Ishpeming, MI – Wednesday, January 9th, 2019 – The Negaunee Miners Boy Basketball team traveled three miles west to take on rival Ishpeming. Jesse Anderson was live from Ishpeming to call the action on 101.9 SunnyFM.
1st Half:
Ishpeming won the opening tip to start off the game, and we were off! The game started off as a defensive battle, the opening minutes were scoreless on both sides. The Hematites would score first and take a two point lead early. Ishpeming would be called for a couple offensive fouls, as the game was now halfway through the opening quarter. The Hematites would knock down two three point shots to take an eight to zero lead. Negaunee would get their first basket with two minutes to go in the quarter, but Ishpeming responded two baskets in a row of their own; the lead was now twelve to two. Negaunee knocked down a three pointer to cut the deficit to eight, not until Ishpeming drained a half-courter at the buzzer to take an eleven point lead heading into the second quarter.
End of 1st Quarter: Ishpeming Hematites 15, Negaunee Miners 4
Both teams traded turnovers to start the second quarter, as the rivals separated by three miles were battling hard. The Hematites expanded their lead up to 13 points early in the quarter, but two free throws from the Miners cut it back to 11. Negaunee tried to pressure the Hematites full court, but Ishpeming handled the press well. Both teams continued to trade baskets and fouls as well, as both teams were in the bonus halfway through the second quarter. Ishpeming played good defense on the Miners, as they forced a few travel calls and they made Negaunee uncomfortable in their half-court offense. A lot of turnovers left the two squads in a stalemate throughout the end of the half. Negaunee responded at the end of the second quarter with four quick points, to cut Ishpeming’s lead to only seven heading into the locker room.
Halftime: Ishpeming Hematites 21 , Negaunee Miners 14
2nd Half:
Negaunee began the second half strong, as they cut the deficit to three points. Both teams traded two and three pointers, as Ishpeming led 26-23 in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Throughout the next few minutes, the game was scoreless as great defense was being played. With two minutes to play in the quarter, a Negaunee layup cut Ishpeming’s lead to one point. The Miners then came out of the Ishpeming timeout and scored to take their first lead of the game. A pair of free throws put the Miners up by three points and their full court pressure began to test the Hematites. Negaunee would make a tough shot at the buzzer after an Ishpeming free throw, bringing their lead to four.
End of 3rd Quarter: Negaunee Miners 31, Ishpeming Hematites 27
Negaunee carried their momentum from the third quarter into the fourth quarter, as the Miners took an nine point lead early in the period. The combination of Negaunee’s tight full court defense and high tempo offense was starting to take its toll on the Hematites. The Miners’ lead was now up to 11 points, as their aggressive play in the second half has been the catalyst. Ishpeming cut the lead to nine points, but for the next few minutes no points were scored. Ishpeming scored once again to cut the lead to seven, but a Negaunee free throw brought the lead up to eight. Trailing by eight with under one minute remaining, Ishpeming was forced to start fouling Negaunee. The Miners struggled to put the game away as they would miss the front end of the one-and-one, and Ishpeming would score to cut the lead to six. Negaunee would make one of two free throws, and Ishpeming scored to cut the lead to five with under twenty seconds remaining in the game. Ishpeming continued to make the game interesting, but time would run out on them as the Miners walked away with a four-point road win over their rival Hematites.
Final Score: Negaunee Miners 47, Ishpeming Hematites 43
The Negaunee Miners’ next game is on Monday, January 14th, 2018, against the Hancock Bulldogs in Negaunee at 7:15 pm. Join Jesse Anderson for all of the can’t-miss action! The pre-game show will start around 6:45 pm and tip off will follow at 7:15 pm on Sunny.FM. Negaunee’s Jakson Sager received MI Internet’s Player of the Game. Congratulations!
LISTEN – FULL GAME – Miners beat Hematites 47-43 on SunnyFM
