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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Grizzlies hit rough patch

David Colburn
Posted 1/16/25

FIELD TWP- Turnovers and inconsistent execution of their offense led the North Woods boys basketball team into two double-digit losses this past week, falling on the road to Mt. Iron-Buhl, 78-64 on …

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Grizzlies hit rough patch

Posted

FIELD TWP- Turnovers and inconsistent execution of their offense led the North Woods boys basketball team into two double-digit losses this past week, falling on the road to Mt. Iron-Buhl, 78-64 on Friday, and losing at home to Class AAA Hibbing 93-69 on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies were at a height disadvantage against Hibbing, which features 6’7” sophomore center Raymond Brau alongside numerous other six-footers in their starting lineup. Brau scored 20 of his team-high 22 points in the first half as the Bluejackets took firm control of the game by the break.
After falling into a 15-5 hole in the early going, the Grizzlies gamely fought back to within four at 28-24 in a run punctuated by three-balls from Louie Panichi and Talen Jarshaw. But the Grizzlies offense went flat from there, scoring just one point over the next six minutes as Hibbing surged to a 45-25 lead. Kalvyn Benner ended the Grizzlies drought with a bucket and one, but the Bluejackets took a commanding 50-32 lead into the locker room at the half.
North Woods never made a serious dent in the deficit during the second half as Hibbing had no difficulty in closing out the 24-point win.
Jarshaw led the way in scoring for the Grizzlies with 24 points, including 10 from the free throw line. Panichi scored 22, including three triples, and Benner reached double digits with 12, also canning three treys.
“Tonight we knew what we were in for,” Grizzlies Head Coach Andrew Jugovich said. “We knew they were big, but I was not prepared for how big they were and how great a player Ray Brau is, a boy who may not even have his drivers license yet. He was unstoppable underneath.”
Mt. Iron/Buhl
Benner got the Grizzlies off to a promising start against the Rangers on Friday when he swished a three on the opening possession, but MIB responded with a 7-0 run. North Woods kept the score close as Panichi scored on a putback for a 9-9 tie. But capitalizing on North Woods errors, the Rangers put together a 10-0 run to lead 19-9. MIB pushed the lead out to 17 by halftime, 39-22.
The Grizzlies steadied themselves in the second half, but although they bested MIB 42-39 in the period, the damage was done as MIB prevailed by 14 points.
North Woods had four players scoring in double digits, with Panichi’s 18 points topping the list. Benner scored 16, Jarshaw dropped in 12, and Aidan Hartway notched 10.
Grizzlies Head Coach Andrew Jugovich acknowledged that the Rangers’ first half run was decisive.
“We had ten turnovers in the first half against MIB and we had five by our point guard, and that’s just something we can’t afford to do,” Jugovich said. “The second half we had four combined, so that’s how we were able to keep with them. MIB is in the top ten or 15 teams in the state and we hung with them.”
The Grizzlies have lost their last four games and currently stand at 7-6 on the season. Getting back in the win column soon could be difficult as they were scheduled for a tough road contest against Northome/Kelliher on Friday followed by a matchup with defending Class A state champion Cherry on the road on Jan. 23.