DULUTH — There was no getting past Neelah McLeod on Monday evening.
The senior goalie turned away all 15 shots she faced in Proctor/Hermantown’s 1-0 win at Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian. McLeod’s excellence between the pipes helped secure her seventh shutout of the year and the Mirage’s fourth win in the last five games.
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McLeod rejected a couple of Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian high-quality scoring chances while also successfully killing four minutes of penalties on the road. Because of McLeod’s dominant effort, the Mirage needed just one elite scoring opportunity.
That chance came in the second period when senior forward Jane Eckstrom fired a shot past Savannah Blohowiak. Although there was a period-plus remaining in regulation, Eckstrom’s unassisted goal proved to be the game-winner for the Mirage.
Including McLeod’s shutout on Monday, Proctor/Hermantown has nine this season. Brilliance between the pipes — led by McLeod’s .925 save percentage with more than 500 shots faced — has been a driving factor in the Mirage’s 16-6 overall record.
BOYS HOCKEY
Rogers 9, Duluth East 1
Rogers struck twice in the opening period and two more times early in the second to take a 4-0 lead. The Greyhounds scored their lone goal midway through the second period when Caden Cole found the back of the net with assists from Marccus Anttila and Fin Kuzmuk.
Rogers (15-1-1) scored five straight goals across the next 20-plus minutes as the Royals cruised to a 9-1 win, their seventh straight, dating back to Dec. 26. Duluth East dropped to 2-16 overall.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Duluth Marshall 72, Rochester Lourdes 65
The Hilltoppers notched their seventh win in the last eight games by defeating Rochester Lourdes on Monday. Freshman phenom Chloe Johnson poured in a team-high 27 points while Cairin Berger tallied 19.
Duluth Marshall (11-6) was scheduled for a Tuesday, Jan. 21, contest against a red-hot Proctor team but it has been postponed due to inclement weather canceling school.
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Superior 61, New Richmond 49
Three Spartans scored in double figures as Superior claimed a home win over New Richmond on Monday, Jan. 20 in Superior.
Anna Manion led the way with 17 points, while Tara Stratton added 16 and Ava Meierotto 14.
Superior, which has won consecutive games for the first time all season, is now 6-10.
Floodwood 53, Two Harbors 39
Floodwood’s hot start included a 37-point first half that paved the way for a 17-point lead at the break, an advantage that proved to be too much for Two Harbors to overcome.
Kenzie Kiminski was the driving force behind Floodwood’s success on Monday, as the junior guard tallied a team-high 22 points. Sadie Kiminski also got going early, as she chipped in 13 in the winning effort.
Rachel Bopp’s 22 points accounted for more than half of Two Harbors’ offensive output, but it wasn’t enough in the defeat. Floodwood improves to 11-3 overall, which includes four straight wins, while Two Harbors drops to 8-7 for the season.
Carlton/Wrenshall 48, Silver Bay 27
Carlton/Wrenshall snapped a multi-game losing streak Monday night with a double-digit win against Silver Bay. Brielle Simula led the charge with 12 points while Liz Johnson, Sara Cid and Laura Rubesh each tallied eight points in the win.
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The Raptors got the job done on the defensive end, as they held Silver Bay to just 11 points in the final 18 minutes of action. Kinley Nelson scored a game-high 17 points for Silver Bay in the defeat.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Barnum 93, Northland 79
Three-point shooting proved to be the difference for Barnum on Monday. The Bombers buried 18 shots from beyond the arc, an effort led by Blake Axtell and Patrick Poirier, who made six and seven 3-pointers, respectively.
Axtell finished with a team-high 26 points while Poirier poured in 21. Bryce Ferguson tallied 19 while Brock Hurst chipped in a dozen to round out Barnum’s double-digit scorers.
Barnum’s 93 points against Northland, its second-highest output of the season, helped the Bombers secure their fourth win in the last five games while improving to 9-4 overall.
Deer River 101, Cromwell-Wright 76
Cale Jackson put on a show Monday evening against Cromwell-Wright. The senior guard dropped a game-high 39 points, which included seven 3-pointers in the blowout victory.
Jackson went toe-to-toe with Cromwell-Wright’s Brady Dahl, who finished with 32 points in the defeat. The Cardinals kept it close in the first half and went into the break trailing by just three points, 50-47, but it wasn’t to be.
Deer River outscored Cromwell-Wright 51-29 across the final 18 minutes in large part because of Jackson’s excellence. Other Cromwell-Wright (8-4) leading scorers include Dylan Nyberg with 14 and Lane Gervais, who finished with a dozen.
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PREP SCOREBOARD
BOYS BASKETBALL
Barnum 93, Northland 79
Bigfork 78, Floodwood 38
Deer River 101, Cromwell-Wright 76
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Superior 61, New Richmond 49
Hill City/Northland 50, McGregor 42
St. Croix Lutheran 67, Cloquet 61
Duluth Marshall 72, Rochester Lourdes 65
Floodwood 53, Two Harbors 39
Mesabi East 74, Esko 69
Carlton/Wrenshall 48, Silver Bay 27
BOYS HOCKEY
Hibbing/Chisholm 3, Duluth Marshall 2 (OT)
Rogers 9, Duluth East 1
GIRLS HOCKEY
Proctor/Hermantown 1, Mound Westonka/SWC 0
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