The Lady Wolverines got their season off on the right foot by holding off the host team in the South Side Tipoff Tournament.

Ellwood placed three places in double figures: Beth Roitz with 16 points and her twin sister, Katie Roitz, as well as Michelle Nocera with 13 apiece. Nocera also had 10 rebounds and Beth Roitz four assists and five steals.

Since Ellwood finished 6-16 last season, any win is a big one, according to head coach Bill Gottuso.

“We played a lot better than I expected, especially down the stretch,” Gottuso said. “We were up by 10, then the lead went down to 2 and I thought, ‘Here it comes.’ But we hung in there. We crashed the boards — we had 18 offensive rebounds — so we were pretty happy with that.”
Still, Gottuso said he remains cautious heading into today’s 4 p.m. title game against South Fayette.

“We haven’t turned the corner at all,” he said. “We’re just taking baby steps at this point.”