Girls basketball roundup

The January night of Friday the 13th was hardly scary for Ashland, Mellen, and Drummond girls basketball teams as each claimed conference wins; improving position in standings as races heat up in the second half of the season. Ashland pummeled visiting Cameron with a convincing 70-49 win which moved the ‘Dockers (4-4) ahead of the Comets (4-5) and into sixth place in the 10-team Heart O’ North Conference. In the Indianhead Conference, playing without a Bayfield Trollers girls team this season and thus consisting of nine schools, Mellen (5-2) kept Mercer (2-5) in check with a decisive 52-25 away win and Drummond (4-3) followed suit with a 45-30 shut down of host Washburn (2-4).

Indeed, it was the area’s top performing team the South Shore Cardinals, unbeaten heading into their home matchup with the Hurley Northstars, who experienced the nightmarish evening. Shooting just 37 percent on two point shots, and a rough 11 percent on threes, the Cardinals fell 53-44 to the Northstars and are now locked into a conference tie with Hurley heading into a get-right game against winless Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) played last night with results too late for press deadline. Despite the loss to Hurley and the team’s overall disappointing play, South Shore kept the game within one score down the stretch until the Northstars sunk six consecutive key free throws by senior standouts Courtney Corullo who finished with 22 points, and Melissa DiGiorgio who added 13, to seal the win. Lily Truchon and Emily Montgomery led South Shore with 20 and 15 points respectively, but the entire team struggled offensively and relied on a stingy defense fueled by senior Beau Reijo to remain in contention. Look for South Shore coach Ryan Tiberg to correct whatever troubled his team against Hurley and still make a strong run for the Indianhead title when the team concludes its regular season for what may be the conference championship in a matchup at Hurley on Thursday, Feb. 16.