As expected, No. 2-seed Hermantown blitzed third-seeded North Branch 78-45 in a Class 3A, Section 7 high school girls basketball semifinal on Saturday at Hermantown High School Gym.
The Hawks (18-8 ) will meet top-seeded Rock Ridge (23-5) in the Section 7AAA championship on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Duluth Denfeld Gym, while hoping to avenge an 85-56 road loss to the Wolverines on January 12.
“I can't express how proud I am of the girls and the way they played this past week,” said first-year Hermantown head coach Eric Borndal, whose team also defeated Duluth Denfeld 68-33 in a 7AAA quarterfinal last Wednesday in Hermantown. “Our goal was to win the week to give us a chance to play for a section title and the girls rose up to that challenge.”
The Hawks played like a team on a mission against North Branch,
“We were able to see us put two solid halves together by trusting one another on both ends of the floor,” Borndal said of his team’s impressive win over the Vikings. “Bailey Hermanson, Aurora Decker, and Annika Nelson all scored in double figures, while Danika Bolf and Olivia Johnson were right there with eight points each. That kind of trust in each other will be vital as we prepare to take on Rock Ridge on Thursday.”
Hermantown has won three straight and five of its last six games, including the regular season and playoffs, and appears to be peaking at the right time in the post-season.
“It is fun to see the girls supporting each other so well and I certainly hope we can use the confidence gained on Saturday and carry it over into Thursday,” said Borndal. “It's been our mantra all year even when the going was tough, but we'll try it one more time: Win the Week."