Consecutive losses to Proctor and Princeton to begin the 2024-25 season is a difficult pill to swallow for the rebuilding Hermantown boy's basketball team.
“Playing two games within the first two weeks of the season isn't a bad idea unless the injury bug bites,” said legendary Hawks coach Andy Fenske said of his team’s 78-66 loss to the Rails and 95-87 loss to the Tigers. “Senior Blake Sundland went down with an ankle injury during the Proctor game. That left us with three potential starters and a key role player for the Princeton game. Proctor gave us every they had, and their depth is what killed us. They were able to keep sending in three guys at a time for fresh legs, and our fatigue led to some key turnovers and poor shots which was the difference in the scoreboard. Losing the turnover battle by 10 was very detrimental.”
The Princeton game was a great battle back and forth, Fenske said.
“Players stepped up and really adjusted well in the second half,” he said of last Saturday’s home opener. “However, we just couldn't sustain a run long enough to take a lead or cut it down to a one-score game. The biggest difference was missing 15 free throws and losing the turnover battle by 17. However, those are things we can continue to shore up as some of that comes from youth and inexperience combined with fatigue.”
Hermantown will host Hibbing on Friday at 7:15 p.m. The Bluejackets face nonconference Bemidji in their season and home opener Tuesday night.
Hawks to watch include Alex Schott, Blake Sundland, Lance Johnson, Sawyer Senst and Landon Burg, among others.
Hermantown is led by 6-foot-7 sophomore center Raymond Brau, a quickly emerging college prospect.
“We'd love to get the monkey off of our back and get the first win, but also to start section play in the win column,” said Fenske. “As I said, we have some small things to iron out and continue to work towards. As far as our injuries go, only time can heal those things up so we have the next-man-up mentality and need everyone dialed in. You never know when your number will be called.”
2024-25 Hermantown Boys Basketball Schedule / Results
Proctor – L 78-66, 0-1 overall, 0-1 Lake Superior Conference
Princeton – L 95-87, 0-2, 0-1
Tuesday – Hibbing
Dec. 14 – at Columbia Heights
Dec. 19 – at Duluth Denfeld
Dec. 21 – Chisago Lakes
Dec. 27-28 – at Delano Tournament
Jan. 2 – Milaca
Jan. 7 – at Duluth East
Jan. 9 – at Cloquet
Jan. 14 – Bemidji
Jan. 21 – Duluth Denfeld
Jan. 23 – at Duluth Marshall
Jan. 28 – at Bemidji
Jan. 30 – Grand Rapids
Jan. 31 – Cloquet
Feb. 4 – at Mounds View
Feb. 6 – at Grand Rapids
Feb. 11 – at St. Francis
Feb. 14 – St. Paul Harding
Feb. 20 – Superior
Feb. 21 – Rock Ridge
Feb. 25 – at Mound Westonka
Feb. 27 – at North Branch
Feb. 28 – Duluth East
Mar. 5, 7, 13 – Section Tournament
Home games listed in boldface.