A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Section 7A GIRLS BASKETBALL
Cromwell's Amber Collman (24) keeps an eye on the net as she brings the ball in for a shot against the Carlton Bulldogs earlier this year.
The Section 7A girls basketball tournament kicked off with three play-in games Monday. Seven quarterfinal games were scheduled for Wednesday, including No. 1-seeded Cromwell-Wright.
Play-in game action Monday saw Northeast Range, Wrenshall and Chisholm all picking up wins. Northeast Range downed Nashwauk-Keewatin 49-33, Wrenshall narrowly slipped by Silver Bay 36-35 and Chisholm ended the season for Fond du Lac Ojibwe by a score of 56-40.
Cromwell-Wright hosted Northeast Range Wednesday. The Cards entered the tournament led by cousins Taya and Shaily Hakamaki as well as a roster chock-full of talented players and depth. The Cards were 21-1 while the Knighthawks were 4-15. The only blemish on the Cardinals record is a Dec. 28 loss to No. 2 seeded Mountain Iron-Buhl, but the Cards came back and avenged the loss by destroying the Rangers by 20 points on Jan. 21.
Wrenshall had the tough task of trying to beat Mountain Iron-Buhl on the road. MIB has won the section title eight straight times and are led by a trio of seniors: Maddie Overbye, Macy Savela and Allie Negan. The Wrens are led by sophomore guard Hailey Tauzell.
Carlton entered the tournament with a 15-9 record and the No. 7 seed and played No. 10 Cook County. Carlton had a team with depth and players who know how to win in other sports, making them a potential sleeper in the tournament. The Bulldogs went to state last fall in volleyball and last spring in softball. Led by Alaina Bennett, they appear to be a team that could pull off an upset or two if a higher seed is not ready.
South Ridge comes in with a record of 14-9 and the No. 9 seed and will hit the road to play No. 8 Ely, which has a 15-9 record. The two teams met in the final regular season game of the year Friday, Feb. 22 in a game the Timberwolves won 64-57. Prior to the final game loss, the Panthers had won eight of their last nine games. Ely enters the tourney on a five-game win streak.
All opening round games were played at the higher seed on Wednesday night. Winners of the first round will then move on to play Saturday in Grand Rapids.
