Girls Basketball Roundup...News about Cromwell-Wright and other area teams

Talk about it

Four-wheeling to each other’s rural Cromwell homes to play basketball over the years, cousins Andrea and Teana Hakamaki have played a lot of one-on-one against each other.

Together, though, is when the pair is most effective.

On the Cromwell-Wright varsity for the first time in their young careers, the Hakamaki cousins have not only contributed to the Cardinals, but they’ve become more intuitive players.

“We get to play with each other every day,” said Andrea, 14, a freshman guard. “I think now we know what each other is going to do next. I like playing with [Teana]. We just connect.”

The entire Hakamaki family tree connects to basketball. Andrea said she learned the game from her parents, Dale and Candie, while older brother, Alex, a senior, is on the boys team.

Teana, a 12-year-old seventh-grade guard, has an indoor basketball court at her family’s house, while her older brother, sophomore Tyler, plays hoops alongside Alex.

“All of us play basketball, and we all love it,” Teana said Monday night. “Ever since I was little, it was all I ever did.”

Teana noted while all siblings play basketball, Alex and Tyler also play football while the girls are in volleyball. Teana will be running her first season of track and field this spring, too.

And her little sister, Taya, also plays basketball.

“Sports are basically everything to us – they are basically our whole family event,” Teana said. “We all love to play.”

Backcourt mates, Teana sees most of her time as a junior varsity point guard, while Andrea serves as a backup for the varsity. Still young, both cousins suit up on the varsity for the Cardinals (9-5) – winners of seven of their past nine games – including Tuesday’s 60-55 home victory over Cook County.

Cromwell-Wright Coach Jeff Gronner praised his sparkplug duo, despite being shorter than most.

“They’re both very small, but very quick point guards for us; [they] are tough and physical for their size,” Gronner said of 5-foot-2 Andrea and 5-foot Teana. “And both girls just get after it. They are both gym rats, who are in here every Sunday, all summer long. You can definitely tell that they love the game.”

Andrea said, like Teana, that she began playing the sport in second grade when she and much of their family would play at anyone’s home. Nowadays, Teana’s indoor court is the hub.

“We’ll all go over there,” Andrea said. “Teana is better at creating offense, but I get more defensive stops. We like it a lot.”

“Me and Andrea, we never get mad at each other,” added Teana. “Win or lose, it doesn’t matter to us. We’re cousins.”

Cousins who are most effective when playing on the same team.

“There are families that come through here that all play sports,” Gronner said, “and Hakamaki is a name you remember.”

AREA ROUNDUP:

Barnum (6-10) was blitzed by top-ranked Mountain Iron-Buhl 69-28 Tuesday night at home in their sixth defeat in last seven affairs.

Carlton (5-6) cracked its previous three-game winning streak with a 73-56 Polar League loss at Cromwell-Wright last Thursday.

Cloquet (7-7) created an early scare for unbeaten Superior Tuesday night, yet faded in a 79-52 Lake Superior Conference loss.

Esko (13-1) eased past host Proctor 88-23 Monday evening. For the third-ranked Eskomos, it was their 13th consecutive victory.

Fond du Lac Ojibwe (2-6) sports wins over Lac Courte Oreilles and Learning for Leadership this winter. The Ogichidaa’s latest results weren’t available when the Pine Journal went to press.

Moose Lake-Willow River (10-4) romped host Eveleth-Gilbert 51-31 Tuesday night, marking their sixth win in their last eight tries.

South Ridge (4-8) ran into top-ranked Mountain Iron-Buhl last Thursday on the road in an 81-29 loss, marking their fourth straight.

Wrenshall (1-11) fell at Onamia 52-21 Monday in their seventh straight loss. The Wrens’ lone win is over Duluth Marshall.

FDLTCC (0-13) forfeited Saturday afternoon at Vermilion for their 13th consecutive defeat. The winless Thunder – struggling with illness, injury and lack of numbers – has four forfeits in all.

Tags: cromwell-wright, sports