Calumet, MI – March 26, 2021 – The Negaunee Miners Girls Basketball team was eliminated in the District Final by the Calumet Copper Kings 51-36. Jesse Anderson had the call on Sunny 101.9.
Listen to the full game here. (107 min.)
1st Quarter
The first quarter showed us how Calumet was able to stay undefeated this season. Their defense was incredible, only allowing the Miners to get a single field goal. Meanwhile, the Copper Kings were able to consistently find the bottom of the net. Elli Djerf led the way for Calumet in this quarter by scoring seven points. The Copper Kings led 11-4 after the first.
2nd Quarter
It seemed like Calumet would pull away early on. Marybeth Halonen scored five consecutive points to give them a quick 16-4 lead. However, Negaunee started to finally find some offensive success and chipped away at the deficit. Negaunee went on a 7-0 run late in the quarter to make it a five point game. Alyssa Hill led the way for the Miners in the first half with eight, as six of those points came in this quarter. Despite a rough first quarter, the Miners were able stay in it. They trailed 16-23 at halftime.
3rd Quarter
The Miners started the quarter off well. Two baskets by Morgan Carlson helped the Miners get back to within six, but things went downhill for the Miners quickly. Calumet’s high-intensity defense forced a lot of turnovers and allowed them to pull away later in the quarter. Negaunee yet again struggled offensively, but Calumet was on fire from three.
The quarter ended with an 8-0 by the Copper Kings, which was capped off by a buzzer-beating three by Jana Loukus. Calumet led comfortably 38-23 after the third quarter.
4th Quarter
Calumet’s defense held strong for the rest of the game, refusing Negaunee a chance at a comeback. The Copper Kings were able to get to the line a lot this quarter, with Loukus and Djerf hitting some big shots from the line to put the game out of reach. Towards the end, Negaunee’s seniors were able to get some quality minutes in their final game. These include Sierra Hendrickson, Emilia Palomaki, Jillian Skewis, Larissa Anderson, and Morgan Carlson. The Miners fell 36-51. They ended their season with an incredible 14-3 record.
Final: 51-36
