ELY— The Ely boys hoops squad picked up the pace big time this week, notching three straight wins to post some of their best stats of the season while improving the team record to 13-8 as they head into the penultimate stretch.
On Tuesday night, junior Joey Bianco notched a double-double and led all scorers with 28 points, along with a dozen rebounds and seven assists, as he helped Ely take down Lakeview Christian, 70-51. Bianco had plenty of help along the way, as senior Harry Simons added 20 points and Mason Davis connected for 14. Junior Erron Anderson grabbed seven boards to help the cause.
Tuesday’s victory was just the latest in the string for the week. On Saturday, at Carlton, Simons was machine-like from beyond the arc as he connected on eight treys en route to a career-high 37 points to lead the Wolves to a 92-55 win over the Bulldogs. Not to be outdone, Bianco scored a rare triple-double, with 21 points, 16 assists and ten rebounds in an astounding all-around effort. Davis scored a career-high 15 points as well, making a game for the record books. Junior Jason Kerntz was the fourth Ely player to hit double digits in scoring, with ten points.
“We jumped out to a big lead in the first half and cruised to the win,” said Ely Head Coach Tom McDonald.
Playing in Aurora on Friday night, the Wolves edged the Giants in the biggest nail-biter of the season. With a second remaining in the game, and Ely down 58-57, Joey Bianco, after a Mesabi East foul, walked to the charity stripe and hit back-to-back free throws to hand Ely the 59-58 win, electrifying the Ely fans.
“We trailed most of the game but played well defensively in the second half and shot the ball better also,” said McDonald. Bianco led Ely scorers with 16 points in the game, while Simons added 13 and Kerntz connected for 11 points. Bianco just missed a another triple-double, adding ten boards and nine assists to his 16 points.
The Wolves were set to head to Chisholm on Friday and will host Mt. Iron-Buhl on Tuesday.