FIELD TWP — After a lackluster loss to Ely on Thursday, the North Woods girls got back on the winning track with strong performances against Silver Bay on Monday and Littlefork-Big Falls on Tuesday.
Playing on their home court, the Grizzlies got off to a slow start against the Mariners of Silver Bay and trailed by ten early. But North Woods came back to take an 18-17 lead with about four minutes left in the half, and a late 12-4 surge gave the Grizzlies a 30-21 edge at the break.
A trey by Tatum Barto at the 13-minute mark of the second half put the Grizzlies up by ten, and the Mariners never got closer than nine the rest of the way as North Woods cruised to a 64-48 win.
The Grizzlies were solid from the field, hitting 39 percent of their shots and scoring 24 points off 23 Silver Bay turnovers. The Grizzlies had 16 assists, a stat reflected in the scoring column with four players in double-digits. Corra Brodeen and Brynn Chosa tied for top honors with 14 each, while Barto tallied 11 and Emarie Gibson scored 10.
Tuesday’s game against L-BF was also a home affair, and this one was nip and tuck from the outset, with the teams tied at 13-13 just over halfway through the first period and 20-20 with 3:20 remaining. But the Grizzlies put on another late half spurt, this one ignited by three free throws and two buckets by freshman Anelise Brodeen, and North Woods edged ahead 29-22 at the break.
The Grizzlies extended the lead to 15 on triples by Barto and Chosa with 11 minutes left, and were never seriously challenged from there, winning 63-51.
Eight North Woods players scored in the game, with Chosa’s 15 points leading the way. Corra Brodeen finished with ten.
The Grizzlies have won four of their last five games and stand at 6-8 on the season.
They had their sights set on evening that record with a Thursday road trip to McGregor, 1-10, and a Tuesday contest at International Falls, 7-8.