off the bench and really kept us in it at times with her 15 points,” said Gantt. “This game will hopefully get us ready for the end of the year where every game matters a ton and is basically a playoff game.”
Monday’s disappointment came on the heels of back-to-back Ely victories last Thursday and again on Saturday.
Over the weekend, the Wolves’ defense kept the Polar Bears at bay as they topped Floodwood, 49-29. “We played great team defense,” noted Gantt. LaTourell had another strong night, leading all scorers with 16 points. Hannah Penke had 10 points and contributed with focused defensive play as well. Madeline Perry had 12 points, 3 steals, and 3 assists. “She was also incredible on the defensive end,” said Gantt. “Our whole team played solid defense and took care of a very patient and well coached Floodwood team. Maizy Sundblad gave us a good spark off the bench in the first half with two three-pointers as well.” 
Playing last Thursday in Aurora, LaTourell was nearly unstoppable as she poured in 30 points to lead the Wolves to a 58-49 win over the Giants. “We played great team defense and took care of the ball. Sarah Visser had 13 rebounds for us, along with some great help on defense. Clare Thomas, Madeline Kallberg, and Zoe Mackenzie all did really nice jobs battling their bigs inside on the defensive end.”
The Wolves were set to host North Woods on Thursday as the regular season winds down. They’ll host Cherry on Tuesday and South Ridge next Friday in the regular season finale.