Gwinn, MI – December 12, 2019 – Coming off of a season-opening victory over Escanaba last Tuesday, the Negaunee Miners Boys Basketball team came into Gwinn and controlled the game from start to finish with a 68-34 win. Jesse Anderson had all of the action live from Gwinn on Sunny 101.9.
1st Half:
Negaunee was clicking on all cylinders to start the game, as after forcing two Gwinn turnovers, jumpshots by Jason Waterman and Drew Lindberg gave them a 4-0 lead. Gwinn bounced back nicely with a pair of free throws by James Harnick and putback by Reid Hill to tie the game right back up at 4-4. After a timeout, the Miners roared back in front, taking an 11-4 advantage after a Waterman 3-pointer. After creating another defensive stop, Waterman drilled another 3-point basket to extend the lead to double digits, forcing a Gwinn timeout. The Modeltowners were having a tough time dealing with Negaunee’s full court pressure, where they continuously were having poor offensive possessions. Negaunee continued to do damage with its defense, scoring six more points in the final two minutes to end the first quarter on a 16-0 run. The Miners were in firm control after one quarter with a 20-4 lead over Gwinn.
End of 1st: Negaunee Miners 20, Gwinn Modeltowners 4
The Miners continued their run by scoring the first four points of the second quarter, they then led 24-4 with six minutes left. Jakson Sager was doing a nice job running the offense and commanding the defense, and his lay-up on the fast break gave Negaunee a 22-point lead. Waterman then stole the inbounds pass and laid it in to extend the lead to 28-4 with four minutes left in the half, forcing another timeout from the Modeltowners. Gwinn broke its major scoring drought with five straight points including a Harnick 3-pointer. Sager went on a 5-0 personal run of his own for Negaunee, making the score 33-9. After trading baskets throughout the final two minutes of the second quarter, Sager found Drew DuShane on a no-look pass for a buzzer beating lay-up to give Negaunee a commanding 39-14 halftime lead.
Halftime: Negaunee Miners 39, Gwinn Modeltowners 14
2nd Half:
The third quarter started off slow for both squads, but after a few dull minutes, the action picked up again. Both teams were trading baskets, and Negaunee held a 48-20 lead with two minutes left in the quarter. This was the best that the Gwinn offense had looked all night, but it was ultimately too little, too late. Lindberg ended the quarter off strong for Negaunee with a fast break lay-up, and the Miners took a 30-point lead into the fourth quarter.
End of 3rd: Negaunee Miners 54, Gwinn Modeltowners 24
Negaunee picked up right where they left off, as Nathan Brundage knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 33 with seven minutes left. Gwinn tried to respond, and a 5-0 run made the score 57-30 in favor of the Miners with three minutes remaining. Elijah Hubbard ended the Modeltowners’ run with a drive into the lane, extending Negaunee’s lead back up to 29 points. Negaunee’s substitutes continued where the starters left off with several nice defensive stops. Nick Jacobetti added two points and Preston Toutant scored five consecutive points to end the game on an emphatic note for Negaunee. The Miners led all the way, and left Gwinn with a dominant 68-34 road win.
Final Score: Negaunee Miners 68, Gwinn Modeltowners 34
NEXT GAME: The now 2-0 Negaunee Miners Boys Basketball team has a week off before its next game, as they host the West Iron County Wykons on Thursday, Dec. 19. Jesse Anderson will have the call live from Negaunee on Sunny 101.9, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. with the Elder Agency Pregame Show. Tip-off is to follow at 7:15 p.m.
LISTEN – FULL GAME – MINERS VS MODELTOWNERS ON SUNNY101.9
