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The Ely Timberwolves shook off a slow start and scored their second straight win Dec. 20 at Cherry.
A 58-44 win over the Tigers gave the high school girls basketball team a 5-3 record for the winter, and primed the Wolves for a key stretch that will include six home games in their next seven contests.
It began with the Hoops for Hope Holiday Tournament, which started Thursday and winds up today at the high school gymnasium.
The Wolves also have home contests ahead with North Woods (Jan. 2), Greenway (Jan. 7), Hill City-Northland (Jan. 11) and International Falls (Jan. 17) ahead as they look to climb the ranks of Section 7A.
Led by first-year head coach Tomi Cole, the Wolves are off to a winning record despite rebuilding with new talent this season.
Graduation has taken its toll on the roster after three straight trips to the Section 7A semifinals, but sophomores including Lydia Shultz are more than picking up the slack.
Shultz powered the Wolves with a game-high 21 points against Cherry, going eight-for-20 from the floor with a couple of three-pointers and adding seven rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Another sophomore, Audrey Kallberg, added 14 points for the winners with five rebounds and four assists.
Sophomore Amelia Penke was next with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists, while senior Clare Thomas notched 13 points with three assists and three steals.
Senior Maija Mattson snared five rebounds for the Wolves, who also took good care of the ball and had only 11 turnovers in the game.
