Northland Boys Basketball Preview

November 25th, 2014

Tyler Peterson-NSO

With basketball season getting underway, Northland Sports Online would like to take a look at the local teams before the season begins.

Starting off in Section 7A, the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Ogichida will look to repeat as the Section 7A champions and improve on their 25-5 record from a year ago. Ranked 5th in the state heading into this season, the Ogichida dropped their season opener to Nevis, 70-60. They will look to bounce back against Nashwauk-Keewatin on December 2nd.

Also in Section 7A is the South Ridge Panthers, who were the Section runners-up with a 23-4 record. They open up their season against the Floodwood Polar Bears on November 25th at home.

The Cromwell Cardinals will look to improve on their 7-18 record from last season, and they got off on the right foot, kicking their season off with a 80-50 victory over Cherry on November 24th. They play again on November 25th against Hill City.

The Carlton Bulldogs have a new coaching staff, as former Fond du Lac coach, Ken Fox, has taken over the program and hopes to improve on their 3-20 record from a year ago. The Bulldogs open their season up on the road against Nashwauk-Keewatin, followed by a trip to the cities for the MITC Showcase. They will have their first home game on December 2nd against North Woods.

The Lakeview Christian Academy Lions will look to win Section 7A for their 3rd time in school history, led by Winthrop commit, Bjorn Broman. The Lions went 8-19 last season and will open their season up against North Woods at home.

The Wrenshall Wrens went 13-12 last season and will look to build off of that this season. The Wrens opened their season up at home against the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers and came out on top, winning 54-48. They will play again on December 2nd, traveling to South Ridge.

In Section 7AA, the Esko Eskomos are coming off of a State Championship. While they graduated a majority of that roster, they still look to be very competitive. The Eskomos went 29-3 last season and will look for their 3rd straight Section title. They opened up the season with a 74-50 victory over Pine City. They host Moose Lake-Willow River on November 25th.

The Barnum Bombers were the Section 7AA runners-up and will look to get back to that title game after going 26-3 a season ago. The Bombers are ranked 8th in the state and will open their season up on the road against Hinckley-Finlayson. Their first home game is on December 2nd against Cromwell.

Also in Section 7AA, the Moose Lake-Willow River Rebels will look to improve from last years 17-10 record. They open their season up against the Esko Eskomos. They have their first home game on December 2nd against Rush City.

In Section 7AAA, the Cloquet Lumberjacks will look to repeat as Section champs after going 24-5 last season. They opened up their season with a 69-54 victory over Hibbing. They will have their first home game on December 4th against Grand Rapids.

Also in 7AAA, the Hermantown Hawks, who were the runners-up, will look to improve on last seasons 19-10 record. They open their season up on December 2nd against Duluth East.

In Section 7AAAA, the Duluth East Greyhounds will try to bounce back from a 4-23 record last season. The Greyhounds open up their season on November 25th against the Proctor Rails.

Tyler Peterson can be contacted at tpeterson@northlandsportsonline.com