SOUTH RIDGE— The Timberwolves notched their 20th regular season win for only the third time in school history here last Friday as they slayed the Panthers 60-50. South Ridge came into the game riding high on a 21-4 record, but they ran into an aggressive Ely defense that kept them off balance all night.
“We played zone defense all night and took away their bigs,” said Ely Head Coach Max Gantt. “We didn’t allow them to play the inside-out game that they really like. We only won by 10 but we really did control the game with our defense, especially in the second half when we had our lead pushed to about 16 at times. It was a great team defensive effort.”
But it wasn’t all defense as the Wolves racked up 60 points, only the third time this season that the Panthers had allowed that many points. They proved particularly dangerous from beyond the arc as they racked up eight three-balls by five different shooters. “That is tough to guard when that many people are stepping out and spacing the floor for us,” noted Gantt.
Senior Grace LaTourell led the way for the Wolves, with 26 points although she had help from several sources. Freshman Audrey Kallberg added ten points, while junior Clare Thomas tallied eight. Senior Hannah Penke and sophomore Zoe Mackenzie posted six points apiece. Senior Sarah Visser added 15 rebounds.
“It was a total team win,” said Gantt.