Staying close with one of the state's top-ranked teams in Class A didn't count in the win column Tuesday night for the International Falls girls basketball team.
The Broncos trailed by three points at halftime and ended up losing to North Woods, 67-61, in the Falls High School gym.
“It takes an extraordinary effort to beat them and I thought we played not as well as we could, but just about as well as we could, and we just came up short,” said Broncos head coach Shawn Gilbert.
The Grizzlies applied a full-court pressure defense for much of the game to force the Falls into committing turnovers. North Woods took a 21-10 lead midway in the first half after senior guard Darby Youngstrom put in a layup off of a steal.
The Broncos were able to get back in the game by responding with a 11-2 scoring run capped off with a 3-pointer by Shelby Wolden. The half ended with the Grizzlies in front, 35-32.
North Woods remained in front throughout the second half when the Grizzlies' lead fluctuated between a single possession and double digits.
“It just seemed like we couldn't get that lead,” Gilbert said. “It might have been a little bit different if we could actually get that lead one time (Tuesday night), but I was still very happy with the way we played.”
The Falls played much of the second half without starting forward Emma Gilbert, who ran into foul trouble and saw limited action going on and off the court in the final 18 minutes.
The Broncos had three players score in double figures led by Emma Gilbert with 17 points, followed by Teagan Anderson with 12 and Maddie Filipiak with 10.
Youngstrom led North Woods with a game-high 25 points, while senior guard Destinie Villebrun also scored in double figures with 14 points.
“(The Grizzlies have) got a very good team,” Shawn Gilbert said “Villebrun and Youngstrom – they've been great players for the last five years, basically since they were in eighth grade.”
MI-B 81, Int'l Falls 38
The Broncos' home game Friday night against another one of the state's top-ranked teams in Class A didn't stay close shortly after the opening tipoff.
The Falls trailed by 29 points at halftime and ended up losing to Mountain Iron-Buhl, 81-38.
Allie Knuti led three MI-B players scoring in double figures with a game-high 19 points.
The Broncos' season record now stands at 18-6 going into next Tuesday's home game against Ely.
Tuesday's game
North Woods 67, Int'l Falls 61
North Woods 35 32 – 67
Int'l Falls 32 29 – 61
North Woods: Tessa Mankus 6, Zoe Bystrom 7, Jessica Harmston 4, Darby Youngstrom 25, Destinie Villebrun 14, Alicia Rutchasky 9. 3-pointers: Rutchasky 3, Villebrun. Free throws: 17-26. Fouls: 12.
Int'l Falls: Maddie Filipiak 10, Shelby Wolden 3, Lexi Owen 7, Cassie Tomczak 4, Teagan Anderson 12, Janet Humbert 3, Jena Sullivan 2, Emma Gilbert 17. 3-pointers: Anderson 3, Filipiak 2, Wolden, Owen, Gilbert. Free throws: 7-10. Fouls: 19.
