HERMANTOWN — The North Woods girls scheduled a formidable foe for their final regular season game on Friday, Class AAA Hermantown, seeded second in their section with a 16-9 record.
For the 9-16 Class A Grizzlies, the game against the Hawks played out as expected. North Woods stayed close during the first ten minutes at 16-10, but then Hermantown’s physicality and talent took over in a 23-6 run to close out the half. The Hawks emptied their bench in the second half, making for a more competitive matchup, but Hermantown cruised to a 65-37 win.
Corra Brodeen led North Woods in scoring with 12, while Tatum Barto notched a double-double with ten points and 12 rebounds.
“We went in knowing it was going to be tough and at the same time ready to celebrate the small wins of the game - a good pass, successful offensive run, etc.,” North Woods Head Coach Liz Cheney said. “If we are willing to learn in these losses, we can also become better from them, especially as we look to strengthen our weaknesses in preparation for playoffs.”
The Grizzlies played their final six games of the regular season on the road, and they were scheduled to be traveling again for the first round of the Section 7A tournament on Thursday. With the No. 11 seed, North Woods drew No. 6 Barnum, owners of a 17-9 record. The Bombers defeated the Grizzlies in December by a score of 71-49.