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Grizzlies notch wins on the week

David Colburn
Posted 2/1/23

FIELD TWP- The North Woods Grizzlies boys ran at will Tuesday against the fledgling Northeast Range Nighhawks, blowing the visitors out of the gym 123-28.The Nighthawks’ slashing guard and …

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Grizzlies notch wins on the week

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FIELD TWP- The North Woods Grizzlies boys ran at will Tuesday against the fledgling Northeast Range Nighhawks, blowing the visitors out of the gym 123-28.
The Nighthawks’ slashing guard and senior floor leader Wyatt Martin was unavailable for the game, and the taller, faster, more athletic Grizzly defenders clamped down hard on NER. The Nighthawks’ Logan Meskill banked home the first shot of the game to put NER up 2-0, the only lead they would enjoy. The Grizzlies’ Jared and Brenden Chiabotti converted consecutive steals into layups and the track meet was on. NER’s Makana Bodas scored a bucket and LeoMcKrahl canned a couple of jumpers from the free throw line, but by that time North Woods was already up 24-8. North Woods then reeled off a 25-1 run before NER found some success against the Grizzlies reserves. McKrahl connected on a jumper, and Cameron Posey drove the baseline and scored on a nifty backward flip off the glass. Then Meskill hit a long range bank shot for the Nighthawks’ only trey of the contest, and Bodas scored to complete a nine-point streak that made the score 58-18. Aidan Hartway and Kalvyn Benner notched scores for the Grizzlies before the half, giving the Grizzlies a 62-18 lead at the break.
The second half played out much the same way as the first, with the Grizzlies scoring at will with whatever combination of players they had on the floor.
“It’s a fresh program for Northeast Range, kids ranging from no experience to whatever they’ve had growing up,” North Woods Head Coach Andrew Jugovich said. “They played tough. I didn’t want the score to end up what it was, but it’s hard to tell the boys to stop playing basketball. I give Northeast Range a lot of credit for coaching and the players for sticking it out and doing what they can. I hope to see them improve over the years. I really hope that they get that commitment because it’s nice having local teams to play. Our boys played hard, they played tough. It’s just one of those games where you want to make sure you come out having fun with no injuries.”
All twelve North Woods players who got into the game scored, led by Brenden Chiabotti with 22. Other double-digit scorers for the Grizzlies included Jonah Burnett and Jared Chiabotti with 19 each, Evan Kajala with 13, and Louie Panichi with 12. McKrahl led the way for NER with 12.
Duluth Marshall
The Grizzlies faced a sterner test last Friday against Duluth Marshall, also on the North Woods court.
The Hilltoppers’ offense was largely a one-trick pony in the form of 6’4” sophomore forward Brooks Johnson, a threat to score from anywhere he touched the ball, and score he did, piling up 56 points on the night.
Johnson knocked down a pair of triples to open the game, but Jared Chiabotti answered with two treys to keep the score tight in the early going. The Grizzlies opened up some breathing room on an 21-5 run ignited by a Louie Panichi fast break bucket. North Woods utilized all its weapons in the streak, getting buckets from Brendan Chiabotti, Jared Chiabotti, Johan Burnett, Ben Kruse, and Kaden Ratai to move the score to 34-19. The Hilltoppers got back on track and back into the game when the Grizzlies had trouble finding the basket in the final minutes of the half, and a Johnson triple pulled Duluth Marshall to within six, 42-36, at the break.
The Grizzlies took control again with an 8-0 run to start the second half, fueled by treys from Brenden Chiabotti and Burnett and another basket by Burnett. With the lead back to double digits at 14, 50-36, a rejuvenated Grizzlies squad stepped on the gas, increasing the margin to 19 at 64-45 on a Jared Chiabotti three-pointer. The Hilltoppers never got closer than 12 points after that as North Woods cruised to a 92-77 victory.
“I didn’t think Johnson was 56 points good,” Jugovich said. “We wanted to force him into tough shots and tough drives and we did get him to do that. He made a lot of tough ones, but he missed a lot of big ones towards the end, which came out in our favor. But that’s not always the case. So I’m proud of how our boys played defense. The plan of attack was to make him have his teammates beat us, and they did well, but as a team we came out and played better.”
Jugovich highlighted his team’s performance hauling down rebounds.
“There were times where Brooks was taking a long three when they’d have an extra person on the boards and it’d be three on four, and a lot of those times we still came out with it. So I’m glad for how hard we played. They were jumping and fighting every single time, and that’s what we want because fighting for those 50/50 balls is the only way that we’re going to be able to compete in this section.”
The team’s overall performance held many encouraging signs for Jugovich as they prepare to head down the final stretch of the regular season.
“Seeing the ball movement, the aggressiveness, seeing Luke Will get back in the action with some nice pick and rolls, and seeing Ben Kruse jumping higher than I’ve ever seen anyone jump in this gym to grab a rebound, we’re coming together at the right time,” Jugovich said. “We still have a ways to go but the boys are finally clicking as we’re getting closer to playoff time. By the time we’re there, we should be full speed ahead.”