Hermantown’s girls basketball team continued its strong midseason push with a 70-55 win over Thief River Falls on Saturday, improving to 9-3 overall and reinforcing the momentum it built through a strong December.
Jailynn Sherrill scored 27 points and Bryden Giesen added 15 as the Hawks navigated early foul trouble before pulling away in the second half to secure the nonconference victory.
The win came one game after Hermantown saw its seven-game winning streak snapped in an 87-51 loss at home to East Grand Forks, a setback that briefly slowed what had been one of the area’s hottest December runs.
Hermantown is 3-1 in Lake Superior Conference play, sitting just behind unbeaten Proctor (5-0) and Duluth Marshall (3-0), and ahead of Rock Ridge (1-2) and Cloquet (1-3) in a tightly packed race that is beginning to take shape.
After an uneven early season performance that included losses to Bemidji and Proctor, the Hawks reeled off seven straight wins, including a 100-30 road victory at North Branch, a 75-34 win at Grand Rapids, a 65-58 home victory over Duluth East and back-to-back neutral-site wins over Cloquet and Cromwell-Wright at the Holiday Classic in Cloquet.
Saturday’s bounce-back performance against Thief River Falls showed the same resilience that fueled that surge. Hermantown handled early foul issues, stayed composed defensively and used balanced scoring to pull away down the stretch.
Hermantown’s senior-heavy lineup has been the foundation of that consistency. Jailynn Sherrill, Brooke Wiese, Avea Harriman, Danika Bolf, Alexis Chandler, Bailey Hermanson, Aurora Decker and Claire Niksich anchor a group that applies pressure at both ends of the floor, while underclassmen Audra Schott, Vienna Kolenda, Giesen, Payton Holt, Kenzie Zagelmeyer and Sophie Schulz have added speed, shooting and depth.
The Hawks have leaned on defense and efficiency, holding opponents to an average of 7.5 points per player while shooting 36.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. Hermantown has also been steady at the free-throw line at 50 percent and averages 3.4 rebounds per player.
The next two weeks will likely define Hermantown’s place in the conference race. The Hawks host Rock Ridge on Tuesday before traveling to Proctor and Mountain Iron-Buhl. Hibbing and Cloquet visit later in the month as Hermantown tries to keep pace with Proctor and Duluth Marshall at the top of the standings.
With a veteran core, a 9-3 record and a proven ability to rebound from adversity, Hermantown has positioned itself as a legitimate Lake Superior Conference contender heading into the heart of January.