Looking back at recent Lake Superior Conference home games against Grand Rapids and Cloquet, Hermantown boys basketball coach Andy Fenske said he was very pleased with how three of the four halves went in the two games.
“In the second half against Rapids, the boys found a spark and went out and played with a sense of urgency that we hadn't seen in a while,” he said of the 80-63 loss. “Unfortunately, it was just too little too late by then.”
That sense of urgency came out again in a 68-57 loss against Cloquet, one of the favorites in Section 7AAA, when the Hawks trailed only 32-28 at the half.
“We came out hot right out of the gates and there were so many encouraging things that we witnessed,” Fenske said of Cloquet matchup. “We ended up falling short, but the effort and intensity that we played with made it feel that we have a spark in us and are taking strides in the right direction.
“In terms of play from our guys, we're continuing to get some great things out of Alex Schott, Ben Sundland and Sawyer Senst. Those three have been a consistent rock for us in all 17 games so far. Where we've had some other highlights has been from Blake Sundland and Landon Burg these past few games. Those two guys are stepping up and helping out on the defensive end. Statistically speaking they're not the ones who are going to be at the forefront of any category, but they're going to continue to provide valuable minutes when they're out there.”
Hermantown (3-14) visits nonconference Mounds View tonight and travels to Grand Rapids Thursday.
2024-25 Hermantown Boys Basketball Schedule / Results
Proctor – L 78-66, Overall: 0-1. Lake Superior Conference: 0-1. Home: 0-0. Road: 0-1.
Princeton – L 95-87. Overall: 0-2. LSC: 0-1. Home: 0-1. Road: 0-1.
Hibbing – L 86-56. Overall: 0-3. LSC 0-2. Home: 0-2. Road: 0-1.
Columbia Heights – L 75-67. Overall 0-4. LSC 0-2. Home: 0-2. Road: 0-2.
Duluth Denfeld – L 94-58. Overall 0-5. LSC 0-3. Home: 0-2. Road: 0-3.
Chisago Lakes – W 97-84. Overall 1-5. LSC 0-2. Home: 1-2. Road: 0-3.
Delano (Delano Tournament) – L 102-75. Overall 1-6. LSC 0-2. Home: 1-2. Road: 0-4.
Monticello (Delano Tournament) – L 72-36. Overall 1-7. LSC 0-2. Home: 1-2. Road: 0-5.
Milaca – W 65-62. Overall 2-7. LSC 0-2. Home: 2-2. Road: 0-5.
Duluth East – L 93-41. Overall 2-8. LSC 0-2. Home: 2-2. Road: 0-6.
Cloquet, L 83-62. Overall 2-9. LSC 0-4. Home: 2-2. Road: 0-7.
Bemidji, L 88-39. Overall 2-10. LSC 0-4. Home: 2-3. Road: 0-7.
Duluth Marshall, W 82-69. Overall 3-10. LSC 1-4. Home: 2-3. Road: 1-7.
Duluth Denfeld, L 90-60. Overall 3-11. LSC 1-5. Home: 2-4. Road: 1-7.
Bemidji, L 96-58. Overall 3-12. LSC 0-4. Home: 2-4. Road: 1-8.
Grand Rapids, L 80-63. Overall 3-13. LSC 1-6. Home: 2-5. Road: 1-8.
Cloquet, L 68-57. Overall 3-14. LSC 1-7. Home: 2-6. Road: 1-8.
Today – at Mounds View
Thursday – at Grand Rapids
Feb. 11 – at St. Francis
Feb. 14 – St. Paul Harding
Feb. 20 – Superior
Feb. 21 – Rock Ridge
Feb. 25 – at Mound Westonka
Feb. 27 – at North Branch
Feb. 28 – Duluth East
Mar. 5, 7, 13 – Section Tournament
Home games listed in boldface.