MT. IRON— It was one-and-out for the Timberwolves in the Section 7A boys basketball tournament as they fell 73-53 to the second-seeded Rangers in the opening round here last Thursday.
The seventh-seeded Wolves, who came into the game at 11-15, had lost big to Mt. Iron-Buhl twice before this season and were the definite underdogs, particularly on the Rangers’ home court. But the Wolves kept it closer than in their previous encounters. “We handled their pressure better this game and held our turnovers down, which allowed us to hang around in the game,” said Ely Head Coach Tom McDonald. “We never threatened them but we didn’t get blown out like we did the first two games.” Indeed, after heading into the break down by 15, the Wolves played nearly even with the Rangers in the second half.
Sophomore Jack Davies finished the season as he started it, leading the Wolves on offense as he scored 22 of the team’s 25 points in the first half. Junior guard Caid Chittum got in on the action in the second half, adding nine points for the Wolves along with seven rebounds, while junior forward Trenton Bishop added eight points for the Wolves.
Looking ahead to next year, the young Wolves squad will return with their entire starting lineup and top reserves. “So, hopefully we will be better but they will need to spend some time in the offseason working on their skills,” said McDonald.