Houghton, MI – February 27, 2021 – It was back-and-forth affair for the Negaunee Miners Girls Basketball team on Saturday afternoon, but they held off the Houghton Gremlins for the road victory, 44-41. Jesse Anderson had the call live from Houghton on Sunny 101.9.
1st Half:
The Miners struck first in Saturday’s game in Houghton with a basket from Emilia Palomaki to make it 2-0. Three combined free throws from Houghton’s Maryellen Trewhella and Paige Sleeman put the Gremlins in front early in the first. Palomaki was the spark on offense for Negaunee, scoring five more points to give Negaunee the lead, 7-3. Both teams produced in the final minutes of the quarter, and Negaunee led 11-7 with free throws from Larissa Anderson and a basket from Alyssa Hill. Gwen Markham scored for the Gremlins in the final seconds to cut Negaunee’s lead to 11-9 after the opening quarter.
End of 1st: Negaunee Miners 11, Houghton Gremlins 9
It was a slow start offensively in the second quarter for both Negaunee and Houghton. Both teams exchanged a free throw, and the Miners led 12-10 with five minutes left. Lilly Nelson extended the lead for Negaunee with a free throw, and another field goal by the Miners give them a 15-10 advantage. Markham scored down low again for Houghton, but Morgan Carlson answered for Negaunee with a basket of her own. After adding a free throw, Houghton got a 3-pointer from Paige DeForge to dig into the deficit in the half’s final minutes. The Miners led 17-16 going into the locker room over the host Gremlins.
Halftime: Negaunee Miners 17, Houghton Gremlins 16
2nd Half:
The third quarter was much like the first two at the start with a back-and-forth match-up. Neither team could boost their lead past one point, and Negaunee led 23-22 halfway through. Tiia Wickstrom started a mini Houghton run with an and-one, and a 3-pointer from DeForge put the Gremlins up 27-23. Hill scored four points for the Miners, but Trewhella scored for Houghton. After three quarters, the Miners trailed in a close game, 29-27.
End of 3rd: Houghton Gremlins 29, Negaunee Miners 27
Trewhella quickly pushed Houghton’s lead to 31-27 at the start of the fourth quarter. Negaunee fought right back into the lead on a 5-0 capped off by a 3-pointer from Anderson. The Gremlins responded with a 5-0 run of their own, making the score 36-32. A huge and-one for Carlson cut the deficit to one for Negaunee, and a steal off the inbounds pass by Palomaki led to a layup to put the Miners back in front, 37-36. Trewhella responded for the Gremlins with a big 3-pointer to give them the lead with just over two minutes left. On the other end, Palomaki made a free throw to make the score 39-38 in favor of the Gremlins. Negaunee got a big stop, and a basket by Hill give the Miners the lead back. A turnover by the Miners gave Houghton the ball back, and Sleeman capitalized with a bucket with one minute left. Down by one, the Miners got a third chance after two offensive rebounds, and Palomaki’s layup gave Negaunee a 42-41 lead. This time it was the Gremlins who turned it over with Trewhella stepping out of bounds, and Hill scored for Negaunee with 30 seconds left. Houghton had multiple tries at the tie in the final seconds, but they couldn’t convert. Negaunee won a jump ball with one second left, and inbounded the ball in to let the clock run out. The Miners were in a tough battle at afternoon long, but came away with a 44-41 win.
Final Score: Negaunee Miners 44, Houghton Gremlins 41
NEXT GAME: The Negaunee Miners Girls Basketball will be back in action on Monday, March 8 when they travel to Marquette to take on the Redettes! Jesse Anderson will have the call on Sunny 101.9, beginning at 7 p.m. with the Elder Agency Pregame Show, and the game to follow at 7:15 p.m. Go Miners!
LISTEN – FULL GAME – NEGAUNEE GIRLS VS HOUGHTON – SUNNY 101.9
