BARRON, Wis. — Trailing by seven with just over two minutes to play, it looked like Northwestern’s undefeated streak in Heart O’North Conference play was over.
Northwestern head coach Paul Eberhardt, shouting instructions from the sideline over the sound of a raucous Barron home crowd, orchestrated a press in the final two minutes that helped the Tigers escape with a 57-55 victory.
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Eberhardt’s squad forced multiple turnovers down the stretch and converted at the free-throw line, which turned a seven-point deficit into a two-point victory against Barron. The Golden Bears had possession in the final seconds but didn’t get a clean look.
Senior forward Abby Johnson led the Tigers with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Claire Nielcen had 16 points. Sophomore phenom Jillian Kunert added nine blocks and helped deter paint offense Monday evening.
The Tigers, after surviving a scare at Barron, are now 15-4 overall and 13-0 in Heart O’North Conference play. Northwestern is knocking on the door of its first conference championship since 2019-20, and just its second in the last two decades.
Superior 55, Esko 48
Annabel Manion continues to be a difference-maker for Superior. The senior guard dropped a game-high 22 points, which helped lead the Spartans to a seven-point road win over a gritty Esko squad.
Monday night was Superior flipping the script, as earlier this season the Spartans suffered a seven-point home defeat at the hands of Esko. This marks Superior’s fourth-straight win, its longest string of victories so far this season.
The other three came against Hermantown, New Richmond and Cloquet. Superior appears to be getting hot at the right time, since there are just a couple of weeks left in the regular season. Superior is now 8-10 overall while Esko moves to 9-13.
Cloquet 55, Duluth Denfeld 37
Cloquet’s balanced scoring attack of Lauren Hughes and Paige Goranson, who scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, proved to be too much for Denfeld on Monday night.
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Mattie Butler chipped in eight points for Cloquet while Denfeld was led by Victoria Nylund’s game-high 17 points in the defeat. Other Hunters scoring includes Maurissa Hendricks and Ellie Davis, both of whom scored eight points.
Cloquet improved to 8-13 for the season while Denfeld slipped to 5-16 overall.
Barnum 43, McGregor 41
Claire Geyen had a last-second shot at the buzzer, but it wasn’t to be as McGregor (10-8) fell to Barnum.
The back-and-forth battle, which proved to be a low-scoring defensive affair, was ultimately decided by Barnum’s Janaya Jurek. The senior point guard poured in a game-high 15 points and helped the Bombers survive a last-second thriller.
Barnum (13-6) has now won back-to-back games and three of its last four leading into a highly-anticipated home contest against Moose Lake/Willow River on Thursday night.
Solon Springs 60, Butternut 46
Solon Springs bounced right back into form with a double-digit win just two days after suffering its first defeat since the opening week of December.
The Eagles went on the road and held Butternut to just 15 first-half points while building a comfortable seven-point advantage at the break.
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Solon Springs had four players in double figures led by Claire Beerntsen’s team-high 15 points. Mazzy Johnson and Paetyn Simenson each tallied 14 while Madison Jacobs rounded out the scoring with a dozen.
The win improved Solon Springs to 14-2 overall, including a staggering 14-0 showing in Northern Lights Conference action.
Floodwood 68, Carlton/Wrenshall 46
The offensive output of Floodwood’s Kenzie Kiminski and Sadie Kiminski was the difference on Monday night, as they scored 25 and 19 points, respectively. The dynamic duo also combined to make six 3-pointers in the victory over Carlton/Wrenshall.
The Raptors had three players in double figures: Liz Johnson, Brielle Simula, and Myleena Ojibway, all of whom had a dozen points. Floodwood improved to 15-4 with the win and Carlton/Wrenshall dropped to 5-16 for the season.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Two Harbors 86, Aitkin 76
Two Harbors senior guard Tate Nelson poured in a game-high 33 points, as the Agates rode a 46-point second-half effort to a double-digit victory over Aitkin.
Nelson made just one shot from beyond the arc. He did most of his damage in the paint, simply slicing and dicing his way to the bucket all evening. Jace Gomez scored 26 points while Carter Nelson rounded out Agates in double figures with 15.
Isaac Asmis led Aitkin with 22 points, but it wasn’t enough. Two Harbors moved to 8-12 overall and ended a two-game skid. Aitkin dropped to 6-12 for the season.
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Cromwell-Wright 64, Proctor 56
Long-distance shooting helped Cromwell-Wright knock off Proctor and secure its fourth win in the last five games. Brady Dahl led the charge with a game-high 22 points and a trio of 3-pointers in the eight-point victory.
Carson Hill buried a trio of 3-pointers as well, while Drew Nyberg and Dylan Nyberg each connected twice from beyond the arc. Cromwell-Wright improved to 12-5 with the home victory over Proctor.
Leading scorers for Proctor include Wyatt Nelson and Dallas Loftis, both of whom scored 10 points, while Tyler Berglund chipped in nine points. The Rails have now lost five-straight and dropped to 8-10 for the season after the defeat.
East Central 78, Barnum 71
Four Bombers in double figures wasn’t enough for Barnum against East Central.
Blake Axtell scored 15 points, Bryce Ferguson and Julian Beckstrand each had a dozen and Brock Hurst rounded out the scoring with 10 points. Barnum and East Central went into the break tied, 29-29, but a 49-point East Central second half ended the Bombers.
East Central’s Ben Carlin scored 23 and Levi Kosbab chipped in 20 points. Barnum dropped to 12-6 overall while East Central moved to 15-5, including six straight wins.
2024-2025 Minnesota Class A girls hockey section brackets
| Section | Winner |
|---|---|
| Section 1A | TBA |
| Section 2A | TBA |
| Section 3A | TBA |
| Section 4A | TBA |
| Section 5A | TBA |
| Section 6A | TBA |
| Section 7A | TBA |
| Section 8A | TBA |
2024-2025 Minnesota Class AA girls hockey section brackets
| Section | Winner |
|---|---|
| Section 1AA | TBA |
| Section 2AA | TBA |
| Section 3AA | TBA |
| Section 4AA | TBA |
| Section 5AA | TBA |
| Section 6AA | TBA |
| Section 7AA | TBA |
| Section 8AA | TBA |
The Trust Project
