The Hermantown girls basketball team has navigated an uneven but revealing first half of its schedule, entering the final stretch of the regular season at 9-6 after facing a demanding mix of Class 3A and 4A competition.
Hermantown opened the season with a lopsided loss to Bemidji but quickly showed its offensive ceiling with a 100-30 road win at North Branch. The Hawks followed with home victories over Esko, Duluth East and Duluth Denfeld, and added neutral-site wins over Cloquet and Cromwell-Wright at the Holiday Classic in Cloquet.
A 55-53 road victory at Anoka on Jan. 2 marked one of Hermantown’s tightest wins of the season, underscoring the team’s ability to close out close games. The Hawks also defeated Thief River Falls 70-55 at home on Jan. 10.
Hermantown’s losses have come largely against bigger, physical teams, including Proctor, East Grand Forks, Rock Ridge and Mountain Iron-Buhl. Those games exposed areas the Hawks continue to address, particularly on the defensive end and on the glass.
Despite the setbacks, Hermantown has remained competitive behind a senior-heavy roster that includes Brooke Wiese, Avea Harriman, Danika Bolf, Alexis Chandler, Bailey Hermanson, Aurora Decker and Claire Niksich. Juniors Vienna Kolenda, Bryden Giesen, Payton Holt, Kenzie Zagelmeyer and Sophie Schulz, along with sophomores Audra Schott and Jailynn Sherill are rising stars.
The Hawks return to action Tuesday at home against Hibbing, beginning a stretch of six home games over the next eight contests. The upcoming slate includes matchups with Cloquet, Superior, Mesabi East and Grand Rapids before closing the regular season with road games at Duluth East and Esko.
With postseason positioning looming, Hermantown will look to build consistency and tighten its execution as February approaches.