Youth Hockey
The Bantams fell short in their bid for a state run after earning their spot with the District 11 championship. The Regional Championship tournament took place in Proctor from February 27 through March 1.
They opened with a 4-3 win over Red Lake Falls, then dropped a 7-5 game to Bemidji. Their final matchup came against Hermantown, where they fell 5-3.
Coach Jake Swanson said he was proud of how far the group had come from the start of the season.
“They pushed through tough times which led to them winning Districts. Even though we lost at Regions, it was to the two teams who made it to State. Both of those games could have been ours if a few bounces went our way,” he said. “But that is hockey, and that is the reason we love the game.”
Boys Varsity Basketball
Two Harbors and Cook County met on February 24 in what Agates Coach Bill Anderson called a “gritty” game, with the Agates winning 62-55 at home.
“Cook County has a nice record for a reason but our boys played some good defense with excellent hustle in both games,” he posted. “Things didn’t come easy on the offensive end but we found just enough to get the job done.”
Two Harbors is also celebrating Polar League All-Conference selections. Jace Gomez earned 1st Team All-Conference, and Carter Nelson earned 2nd Team All-Conference. Both will play in the Polar League All-Star game on Sunday, April 12, hosted by Two Harbors High School.
The Agates closed their regular season on February 27 at home against Barnum. Earlier in the month, they had lost by just two points on the Bombers’ court in a 78-76 game. This time Barnum took the win 66-51.
Earning a home game for the first round of playoffs, Two Harbors faced Moose Lake/Willow River in the Class 2A, Section 7 First Round, No. 10 seed vs. No. 7 seed. In their last meeting, the Rebels won 87-62. On Monday, the game was a hardfought back-and-forth battle, and unfortunately for the Agates, the Rebels won by just 2 points with an 81-79 final score.
Anderson told the team, “If that game was on ESPN, it’d be an instant classic.”
He posted online later that night, “No one should be surprised by that-these kids have given their heart & soul to our program. Moose just got one more to drop-to their credit. They shot lights out all night long, but still we came back, again & again.”
The coach thanked the seniors and stated, “I cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve given the program. Community service, excellent grades, leadership, weight room, open gyms, off-season training-the process & buy-in make the memories, it also makes the ending difficult. When you give your heart, it hurts. Thank you for making my job so easy. I love each and every one of you. You will be hard to replace. Finality is hard, in the manner in which it happened, even harder. So much to be proud of boys! Keep your heads held high and understand you did us all proud!”
Cook County finally got its matchup with Stella Maris Academy after an earlier cancellation. On February 27, the Vikings traveled to St. Scholastica and won 78-36.
The Vikings also earned home court for their playoff opener, taking on the McGregor Mercs on March 4 in the Class 1A, Section 7 First Round, No. 9 seed vs. No. 8 seed. The teams met just a few weeks earlier, when Cook County won 67-47. Results of, hopefully, a repeat performance will appear in a later issue of NSJ.
Cook County recently announced that senior Parker Backstrom set a new CCHS program record in a game against Bigfork on February 16th. Backstrom’s 32 rebounds in a single game is tied for 6th in alltime MSHSL boys basketball history.
Girls Varsity Basketball
A correction from last week’s North Shore Sports Shorts: the Two Harbors girls basketball team’s final regular-season game was against Carlton/Wrenshall. The February 24 game at Proctor was not a regular-season matchup but the Class 2A, Section 7 First Round, No. 14 seed vs. No. 3 seed.
Proctor controlled the first half, putting up 44 points while holding the Agates to 7. Two Harbors rallied in the second half and held the scoring 23-28, but the early gap stood. The game ended 72-30, closing the varsity girls’ season. Proctor went on to beat Esko and faced Marshall School in the semifinal on March 3.
Silver Bay also entered the first round of playoffs, taking on Chisholm in the Class 2A, Section 7 First Round, No. 14 seed vs. No. 3 seed. Chisholm won 62-25 and advanced again with a win over Barnum. They met Ely on March 3, with results to be reported in a future NSJ issue.
Attention North Shore sports fans. As the winter season winds down and brackets start to settle, we want to hear from the people who filled the bleachers, followed the scores, and kept these teams energized all year. What moments stood out for you this season? Was it the overtime wins, the packed gyms, the young players stepping up, the seniors closing out their careers, or the simple joy of watching these young athletes compete with heart?
Send in the highlights you’ll remember long after the snow melts to sarahwritesnsj@yahoo.com so we can feature them in an upcoming issue of North Shore Sports Shorts.
