It was nearly five years ago that Jack Davies burst on to Ely’s varsity boys basketball scene, moving into the lineup as a seventh-grader in a 2021 playoff game and hitting three-point shots that were pivotal to a Timberwolves win.
That was just a sign of things to come, and Davies has kept right on scoring.
And on Saturday, Davies became just the second player in Ely boys basketball history to hit the 2,000-point career scoring mark.
He needed just two points to reach the milestone entering Saturday’s game with East Central and an early basket took care of business, and the senior went on to score 22 points in a 48-45 victory at Duluth, in a game that was part of the Breakdown Classic.
Davies had the hot hand again Tuesday, and the Wolves picked up another impressive win.
Davies had 30 points and a key steal that iced things, while junior Wyatt Tedrick’s steal and subsequent free throw lifted the Wolves to a dramatic 68-67 triumph over Greenway/Nashwauk Keewain.
The victory was Ely’s second straight and gave the Wolves a 6-3 mark for the season, heading into a Thursday night game with Stella Maris Academy played after deadline.
While Saturday brought a win and Davies’ entry into local basketball history, the Tuesday night matchup at the Memorial Gymnasium was packed with drama.
The visiting Titans had the hot hand early and had a 9-0 lead before the Wolves knew what hit them.
Ely responded, however, in a frenetic first half that ended with the hosts up 43-42.
The second stanza was more of a defensive struggle, and went back and forth.
Grant Chittum’s three-point bucket with six minutes left gave the Wolves a 64-59 lead and proved to be his team’s last field goal of the night.
The Titans rallied with the help of 6-10 Stephen McGee V.
GNK scored the next eight points and led 67-64 but the Wolves countered by attacking the Titan defense and drawing fouls.
Ely misfired on some free throw opportunities but created turnovers that stymied the visitors.
The biggest turnover came with about nine seconds left, when Tedrick picked the pocket of a Titan player, drove to the basket and was fouled.
After missing the first free throw, he recovered to make the next and gave the Wolves a one-point lead.
With three seconds left, GNK took timeout but a long pass was intercepted by Davies, who dribbled out the clock.
In addition to Davies’ 30-point outburst, senior Drew Johnson poured in 18 points for the Wolves and Tedrick poured in 13. Sophomore Arturo Cameron snared 10 rebounds.
• The Wolves overcame a slow start and rallied to beat a gritty East Central team on Saturday, as Davies and Johnson combined for 38 of the team’s 48 points.
• Ely travels to Remer Saturday to take on Northland-Hill City and a road trip to Bigfork follows Jan. 13, as well as a Jan. 15 clash at Mt. Iron-Buhl.
