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Howie's Prep Notebook, Thursday

"As the underdog team in the section right now, and the fact that we're 'playing with House money,' I like where we're at and how the game could shake out tomorrow night." -- Hermantown boys basketball coach Andy Fenske of his team's Section 7AAA semifinal at Hibbing on Friday night

Hermantown Girls Basketball. 2025 file. Howie / HowieHanson.com
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TONIGHT

Section 7AAA Girls Basketball Championship

No. 1 Rock Ridge vs. No. 2 Hermantown, 7 p.m. Duluth Denfeld Gym

Howie

QUOTE ME

Hermantown boy's basketball coach Andy Fenske on his team's stunning, 74-64 victory over Cloquet in a Section 7AAA quarterfinal on Wednesday night – "The boys played their most complete game of the season last night. From the scoring standpoint, only getting down four points early on and being able to continually withstand the runs that they were putting together was huge for our confidence. We played eight guys last night, and all eight scored and five were in double figures. We executed our game plan as best as we could, adapted to the flow of the game, and had a total team win last night. Going on the road, to play a senior-heavy team, is challenging no matter what the situation is but the boys rallied around each other and got the job done. I hope we saved some of the madness for tomorrow night (7AAA semifinal at Hibbing, 6 p.m.). We can worry about a 7AAA final if we're able to handle our business tomorrow night. Heading up to Hibbing is always a tough environment to play in. They are a team that's a bit older than us and they had a tight one with North Branch until the very end. So both of us are battle-tested with a playoff win under the belt. We have a few key guys we need to hone in on to try and disrupt them as much as possible. They got the early season game against us and only seeing them one time this year (an 86-56 Hawks' loss in Hermantown on Dec. 6) we're not entirely sure what to expect out of them. As the underdog team in the section right now, and the fact that we're 'playing with House money,' I like where we're at and how the game could shake out tomorrow night. The most beautiful part of this game is that all we need to do is go 1-0 one more time for the chance at another week of basketball together."

WEDNESDAY RESULTS

Section 7AAA Boys Basketball Quarterfinals

Hermantown 74, Cloquet 64

Hibbing 66, North Branch 53

Duluth Denfeld 80, Chisago Lakes 56

Grand Rapids 61, Rock Ridge 27

Semifinals, Friday

Grand Rapids at Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m.

Hermantown at Hibbing, 6 p.m.

Championship, Thursday, Mar. 13

At Duluth East, 7 p.m.

Section 7A Boys Basketball Quarterfinals

Cherry 105, Littlefork-Big Falls 51

Littlefork-Big Falls 82, Chisholm 70

Cromwell-Wright 71, Cook County 59

South Ridge 77, Fond du Lac Ojibwe 57

Mountain Iron-Buhl 68, Nashwauk-Keewatin 50

Section 7AAAA Boys Basketball Quarterfinals

Blaine 81, Duluth East 66

Minnesota Class A Boys Hockey Tournament

Hibbing-Chisholm 7, Luverne 0

East Grand Forks 3, Northern Lakes 0

Orono 8, Northfield 2

St. Cloud Cathedral 3, Mahtomedi 0

Friday Semifinals

No. 1 Hibbing-Chisholm vs. No. 4 East Grand Forks, 1 p.m. Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul

No. 6 Orono vs. No. 2 St. Cloud Cathedral, 3 p.m. Excel Energy Center in St. Paul

Saturday Championship

Noon, Excel Energy Center in St. Paul

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