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No. 6-seed Hermantown will attempt to record a major upset against third-seeded Cloquet in a Class AAA, Section 7 boys basketball quarterfinal Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Cloquet Middle School Gym.
The Hawks (4-22) lost twice to the Jacks (18-8) during the regular season, 83-62 in the Wood City and 68-57 in Hermantown.
Hermantown lost 12 of its last 13 games in the regular season, including a crunching 93-53 blow at Duluth East in the finale, and finished 1-8 and in last place in the Lake Superior Conference.
During the regular season, the Hawks were 1-9 against opponents reaching the 7AAA quarterfinal round (0-1 vs. Chisago Lakes, 0-2 vs. Cloquet, 0-2 vs. Duluth Denfeld, 0-1 vs. Rock Ridge, 0-2 vs. Grand Rapids, 1-0 vs. North Branch, 0-1 vs. Hibbing).
The regular season was a competitive rebuild for Hermantown. The Hawks are led by senior guard Alex Schott and super-sophomore power forward Corbin Petcoff, a developing college division prospect.
Cloquet’s top player is senior shooting guard Jack Battaglia, who averages 24.9 points per game. He exploded for 38- and 23-point outings against the Hawks, and likely will again be a handful for the Hawks to stop defensively.
“It’s that magical time of year when teams have a chance to turn their dreams into realities,” said Hermantown coach Andy Fenske. “Everything our guys have worked for can be showcased in, what we hope, are a few more games. Our guys are in a great headspace, and despite our record, the guys know what the road looks like from our vantage point. All the pressure is on everyone else in the section. We just need to out-execute and value the ball, and a little luck on our side wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. March Madness was built on Cinderella runs and hopefully ours will start Wednesday night.”
"There will be a lot of scoreboard watching – even in round 1,” said Cloquet coach Steve Battaglia. “Anybody who thinks they know how this will play out is lying. We're confident after beating everybody in our section during the regular season, but we're also humble in knowing that they can also beat us. We're finally fully healthy and with a team full of seniors, we're ready to lay it all on the line and see what happens. Hopefully, we get a little luck and find a way to win this thing. Fun time of the year."
Top-seeded Duluth Denfeld won't be an easy out in the playoffs.
"We're looking forward to March Madness, and I am very happy that we got the top seed," said Hunters coach Phill Homere. "Our section is very interesting because anybody can beat anybody. I am very happy with how our guys have been playing the last 16 games. We played some tough teams this year to prepare us for the real season that starts in March. Our boys seem to be more focused and locked in on the task at hand. I am looking forward to having a good run and hopefully we can take care of business. The last time Denfeld went to state was 21 years ago.
"What I am most excited about is no matter what we get to play all our games in Duluth. You just can’t beat that. We get to play in our city with our hometown crowd. I still don’t think we are listed as the favorite and that’s fine by us. We are hungry and we know what it will take to get this done. This season, like other years, we have battled injuries, sickness and other things. Our best big will probably be out throughout the playoffs, but we have found other guys to step up in his place. We have the best backcourt in the section and the best overall player (senior guard MarNaries Ferguson) – and we love our chances. Our mindset is to take it one game at a time and to not overlook anyone. We ready. #DenfeldvsEverybody."
Other 7AAA quarterfinal matchups Wednesday night:
No. 1 Duluth Denfeld (17-9) hosts No. 8 Chisago Lakes (3-23)
No. 4 Grand Rapids (13-13) hosts No. 5 Rock Ridge (8-18)
No. 2 Hibbing (17-9) hosts No. 7 North Branch Area (3-23)
Tournament Notes: 7AAA semifinal games are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m., hosted by the highest-seeded remaining teams, followed by the championship on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. at Duluth East.
QUOTE ME
Duluth East boys basketball coach Rhett McDonald on the 2024-25 season, as the seventh-seeded Greyhounds prepare to face No. 2 seed Blaine in a Section 7AAAA quarterfinal Wednesday night in Blaine – "Throughout this season, our team has been tested. Injuries, illnesses and ineligibilities have hit us. But instead of making excuses, we’ve found a way to fight through and get better. That speaks volumes about the toughness, resilience, and collective grit of this group.
Because of that, I have absolute faith in our ability to compete in Section 7AAAA. As the No. 7 seed, we know the road ahead is tough – but so are we. We embrace the challenge. Blaine is a talented, athletic, guard-heavy team. They’re one of the best squads we faced all season, and in January, they exposed our weaknesses in a 21-point loss. They have three guys averaging over 15 points per game and five who shoot over 35-percent from three. We know they’re dangerous.
But we’ve been preparing for 'March Mentality' since mid-February. We’re more disciplined. We’re tougher. We play for each other. The progress we’ve made is undeniable. Against Hermantown on Friday, we put up a season-high 29 assists, and Ty Nyberg dished out 16 of them. We held them to 53 points and dominated the boards by 18. That’s the kind of performance that wins in March.
Coaching this group over the last month has been special. After a tough December and January, I wasn’t sure if we had it in us to come together the way we have. But these guys have sacrificed. They’ve committed to playing for the name on the front of the jersey. They’ve worked relentlessly. And because of that, I couldn’t be prouder of them. Wednesday night, we take the court as a team that has earned the right to believe. We’re battle-tested. We’re ready. And we are not backing down."
Section 7AAAA Boys Basketball Quarterfinals
All games Wednesday at 6 p.m., hosted by the highest seed (Bracket)
No. 6 Forest Lake vs. No. 3 Centennial
No. 7 Duluth East at No. 2 Blaine
No. 5 Coon Rapids at No. 4 Andover
No. 8 Cambridge-Isanti at No. 1 Anoka
