Merrill Girls Basketball earns a win and a loss

The Merrill Girls Varsity Basketball Team hit the road on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2025, to play Lakeland Union High School and brought home a victory, 50-46.
“The game at Lakeland was a battle from start to finish. Both halves were tightly contested, but our girls really came together in the final five minutes and finished exceptionally strong,” said Joelene Hanig, Merrill Girls Varsity Basketball Team Head Coach.
“With a late surge, we scored several big shots that helped us close the door and secure the win.”
“Our energy was outstanding throughout the night,” she said. “And it showed in the way we executed down the stretch.”
“Overall, it was a great road win and an impressive team effort,” Hanig said.

Darby Bonnell scored 14 points in the game, while Gracelee Gentile Hull scored 13 points and Brenna Jirovec scored 10 points.
Box Score
Merrill 50 @ Lakeland 46

On Friday, Dec. 5, the Bluejays played host to Northland Pines, who took the win against Merrill 45-26.
“After coming off a great road win, we didn’t respond the way we needed to later in the week against Northland Pines at home,” Hanig said. “We started the game slow and seemed a step behind from the opening tip. Shots didn’t fall early, and that carried over to our defensive focus.”

“In the second half, I felt that if we could string together some consistent stops and see the ball go through the hoop, we could work our way back into the game,” she said. “However, we continued to miss shots we normally make, and our overall focus and energy weren’t where they needed to be.”
“This is a game we can definitely learn from, and we know we’ll need to play better across the board to get the results we want moving forward,” Hanig said.
Despite the overall game loss, Keira Clerveaux put up 7 points in the game and Grace Reimann scored 6 points.
Box Score
Northland Pines 45 @ Merrill 26