Northern Division grind begins for Vermilion hoops

The start of conference play could be seen as the dawning of some relief of sorts for both the women’s and men’s basketball teams at Vermilion Community College.

Non-conference play has been marked by brutal road trips, thousands of miles of travel and difficult competition for both Ironhawks teams, who begin their respective Northern Division slates Wednesday at Rainy River.

The Vermilion women survived a rugged November and December with a 7-7 record and have already topped last season’s overall win total of five, while the men have struggled but survived with a 2-12 mark.