Hunters Stop Cloquet

By Dwight Cadwell
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Updated: January 28, 2015

Dwight Cadwell – NSO

Photos By: Dori McMillen

Cold first half shooting by the Cloquet Lumberjacks allowed the Denfeld Hunters to jump out to a 15 point 31-16 lead at halftime as they would fend off the Lumberjacks and pick up a 70-59 win at home.

Denfeld opened up the game scoring the first 9 points before Nate Weets was able to score the Lumberjacks first basket of the game. The Hunters again put together a run going on a 12-7 run which put Denfeld in front 21-7 with five minutes remaining in the first half. Cloquet went through the first six plus minutes with only the basket by Weets before Mason Brenner drained a three pointer at the 11:44 mark if the half.

Denfeld continued their hot first half shooting as the outscored the lumberjacks 10-8 down the stretch of the first half to take the fifteen point lead into the locker room at the break. Denfeld made 12-24 first half shots for a field goal percentage of .500 % while Cloquet shot only 24 % in the first half.

The Hunters would build a second half lead of up to 17 points at one point before the Lumberjacks made a run and cut the lead down to seven at 49-42. Denfeld and Cloquet traded baskets and small runs but the Lumberjacks could never cut the lead below seven as the Jacks had it a 54-47 game again off a Brenner field goal but that was a close as they could get with Denfeld coming away with the victory.

The Hunters used a balanced scoring attack as they had 5 players in double figures led by Sjon Randa who scored 16, Jamarr Harkins added 14, Des Turner finished with 12, Spencer Wallner added 11, and it was Trevor Otteson with 10 to led the Hunters.

The Lumberjacks were led by Nate Weets who had a game high 31 points, including five three-pointers. Mason Brenner ended with 8, while Gavin Takkunen scored 6 points, and Bronson Wehr added 4.

The Lumberjacks fall to 11-7 overall and they will host Ashland this Friday at Cloquet High School, Denfeld improves to 6-12 and they will play at Hermantown this Friday night.