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EVELETH — After less than two months of official practice, Rock Ridge Boys Basketball posted a 10-3 record. The Wolverines are a shining example of “Fiercely United,” the merged district motto that unites former rivals Virginia and Everest. Gilbert.
In fact, Rock Ridge High School’s near-completed court has the words ‘Bound Hard’ printed on it. Mavec, senior captain of Eveleth-Gilbert, and Noah Mitchell, senior of Virginia, said on Tuesday that he was about two miles away from the new court and exercise before the game against Two Harbors at Eveleth-Gilbert High School. I had the opportunity to walk the facility.
“Good,” Mitchell said, looking at a court that might never actually play a national team game.
The district’s basketball team was the last to merge, following football, hockey, and several other sports to merge in 2021.
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
“It was always there, it was always rivalry,” Mabek said. “But when it comes to basketball, ever since I played for the national team, I never had a chance to beat them until last year. , I think it’s definitely gotten bigger in sports like hockey.”
Virginia won just eight games last season, including a 62-52 loss to the Golden Bears, but several players played for the combined Rock Ridge football and baseball teams last school year. , I knew the basketball program would improve as well.
The Wolverines are deep and have plenty of players who can score, including Mabek and Mitchell, but the defense is a work in progress.
Rockridge lost 57 points in the first half in a loss to Hermantown on Friday, but they believe it’s coming.
“Defending is definitely tough. With a team like Hermantown, most of the kids have played with them their entire lives,” Mavec says. “I think defense needs more chemistry than offense, so it’s definitely an uphill battle.”
That being said, the Wolverines could have any number of players who could provide a scoring burst or quality time.
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
“We have a lot of players who play a lot of time,” Mitchell said. “We always come fresh off the bench and we know that even some of the deeper players can play solid time and do well. is not.”
With just over six weeks left in the season, the Wolverines hope to ramp up their chemistry and play some of their best basketball in March, but Ornn is impressed with how quickly the team has come together.
“They quickly coalesced into a really unselfish group,” says Aune. “They know that scoring is more important than the individual. We spread the ball and they play for each other. They play hard and have some success. I really enjoy it.”
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