Lumberjacks press Bombers for win

For the first half of last Thursday's boys basketball game, the game between Cloquet and the home team Barnum was close. The Lumberjacks held a slim five-point lead, but the game was still up in the air. That all changed when Cloquet came out in a three-quarter-court trap that proved too much for Barnum to handle. Cloquet went on to win 90-61.

"That first half we couldn't get the pace we wanted and Barnum controlled the tempo," said Cloquet coach Steve Battaglia. "We came out in a trap to start the second half and we caused a lot of problems for them and we got a ton of buckets on transition."

That trapping defense allowed Cloquet to score basket after basket via layups as the youthful Bomber guards struggled to find ways to beat the press.

"We just couldn't handle their pressure and we had too many turnovers which turned into easy baskets for them," said Barnum coach Rich Newman. "We also couldn't find an answer for Jack (Battaglia), who did everything for them, from shooting the three, controlling the game, assists, rebounding, he pretty much did everything for them."

Battaglia finished with a game-high 35 points to lead Cloquet on offense, while Max Sundquist finished with 12 points and also had eight rebounds for the 'Jacks.

"They have a couple of big guys inside and we struggled with that in the first half," coach Battaglia said.

Ninth-grade guard Axtell Blake led Barnum with 18 points. Post player Brock Hurst added 11 points.

"Axtell is going to be a real good player for them," Battaglia said.

Joining the scoring column for Barnum were Julian Beckstrand with nine, while Bryce Ferguson and Pierce Korpela scored seven points apiece. Patrick Poirer finished with six, Landon Bigelow had two and Kyson Landwehr added a point.

Noah Hansen chipped in with nine points for Cloquet. Jacob Nelson and James Wilmot both scored eight points, plus Evan Rothamel had six. Carson Hayes and Grant Biebl recorded five points each and Andrew Shepherd finished with two.

The loss dropped the Barnum record to 5-3 on the season.

"I am happy with the progress we're making," Newman said. "After Cloquet beat us, we had a real good practice on Friday. I think this opened up the guys' eyes that we can compete if we do the right things, even against a large school. The only bad games are the ones you don't learn from and the last game of the season."

With the win, the Lumberjacks improved their record to 10-1.

"I love playing games against schools like Barnum and Cromwell, because I respect those two coaches so much," Battaglia said. "I've stolen more ideas from those two guys because they are always on their game."