Manistique, MI – March 4, 2020 – It didn’t take long for the Negaunee Miners Girls Basketball team to seize control of Wednesday’s night District 66 Semifinal game against the Manistique Emeralds, cruising to a 48-18 victory. Jesse Anderson had the call from Manistique on Sunny 101.9.
1st Half:
Negaunee won both regular season match-ups against the Emeralds in decisive fashion, and it was looking for a third big win on Wednesday night. The Miners raced out to a 7-0 lead in the early going, the run was capped off with a layup by Chloe Norman. Like usual, the Negaunee defense came to play and held Manistique scoreless through the first five minutes of the game. Madison Zellar was finally able to score for the Emeralds with 2:30 left in the opening quarter. Zellar went on to score another basket for Manistique in the first, she had all four Manistique points. The Miners weren’t relenting however, Morgan Carlson and Alyssa Hill led the charge to end the quarter strong, giving Negaunee a 13-4 advantage.
End of 1st: Negaunee Miners 13, Manistique Emeralds 4
The Miners took its momentum into the second quarter, scoring four straight points to extend the lead to 13 points with six minutes left in the half. Manistique began to show some life with back-to-back baskets by Kayla Muth and Brooke St. John. With four minutes remaining in the second, the Emeralds brought the score back to single digits, trailing 17-9. Hill responded with a layup for Negaunee, boosting the lead back up to 10. After an Emeralds’ basket from Muth cut the deficit back to eight, the Miners ended the half on a 4-0 run led by free throws from Hill. At the half, Negaunee led 23-11 over Manistique. Norman led the team with nine points, Hill contributed eight and Carlson and Bree Giotto chipped in with four and two respectively.
Halftime: Negaunee Miners 23, Manistique Emeralds 11
2nd Half:
Negaunee had another huge start to a quarter, as it went on a 13-0 run in the first five minutes of the third. Led by Norman, Giotto and Lilly Nelson, the Miners were up 33-11. Much like the first two quarters, the Emeralds couldn’t score until the late stages of the period. Emilee McDaniel scored the second of two baskets in a row for Manistique, but the deficit sat at 38-15. Nelson added a late bucket in the final seconds of the third, and Negaunee held a 25-point lead after three quarters of play.
End of 3rd: Negaunee Miners 40, Manistique Emeralds 15
The final quarter didn’t produce much scoring from either side, but the game was already all but over. Sophomores Emily Gauthier and Josephine Thomson had good performances in the fourth for Negaunee, combining for six of its eight points. Manistique only mustered three points in the fourth, capping off a miserable offensive performance. The Miners’ defense took Manistique out of its rhythm right away, and Negaunee cruised to a 30-point win to earn a spot in the District 66 Finals. Norman led the Miners with 15 points, and Hill wasn’t too far behind with 12.
Final Score: Negaunee Miners 48, Manistique Emeralds 18
NEXT GAME: After splitting two regular season games this season, the 16-6 Negaunee Miners Girls Basketball team will host the 20-2 Westwood Patriots on Friday, March 6 in the District 66 Finals! The Miners handed Westwood one of its two losses on the season. Jesse Anderson will have the call on Sunny 101.9, beginning with the Elder Agency Pregame Show at 6:45 p.m. Tip-off is scheduled to follow at 7 p.m. from Negaunee’s Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium. Go Miners!
LISTEN – FULL GAME – MINERS VS EMERALDS ON SUNNY 101.9
