ELY— Amelia Penke had one of her biggest nights of the season but it wasn’t enough as the Timberwolves fell to powerhouse Mt. Iron-Buhl 80-58. The Rangers, now 18-2, faced one of their tougher challenges of the season as the Wolves showed their defensive chops in keeping the game close through the first half.
The Rangers built a 43-30 lead as of the break and kept the pressure on in the second half.
But Penke had a hot hand, connecting on four of nine from beyond the arc, and shooting 57 percent from two-point range, on her way to 20 points. She iced that cake with seven rebounds and four assists.
Lydia Schultz pitched in with 12 points, while Clare Thomas added nine along with ten rebounds. Audrey Kallberg posted seven points, while Zoe Mackenzie added six. Maija Mattson tallied four points and four rebounds in the effort. The Wolves fell to 12-7 with the loss.
The Wolves fared only slightly better against Floodwood last Thursday as the Wolves fell 59-51 to the Polar Bears. Mackenzie led the way offensively with 15 points, all on treys, while adding six boards and four steals to the stat board as well. Schultz connected for 14 points and five rebounds, while Penke added eight points. Thomas and Kallberg scored six apiece and Kallberg added nine boards while Thomas posted five.
Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the Wolves were set to take on Mesabi East on Thursday. They’ll be home next Monday to host Chisholm.