The Elmwood/Plum City boys’ basketball team has begun developing an offensive identity, as the Wolves have scored more than 60 points in three of their last four games after not doing it in either of the first two.

For Elmwood/Plum City head coach Kyle Webb, the first month of the 2022-23 season was spent developing young players and simply letting them get experience in the offensive system against true varsity competition, which has led to significant offensive development.

Through the first two games of the season, the Wolves struggled to generate any offense and scored on average 39 points per game. Since then, Elmwood/Plum City has played four games, is 2-2, and has scored just over 59 points per game. Coach Webb spoke about what has changed in the last four games.

“We’ve kind of started to mesh a little bit,” Webb said. “Like I said after the Spring Valley game, we’ve got a lot of guys that are just green. The offense has gotten a lot better.”

The Wolves’ most recent action included a pair of contests at the first Elmwood/Plum City Holiday Tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 28, and Thursday, Dec. 29. The game on the first day of the tournament was a 61-42 loss against Alma Pepin, a team that defeated Ellsworth in the championship game the following day.

Although the Wolves ultimately lost, Elmwood/ Plum City’s offense continued to show offensive development, particularly with getting weapons open. Seniors Trevor Asher and Christian Martin regularly got downhill and attacked the bucket which generated open looks for perimeter shooters.

“Success is about understanding where our weapons are and setting them up to succeed,” Webb said. “When Christian (Martin) drives to the hoop, people understand that he can finish pretty well so they sink it. That’s when we have Lucas (Glaus) or Blake (Allen) spotting up.”

That’s exactly what happened against Alma/Pepin. When Martin drove to the bucket, he regularly kicked it out to junior Blake Allen, who finished the day with 11 points on 3-4 shooting from behind the arc. Asher even hit two three-pointers in the loss against the Eagles.

While the Wolves had success offensively, Alma/Pepin’s size and physicality led to a lopsided result in the rebounding battle. The Eagles outrebounded the Wolves, which led to easy putback layups and Elmwood/Plum City’s 19-point defeat.

“We got exactly what we expected from them. (Alma/Pepin) is big, they can jump, they’re athletic and they’re multi-sport athletes,” Webb said after the game. “We can’t take anything away from them because they’re well-coached, smart and athletic.”

The Wolves followed up the loss against Alma/Pepin with a 73-62 victory against Cadott on the second day of the tournament which included a 46-point second half. Throughout the year, Webb has spoken about how well the aforementioned Glaus can shoot it and he showed it against Cadott.

Glaus finished with 34 points on 9-17 from the floor including an astonishing 7-15 from beyond the three-point line. Allen also had 18 points in the win over Cadott, nine of which came from three-pointers. Webb spoke about what this team’s identity is starting to be.

“We’re never going to be the biggest, but we’re gritty, quick, we can shoot, and we’ve got a guy or two that can work down low,” Webb said. “I may be taller than Trevor (Asher), but I wouldn’t want to guard him because he’s just a bull. It’s about figuring out that quickness and being gritty.”

With the win, Elmwood/Plum City improved to 2-4 overall and remains 1-1 in Dunn-St. Croix Conference play. The Wolves are back in action on the road against Durand on Friday, Jan. 6. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.