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Ely’s high school girls basketball got away with a slow start on Tuesday night, but the Timberwolves might not be so fortunate if that continues this week and beyond.
The Wolves scored 18 straight points after struggling for much of the first half against Greenway-Nashwauk-Keewatin, and they went on to an easy 69-25 victory at the high school gymnasium.
Amelia Penke led four Wolves in double figures with 14 points, fellow sophomore Audrey Kallberg recorded a double and a third sophomore - Ruby Lowe - sank four of the team’s 10 threepoint baskets.
Ely won its sixth straight contest and improved to 9-3, but got away with a start that might have spelled more trouble had it faced a more difficult opponent.
“We always start slower than I would like, and that was the story of tonight for sure,” said Ely head coach Tomi Cole. “We weren’t aggressive enough, we weren’t making the easy ones and we were starting to settle for outside shots and we really kind of struggled there at the beginning.”
The Wolves couldn’t buy a bucket for much of the first half and led 14-9 with under four minutes left before finally lighting a spark.
“Our last three minutes of the first half were our best of the half,” said Cole. “We started making some shots and playing the way that we know we can. It took us a while to get there but the end result was favorable.”
Penke connected twice from long range and led a balanced scoring attack, with sophomore Lydia Shultz continuing a strong season and adding 13 points to go with nine rebounds and four steals.
Lowe scored 12 points, Kallberg’s double-double was on 11 points and 11 rebounds and junior Zoe MacKenzie added eight points with four rebounds. Senior Maija Mattson scored six points with four rebounds and classmate Clare Thomas hauled down eight rebounds.
The win capped a strong first half of the season for the Wolves, who are pushing toward the top five in the section with their impressive record.
“I think we’ve played some good teams, obviously some section teams,” said Cole. “We have some really hard games coming up. It puts us in a good spot right now after the Christmas break.”
The Wolves’ road could get rocky in the coming weeks, with Class AA powerhouse Duluth Marshall, Tuesday’s opponent, one of several high-powered foes on the docket.
Road games with Section 7A contenders Bigfork and Floodwood follow this month and a date with defending section champion Mt. Iron-Buhl looms in early February.
“We have definitely had our share of some wins that we certainly needed,” said Cole. “Duluth Marshall is going to be a very big battle for us. They’re really athletic. They’re big. They’re quick and you know Mt. Iron is already aggressive and in your face.”
• Ely’s defense was the difference Jan. 2 as it pressured North Woods into better than 30 turnovers in a 78-39 home rout.
Balance again was prevalent as five Wolves scored in double figures, with Thomas leading the way recording 20 points and eight rebounds.
Mattson added a season-high 14 points while Penke also had 14 points to go with six rebounds and three steals.
MacKenzie drained three triples and added 13 points, with Kallberg notching another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Shultz distributed the wealth, leading the team with eight assists and eight steals.
