Some untimely turnovers hurt the Ely Timberwolves during their season-opener.
Those miscues allowed Cromwell to open up a double-digit lead in the opening half, and the always-strong Cardinals ran away from the retooling Wolves 66-42 in a Nov. 21 high school girls basketball contest.
Ely, which has made four straight trips to the Section 7A semifinals and lost to the Cardinals each time, gave the hosts a run early on but soon faded.
The Wolves’ 30 turnovers played a primary factor.
“We competed and cut it to four in the first half, but we had so many turnovers and just lost steam at the end,” said Ely head coach Tomi Cole. “It was better than expected though.”
The graduation of seniors Clare Thomas and Maija Mattson as well as a knee injury suffered by standout junior Audrey Kallberg has forced Cole to revamp the Wolves’ lineup this winter.
It’s still a work in progress but Ely has returning talent, notably juniors and returning all-conference selections Lydia Shultz and Amelia Penke.
Shultz had a team-high 19 points at Cromwell and added seven steals, five rebounds and three assists for the night. Penke had five points and four rebounds, while Ely also got a boost from returning senior starter Zoe MacKenzie.
MacKenzie drained four three-point baskets and is Ely’s biggest outside threat this winter.
Junior Kaylin Visser was an effective three-for-four from the floor with six points and four rebounds.
Sisters Gretta and Ruby Lowe combined for five rebounds for the Wolves.
A fifth straight 7A final four visit will be a challenge for the Wolves, who have back-to-back home games Tuesday (Mesabi East) and Thursday (International Falls) against Iron Range Conference opponents.
Next up is the Dec. 6 showdown with Chisholm on the home court of the Minnesota Timberwolves, at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.
The 1 p.m. clash figures to be a regular season highlight for the young Ely team, which has 11 home contests over the course of the season.
Cole is aided by longtime assistant coach Tom Omerza.
Because of low participation, the Wolves will only have a junior varsity team but not a junior high squad in 2025-26.
Ely Wolves Girls Basketball 2025-26 Schedule
Nov. 21: at Cromwell, L 66-42
Dec. 2: Mesabi East
Dec. 4: Int. Falls
Dec. 6: Chisholm, at Target Center, 1 p.m.
Dec. 9: at Silver Bay, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 18: at North Woods
Dec. 29: Two Harbors, 5:15 p.m.
Dec. 30: Fond du Lac, 5:15 p.m.
Jan. 6: at Greenway Jan. 10: at Hill City/Northland, 1 p.m.
Jan. 13: Dul. Marshall, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 15: Cherry
Jan. 16: at Int. Falls
Jan. 19: Bigfork
Jan. 22: at Littlefork-Big Falls, 6 p.m.
Jan. 29: Floodwood
Feb. 2: at Mt. Iron-Buhl
Feb. 5: at Mesabi East
Feb. 9: Chisholm
Feb. 10: Silver Bay
Feb. 12: North Woods
Feb. 17: at Deer River
Feb. 20: at South Ridge, 5:45 p.m.
Home games in bold
Game time 7:15 p.m. unless noted
