Prep report: Johnson's 56 points not enough for Marshall win

Duluth Marshall got an eye-popping 56 points from Brooks Johnson but it wasn’t enough for the Hilltoppers boys basketball team to get past North Woods on Friday night in Cook, as the Grizzlies won 92-77.

Jonah Burnett had a big night of his own for the Grizzlies, scoring 30 points, while Jared Chiabotti chipped in 21 and Brenden Chiabotti 14. North Woods led 42-36 at halftime and scored 50 points in the second half.

The Cardinals edged the Polar Bears at home on Friday and with it clinched the Polar League’s small-school division title for the sixth consecutive year.

Drew Nyberg got all 18 of his points for the Cardinals from behind the 3-point arc, while Brady Dahl added 10.

For Floodwood, Elliott Dahl’s 20 points led all scorers, while Jonah Spindler added 17 points and Justin Spindler 11.

The Eskomos racked up 51 points in the first half to take control of the Polar League contest.

Koi Perich finished with 24 points to lead all scorers, while three other Esko players reached double figures: Cuinn Berger (14), Carter Zezulka (12) and Sam Haugen (10).

Hayden Charboneau’s 19 points paced Barnum (10-6).

The win was the fourth straight for Esko (11-2).

Nolan Nelson drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Rebels to force overtime and a late three-point play from Luke Dewey proved to be decisive in overtime at Willow River.

Nelson finished with 13 points and Adam Neumann 12 for MLWR (9-6), which overcame an 18 point night from South Ridge’s Austin Josephson.

The Eagles' Isaiah Kastern crossed the 1,000-point threshold on Friday night as Solon Springs won at home as part of a rare back-to-back home and home with the Trollers.

Solon won Thursday's game 113-77 in Bayfield behind 20 points from Kastern, as the Eagles overcame a 30-point game from Keith Bresette for Bayfield.

Four Bluestreaks scored in double figures, led by 22 points and five 3-pointers from Hannah Kne, as Chisholm won on the road.

Kenzie Kiminski scored 14 and Alice Irvine and Nakaiyah Nimene 12 apiece for the Polar Bears.

The Thunderhawks allowed only 16 first-half points at home to cruise to a Lake Superior Conference victory.

Taryn Hamling led Rapids on the offensive end with 20 points, while Braya LaPlant added 13 and Jessika Lofstrom 12.

Danika Thompson dropped a 29-point night on the Wrens as her Mariners led 42-15 at the half.

Colleen Szurpicki added 12 points for Silver Bay, which overcame 26 from Wrenshall's Janae Sjodin.

The Hilltoppers claimed a season sweep, going on the road to take down the Flyers in Bagley on Friday afternoon.

Kai Melton opened the scoring for Marshall (6-12), and though the Flyers offered a quick reply, Mason Musel’s tally late in the period ended up being a game-winner, while Braydon Hannula added a third-period insurance goal.

Marshall goalie Sam Pollard made 30 saves for the win.

CEC dug its way out of a 2-0 hole after two periods to win a battle of Lumberjacks on Friday night at Northwoods Credit Union Arena.

Patrick Dunaiski scored twice in the third period to even the game. Joey Antonutti and Lucas Rauner assisted on both goals, and it was Rauner who claimed the OT winner as CEC ran its record to 11-6-1. Antonutti assisted on that one, too, for a three-assist game.

Logan Sickmann stopped 21 shots for CEC to get the win.

The Spartans won a rare rubber match at Essentia Duluth Heritage Center, keeping the Hunters off the board until the final three minutes and getting a pair of second-period goals from Jackson Marthaler.

The teams played on consecutive Saturdays in December, each winning in the other team’s barn, but Superior won this one to get to 11-8 overall. Denfeld falls to 10-10-1.

The Pioneers ruled the day at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood, Minnesota in a matchup of two teams within the top five of their respective classes in the most recent Let’s Play Hockey state rankings.

Ellah Hause scored just 15 seconds into the game for the Pioneers, ranked No. 2 in Class AA, which then got the first two legs of a Chloe Boreen natural hat trick to lead 3-0 after a period. The Mirage fall to 15-6-2 on the season, with five of those losses to teams ranked in the top five in either A or AA.

The Spartans had another offensive explosion, scoring five times in the second period of their win over the Western Wisconsin Stars on Friday night in Somerset, Wisconsin.

Makaela Reinke scored twice in the outburst, while Kenlyn Thimm also finished with two goals. Autumn Cooper scored Superior’s opener and added two assists, while Addy Benson had a three-assist game.

Kaylie Nault made 24 saves for Superior, now 17-3 going into a Monday night showdown with Proctor/Hermantown at St. Luke’s Sports and Event Center.

East Central 45, Moose Lake/Willow River 44