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Three Ely girls all-conference LaTourell, Penke, Visser all repeat selections for All-Arrowhead
Grace LaTourell, Hannah Penke and Sarah Visser were an imposing trio for the Ely Timberwolves.
The three seniors helped the Wolves win 45 games the last two years, including back-to-back appearances in the Section 7A high school girls basketball semifinals.
Those efforts didn’t go unnoticed, as once again all three landed spots on the All-Arrowhead Conference team.
LaTourell was one of five players on the All-Arrowhead first team, while Penke gained second-team honors and Visser was named to the third team, as picked by league coaches.
The recognition comes on the heels of plenty of victories, deep runs into the postseason and a slew of records as well.
LaTourell, who developed into one of the top-shooting guards in northeastern Minnesota, led the Wolves with a whopping 607 points, nearly 21 points per contest.
It included a stretch where she approached or topped the 30-point mark several times in a three-week span.
LaTourell knocked down 85 three-point shots this winter and finished with a school-record 265 in her career.
She also amassed 1,945 career points, third-best in program history and is now second in Ely girls basketball history in both blocked shots (106) and charges taken (eight), and third in both steals (320) and assists (285).
Penke gained second-team All-Arrowhead acclaim for a second straight season.
She transferred to Ely prior to her junior season and made an immediate impact for the Wolves.
This winter, she averaged 14.4 points and nearly five rebounds per game while knocking down 39 threepoint shots.
Penke wound up with 902 points and is in the top-10 in Ely girls basketball history in charges taken, blocked shots, steals and assists.
Also a standout on Ely’s 7A champion volleyball team, Penke is bound for Bethel University in the Twin Cities, where she will continue her volleyball career.
Visser, a multi-year starter for the Wolves, racked up numerous program records during the course of the winter.
The guard leaves the program as its all-time leader in rebounds, topping the 1,000 mark earlier and notching 1,031 for her career.
Visser also set new program standards for steals (484), assists (437) and charges taken (eight), while setting single-season records this year with 336 rebounds, 114 assists, 136 steals and six charges taken.
She also averaged about eight points per night this season and ended her prep career with 778 total points.
The All-Arrohwead team included (see box) three Wolves as well as four players ARROWHEAD ELITE
Members of the All-Arrowhead Conference Girls Basketball Team
First Team
Jordan Zubich, Mt. Iron-Buhl
Grace LaTourell, Ely
Hali Savel, Mt. Iron-Buhl Tresa Baumgard, Chisholm Marta Forsline, Mesabi East
Second Team
Gabby LIra, Mt. Iron-Buhl Alyssa Prophet, Mesabi East Anna Neyens, Mt. Iron-Buhl Memphis Tendrup, Bigfork
Hannah Penke, Ely
Third Team
Lola Valenzuela, Int. Falls Faith Zganjar, Cherry
Sarah Visser, Ely
Maija Hill, Mesabi East River Cheney, North Woods
from league and section champion Mt. Iron-Buhl, which fell 70-65 to Goodhue in last Saturday’s State Class A championship game at Minneapolis.
