CLOQUET — As a young team looking to rebuild from last year's Section 7AAA runner-up finish, the Cloquet girls basketball team has battled through bouts of inconsistency throughout the season.
Thursday’s matchup against Superior was no exception.
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The Lumberjacks showed their youth and inexperience during key stretches of the contest, leading to a 53-45 loss to the Spartans on their home court.
Cloquet head coach Heather Young did not mince words in frustration with the effort level of players on her team.
“Tonight, it was a situation where we had girls in foul trouble, we had some girls that were benched, and that just put us really at a disadvantage, because in my eyes, I’ll take a loss if I have to prove to you that we need you to do your job,” she said.
With only one starter back from last year’s squad, Young emphasized the importance of every player pulling their weight if they’re to be successful moving forward.
“If I can get five girls on the floor to all buy in at the same time … If we can get that they're gonna be successful, and that has happened inconsistently all season long,” said Young. “We’re just not talented enough to not have five girls on the floor doing their job. We’re just not…”
The Spartans, who entered the game with only four wins, have had their own share of ups and downs over the course of their 2024-2025 campaign, making Thursday’s win a crucial one, according to head coach Mackenzie Meneguzzo.
“It’s a huge confidence booster,” she said. “We battled the whole game (and) being down early I think this just helps our confidence build and to play aggressive, play physical the whole game and compete. I think this game helps with that.”
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The Spartans were forced to battle through adversity in the early goings of the first half after an 8-0 Cloquet run two and a half minutes into the contest led Meneguzzo to call a timeout to regroup. Senior guard Tara Stratton ultimately pulled Superior out of the brief lull with nine of the team’s first 11 points in an 11-11 tie.
“She was huge,” said Meneguzzo. “She came out shooting strong, and I think that’s what kept us in the game early on and she kept hitting those big shots down the road..That’s confidence in our senior shooter right there.”
After exchanging leads down the stretch of the first half, the Lumberjacks pulled ahead for the last time with consecutive coast-to-coast baskets by Lauren Hughes and Rylie Goranson to put Cloquet up 28-24 at the break.
The momentum began to shift minutes into the second half when Hughes picked up consecutive offensive fouls, including her fourth less than five minutes into the final frame, forcing her to sit. The Spartans capitalized over the next seven minutes without the veteran guard on the floor, building a 40-35 lead with just over five minutes left in the game.
Young took umbrage with the first charging foul and believed her agitation with the ref may have affected her team's chances down the stretch.
Despite the best efforts of leading scorer Paige Goranson, who finished with 14 points, the Lumberjacks were unable to battle back in the closing minutes, as Ava Meierotto all but took over for the Spartans in the waning minutes with multiple key baskets to secure the victory.
Both teams will be back in action on Monday, Jan. 20 with the Spartans (5-10) hosting New Richmond at 7:15 p.m., while the Lumberjacks (6-10) travel to St. Catherine University to take on St. Croix Lutheran at 11:45 a.m.
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