The Ely Timberwolves are finding a way to come through in the clutch and that might bode well this week and beyond as the postseason begins.
Twice in four days, the high school boys basketball team pulled out close victories - including a 53-50 upset at South Ridge last Friday night.
The Wolves, who also downed North Woods Tuesday, have secured homecourt advantage in the Section 7A high school boys basketball team and could be seeded anywhere from fifth through eighth in the 18-team playoff field.
That means Ely will host a 7A tournament game, at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Memorial Gymnasium, with a berth in Saturday’s 7A quarterfinals in Hibbing at stake.
Ely (19-7) scored perhaps its biggest win of the season at South Ridge, coming from nine points back at the half to knock off the taller, more physical Panthers.
“We played much better in the second half after trailing by nine at halftime,” said Ely Head Coach Tom McDonald. “I thought our 2-3 defense was very good in the second half and we limited their looks in the second half. They are really big and I think the zone took away their size and athleticism.”
The Wolves still trailed 50-49 with 30 seconds left, but they made all of the key plays at the end to turn things their way.
First, senior Drew Johnson scored with 18 seconds left to put his team up by one.
After a defensive stop, senior Jack Davies nailed two key free throws, and Johnson secured the win with a steal as time expired.
“Drew stole a long pass so they didn’t even get a shot up to tie,” said McDonald.
Junior Wyatt Tedrick had a big night for the winners, scoring a team-best 19 points with nine rebounds.
Johnson was next with 16 points and Davies also reached double digits with 12.
• The Wolves had their second difficult game with North Woods, holding on for a 68-58 win on the road on Tuesday.
“We led by 12 in the first half and a combination of turnovers and poor defense let them get back and we led by three at halftime,” said McDonald. “We would continue to get leads in the game only to let them back in. We finally pulled away at the end with better defense and some good offensive possessions.”
Tedrick again led the Wolves in scoring with 22 points and another junior, Leo McKrahl scored 10 second- half points to finish with 12 as well as six rebounds.
Davies recorded 18 points for the Wolves and Johnson dished out eight assists.
• Cherry is likely to be the top seed for the 7A tournament, with Mt. Iron-Buhl and Deer River in the two and three slots.
