Cromwell has gone 9-1 against Cherry recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Cardinals face off against the Tigers at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Cromwell is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 73-20 win over Kelley. Given the Cardinals' advantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota basketball rankings (they are ranked 105th, while the Mariners are ranked 401st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Shannon Lund
| 01/06/25 vs Floodwood | 7 |
| 01/30/25 @ Chisholm | 8 |
| 01/16/25 @ McGregor | 9 |
| 02/06/25 @ Mountain Iron-Buhl | 9 |
| 12/02/24 @ Floodwood | 10 |
Cromwell found their leader in sophomore Shannon Lund, who shot 71% from the field on her way to 24 points and six steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Lund has scored all season. Isabella Anderson was another key player, going 8-for-15 to rack up 16 points and six steals.
Cromwell was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. They are 21-2 when they've passed the ball that well.
Meanwhile, Cherry had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.3 points) and they went ahead and made it four last Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Carlton/Wrenshall 54-19.
Cromwell better keep an eye on Anna Serna. She was instrumental in Cherry's win, putting up 22 points along with eight rebounds and seven assists. Serna also grabbed seven steals, which is notable because Cherry is 10-4 when she posts at least five steals, but 5-7 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Charli Kangas, who posted 11 points.
Cherry pushed their record up to 15-11 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.3 points on average over those games. As for Cromwell, their win bumped their record up to 22-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Cromwell has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30 boards per game. However, it's not like Cherry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Cromwell took their victory against Cherry in their previous matchup back in February by a conclusive 70-48. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Cherry's Aunika Helms, who almost dropped a double-double with 19 points and nine boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Cromwell still be able to contain Helms? There's only one way to find out.
