FIELD TWP — There was no David and Goliath ending at the North Woods School gym on Monday as the state-ranked Cherry Tigers crushed the young and inexperienced Grizzlies 102-45.
Runner-up in last year’s Class 1A state tournament, the Tigers lost several key players to graduation, but the cupboard remained full as the state coaches association currently has them ranked as the seventh best in the state.
North Woods won the opening tip but otherwise had to be content with minor skirmish victories in a battle that they were simply not equipped to win.
Cherry was up 14-0 before a basket by Cedar Holman put the Grizzlies on the board about four minutes into the game. Working fast breaks and drives down the lane to perfection, the Tigers pushed the lead to 24-4 before the Grizzlies’ offense started to find some rhythm. They looked crisp running their offensive sets, and while Cherry kept steaming ahead, the Grizzlies began to get some points for their efforts. Scores from Holman, TaySean Boshey-Wilkerson, and Omari Mohamed got North Woods into double digits at 38-14, but Cherry’s pressure defense continued to give them fits. The Tigers substituted frequently in the first half, but they didn’t skip a beat while rolling to an insurmountable 47-point edge at the break, 70-23.
With the Tigers’ bench seeing more action in the second half and with a running clock, their point production dropped to less than half of what it was in the first period, while the Grizzlies maintained their own early pace, notching 22.
Holman had a big offensive night, leading the Grizzlies with 22 points. Gage Aune just missed getting into double digits with nine.
While a loss is never a welcome thing, the chance to evaluate her team’s progress against a quality opponent did give Head Coach Jessica Trunnell some encouragement.
“They ran plays that we’ve been working really hard and well,” Trunnell said. “And their passing has improved tremendously. That’s something we’ve worked tirelessly on, really swinging that ball, making sure we’re coming to the ball to those passes. Cherry’s by far the toughest team in our conference and we knew that going in, so looking for those positives is really important.”

Duluth Marshall
The Grizzlies had a rare Saturday contest when they hit the road to take on Duluth Marshall, and the reception they received inside the gym was as cold as the weather outside it, as the Hilltoppers won 84-45.
The Grizzlies took an early 12-6 lead, but the Hilltoppers flipped the script with a 17-0 run to take a 23-12 advantage. Duluth Marshall led 39-25 at the half and controlled the tempo the rest of the way, winning 84-45.
Elias Sheffer led the team with 12, and Boshey-Wilkerson added 10.
“We did not show up to play on Saturday,” Trunnel said. “Duluth Marshall is a team that we should have and could have been very competitive with. That should have been a much better game, a closer game.”
South Ridge
The Grizzlies capped off the week’s three-game stretch with another road loss, 77-53 at South Ridge. Holman was the top scorer with 18, followed by Boshey-Wilkerson with 14.