Negaunee, MI – February 24, 2021 – The Negaunee Miners Girls Basketball team played for the second consecutive night on Wednesday evening, facing the visiting Hancock Bulldogs! It was a close game for the entire contest, with six points being the largest lead for either team. But in the end, Negaunee held on for a 31-29 victory to win their sixth straight game. Jesse Anderson had the call live from Negaunee on Sunny 101.9.
1st Half:
Negaunee began its second game in two days by scoring first with a basket from Emilia Palomaki. Coming to play for Hancock was Kalli Chynoweth, she poured in five straight points to give the Bulldogs a 5-2 lead. There wasn’t much scoring in the first quarter after this, both teams had a lid on the rim. Morgan Carlson made two free throws in the final minutes for Negaunee, but they trailed 5-4 after the opening quarter.
End of 1st: Hancock Bulldogs 5, Negaunee Miners 4
The Bulldogs and Miners traded a free throw each in the early minutes of the second quarter, resulting in a 6-5 Hancock lead. Kaisa Salani scored for the Bulldogs shortly after to extend the lead up to three points, but that would be the last points by either team for awhile. Alyssa Hill finally got on the board for Negaunee with a free throw, and scored in the post to tie the game at 8-8 with two minutes left in the half. Hill scored again in the final minute, but Maari Brey responded for Hancock in the closing seconds with a basket of her own.
Halftime: Negaunee Miners 10, Hancock Bulldogs 10
2nd Half:
There was more scoring in the second half, and it began for the Miners with a bucket from Larissa Anderson. Hancock answered back, but an and-one from Hill put Negaunee up 15-12. Hill and Chynoweth started scoring back-and-forth for their respective squads, and the game was tied up at 17 apiece. The Miners got their lead up to four points with baskets from Palomaki and Madi Smith, but four straight points from Cassie Pietila tied the game back up. A late free throw by Negaunee proved to be the difference through three quarters, and the Miners led 22-21.
End of 3rd: Negaunee Miners 22, Hancock Bulldogs 21
Chynoweth hit a 3-pointer to start the fourth, and give Hancock the lead back. Hill continued to produce for Negaunee, nailing four straight free throws to hand the Miners a two-point edge with five minutes left. Lilly Nelson scored two of four more Negaunee points, and their lead was up to six. Negaunee couldn’t score for a long stretch, and this allowed Hancock to cut the lead to 30-29 with under two minutes left after five points from Brey. Negaunee stalled offensively, looking to drain out the clock. An off pass gave the ball back to Hancock with a chance to take the lead, and the Bulldogs called timeout with 11 seconds left. Hancock’s possession to take the lead was a poor one, ending up in a steal the other way for Negaunee. The Bulldogs had to foul, and they fouled Hill with three seconds remaining. Hill made the first and missed the second, and a Negaunee foul set up Hancock out of bounds with one second left in the game. An inbound to Isabella Hebert was Hancock’s last look at the buzzer, but her prayer was no good. Negaunee survived for a 31-29 victory over Hancock, winning their sixth game in a row.
Final Score: Negaunee Miners 31, Hancock Bulldogs 29
NEXT GAME: The Negaunee Miners Girls Basketball team is back in action this weekend on Saturday, Feb. 27 with a trip up to Houghton to take on the Gremlins. It’s another doubleheader, the Negaunee Girls will play noon and the Negaunee Boys game against Houghton will follow at 1:30 p.m. Join Jesse Anderson on Sunny 101.9 with the Elder Agency Pregame Show beginning at 11:45 a.m. Go Miners!
LISTEN – FULL GAME – NEGAUNEE GIRLS VS HANCOCK – SUNNY 101.9
