FIELD TWP — The North Woods boys had a grueling stretch of four games in six days this past week but managed to grab their second win of the season on Monday with a solid 77-36 win at Stella Maris.
In a rare circumstance where the young Grizzlies held a decided size and talent advantage over their opponents, they made the most of it, with five players scoring in double figures. Andrew Hartway led the way with a stellar 24-point effort, and Gage Aune caught fire in the second half to score 13. TaySean Boshey-Wilkerson and Elias Sheffler both dropped in 11, and Sawyer Glass scored 10.
Both teams had tentative starts, but it was the Grizzlies who found their footing first and pulled out to a 16-10 lead at the midway point of the first half. North Woods fed off its defense, rebounding, and smart passing to hold the Sentinels in check and take a 36-17 halftime lead. A 12-4 run to start the second half upped the lead to 48-21, and North Woods kept pouring it on for the 41-point victory.
“It was a very good matchup for us, but there’s a lot more we can work on,” Assistant Coach Jerry Goggleye said.

Moose Lake-Willow River
The Grizzlies’ hoops marathon began at home last Thursday against Moose Lake-Willow River. The Rebels sprinted to a 7-0 lead before Gage Aune got North Woods on the board with a bucket. Caleb Rutchasky scored on a fast break the next trip down the floor to narrow the gap to 7-4, but the Rebels went on a 10-0 run that Sawyer Glass put a stop to with a long three-ball to make the score 17-7. With the Grizzlies having a tough time working the ball for good shots, the Rebels built a 25-7 lead before Rutchasky hit for two baskets and Aune dropped in a three to trim the lead to 27-14. A strong finish to the half put the Rebels up 35-16 at the break.
It took over five minutes for the Grizzlies to get on track in the second half, with a Cedar Holman score with 12:58 on the clock making the score 46-18. But North Woods managed to play the Rebels within one point of even the rest of the way in the 62-33 loss.
Head Coach Jessica Trunnell noted the difference in experience between the senior-laden Rebels and the senior-less Grizzlies.
“We have no seniors, and almost no varsity experience at all,” Trunnell said. “This is brand new.”
While Trunnell ticked of the challenges her young team had – solving the half-court press, rebounding, and turnovers – she nonetheless found signs of encouragement and growth in the loss.
“Our communication in the first half was good,” she said. “They were calling out switches, they were calling out screens. And we had periods where our passing was really good, we were able to swing the ball a little bit.”
Trunnell said she was disappointed for the team and that the good work they did for the game in practice didn’t translate into a win. She emphasized that building the team’s confidence and familiarity will continue to be priorities.
No Grizzlies scored in double figures. Rutchasky led the team with eight first-half points.

Hill City/Northland
On Friday, the Grizzlies took to the road for a tilt against the Hill City/Northland Storm, and North Woods kept within striking distance through the first 12 minutes, with a Jett Lambert trey cutting the Storm lead to 18-16. But a 14-1 run by the Storm to close out the half gave them a comfortable 32-17 lead going into the locker room.
The Grizzlies returned to early game form in the second stanza and played consistently throughout. If not for the drought to end the first half, the Storm would have escaped with only a one-point win, but the Grizzlies didn’t have the firepower to mount a comeback and fell 58-44.

Two Harbors
When North Woods returned to the home hardwoods to take on 5-0 Two Harbors on Tuesday, the challenge ahead was apparent when the teams lined up for the tip. The Agates were taller and more athletic at nearly every position, and they wasted little time showing the Grizzlies why they’re undefeated so far. The Agates powered their way to a 24-2 lead, and the outcome was never in doubt. After Two Harbors inserted their second string in the second half, the Grizzlies found the matchups more favorable and played even the rest of the way, losing 69-38.
Boshey-Wilkerson was the only Grizzly in double figures with 11 points.
“They were big and strong and fast,” Goggleye noted. “We’re a small school and we have short guys, and we can’t do anything about that. I thought our defense played good to start with. And actually the rebounds were pretty good on our end.”
The Grizzlies were scheduled to head into the winter break by hosting Ely on Thursday. On Dec. 29-30 the team will play in a tournament at Chisholm.