Ishpeming, MI – February 11, 2022 – The Negaunee Miner girls varsity team was looking to bounce back off a tough loss against Calumet. They were once again on the road, this time traveling down the road to Ishpeming to face the Hematites.
Q1:Ishpeming won the Jon’s Auto opening tip to start things off. The Hematites were the first on the board after Hannah Deloughry landed two free throws. Alyssa Hill finally got the Miners on the board after getting the assist from Summer Dudo. Hill followed that with impressive defensive play with multiple blocks in the first.
Negaunee tied it up after a Ella Mason three pointer. The Miner’s Lilly Nelson was able to draw a foul and give her team the lead, 7-5. Ishpeming couldn’t find the bottom of the bucket, while Negaunee’s offense continued to draw fouls against the Hematites. Ella Mason split a pair of free throws to build on the Miners’ lead. She followed that up with only the third field goal for Negaunee.
Lilly Swanson was able to cause a turnover and go the other way with it. She was fouled on the way up by Hill, Swanson split the pair for Ishpeming. The quarter closed with the Miners holding a two point lead.
Q2: Negaunee had possession to start the quarter. The Ishpeming defense was able to swat the ball out of bounds to disrupt the Miner offense. Cooper Atkins was able to feed the ball inside to Alyssa Hill who then went up and was fouled. Hill went one for two to make it a five point game in favor of the Miners. Ishpeming was able to answer back with a steal and bucket but still trailed, 13-6.
Olivia Corp was able to score for Ishpeming, but Lilly Nelson answered back with a long-range three-pointer to double up the Hemitites. Jenna Maki went up for an Ishpeming bucket, but once again Lilly Nelson splashed home another three going back-to-back. Negaunee’s Alyssa Hill found herself at the charity stripe and landed both of her shots.
Summer Dudo played strong defense causing a turnover, and was passed the ball in transition and fouled on the way up to the net. Dudo sent both shots home to build on to her team’s lead. The Miners were able to build their lead to 14 to close the first half of play.
Halftime: Negaunee 24, Ishpeming 10
Q3: Negaunee opened the half with a shot that doubled up Ishpeming. The Hematites couldn’t find their rhythm on offense, as the Negaunee defense created tough shots and turnovers. The Miners piled on to their lead with Alyssa Hill scoring a couple of buckets down low. Emily Gauthier added on with a three-pointer to make the score 31-10 in favor of the Miners.
Gauthier followed that by working off the pick and roll and able to go off the glass for two. The Negaunee defense caused yet another turnover and a 2-on-1 scenario. Ella Mason pulled up and shot a jumper that found it’s mark. Ishpeming’s Jenna Maki tried to close the scoring gap after drawing a foul, but only split her free throws.
Alyssa Hill was able to score two rebounds off her second chances, and one the third go she was fouled but the shot landed. She was able to make the free throw to convert the three point play. Jenna Maki was able to land a shot for Ishpeming to close the quarter, yet Negaunee still led by 20.
Q4: Scoring opened in the final minutes by Alyssa Hill adding her to total, landing two free throws. Ishpeming’s Jenna Maki was able to drive the lane to start scoring for the Hematites. Ishpeming’s defense wasn’t able to contain the Miner offense. The Hematites had good looks at shots yet couldn’t get any to land.
Emily Gauthier added on to the Negaunee lead with a three-pointer. Ishpeming looked to battle back by drawing fouls but couldn’t get any to land. The Miners’ Lilly Nelson was able to draw a foul for herself and split the pair of free throws. Both teams saw full player swaps on the floor in the final minutes of play. Eliana Juchemich was able to contribute to the Miner lead with back to back buckets.
Madison Smith was able to add a bucket to her stat line after playing a solid defensive game for Negaunee. Lola Korpi was able to go off the glass and score a bucket for the Hematites down the stretch. The game closed out with back and forth play and Negaunee holding their commanding lead.
FINAL: Negaunee 53, Ishpeming 31
LISTEN TO THE FULL BROADCAST HERE
The Negaunee Miners are back on the court Tuesday against the Gwinn Modeltowners. The game will be broadcast live on Sunny 101.9 with the tip off at 7:15!
