ELY— When it comes to boys basketball, Ely is beginning to look like one of this season’s Section 7A powerhouses, with a stubborn defense and an explosive offense led in recent games by senior Caid Chittum, who poured in a combined 74 points over the past two games.
Playing at home on Tuesday, Chittum led offensively with 33 points as the Wolves manhandled Cook County 92-63 to improve to 5-0 on the season. The game’s 29-point margin made it the closest game for the Wolves so far this season, reflecting just how dominant their play has been in the early going.
“We jumped out to a 55-31 halftime lead and continued to play well in the second half,” said Ely Head Coach Tom McDonald.
The Wolves looked machine-like at times, particularly from the charity stripe, where they connected on an astonishing 28 of 31 attempts, helping to pad their margin. “That was nice since we were only shooting 60 percent of those on the season so far,” said McDonald.
Junior Jack Davies and Drew Johnson both had notable performances on the night. Davies scored 25 points and six assists, while Johnson added 15 points, 13 boards, and five assists for a double-double. Chittum notched ten boards on the night for his own double-double.
Playing last Friday at Aurora, Chittum had a huge night as he poured in 41 points to lead the Wolves to a 82-50 rout over the Giants. Chittum helped Ely jump to a quick 15-4 lead in the early going before Mesabi East got its footing and kept pace with the Wolves for the rest of the half.
But the Wolves, who led 42-32 coming out of the break, finished the job by outpacing the Giants 40-18 the rest of the way. Junior point guard Jack Davies added several assists and 18 points on the night, while seven other Ely players put additional points on the board.
The Wolves are set to host their holiday tournament Dec. 27-28 and will return to regular action on Friday, Jan. 3, hosting North Woods.