CARLTON- The North Woods girls basketball team notched their first win of the season last week, staving off a comeback bid by Carlton-Wrenshall to squeak out a 32-30 road win.
The Grizzlies got off to a quick start when Corra Brodeen took the ball in the lane and dropped in a jumper, then picked up a loose ball under the bucket and scored again, giving North Woods a 4-0 lead. Addison Burckhardt got a steal and score to put the Grizzlies up 10-4, and a free-throw-line double from Brodeen sent the game to halftime with North Woods up 18-8.
The Raptors made a game of it in the second half by bumping up their shooting percentage from a woeful ten percent in the first half to 23 percent in the second, taking their first lead of the game, 27-25, on a deep trey with five minutes remaining. A free throw by Isabelle Koch and a pair of charities by Brodeen put North Woods back in front, 28-27, but the Grizzlies trailed 30-29 with just 1:15 remaining. Tatum Barto was fouled with 56 seconds left and made two free throws, and Koch sealed the win with a charity with five seconds left.
Free throws were the difference maker for the Grizzlies, as they topped the Raptors 12-10 from the line, hitting 67 percent of their attempts. North Woods also held a big advantage in turnovers, forcing 43 Raptors miscues.
Both teams had trouble hitting from the field, and Brodeen was the only player on either roster in double figures with 12.
Floodwood
The Grizzlies traveled to Floodwood on Monday, and the Polar Bears proved to be too much of a challenge to handle. North Woods trailed 50-21 at the half and lost 68-36 to fall to 1-4 on the season. Additional game information was unavailable as of press time.