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Mustangs run by Mid Pen for district crown

By JOHN VRANCIC

Escanaba Daily Press

RAPID RIVER — The Mid Peninsula girls didn’t have an answer for Michaela Werner here Friday night as they fell to Munising 67-35 in an MHSAA Division 4 district tournament basketball championship game.

Werner, who often slipped through the back door for lay-ins, led the Mustangs with 30 points.

“We tried to spread out their defense,” she said. “They knew we had good shooters and I was able to get isolated inside. Rapid River had more length than Mid Pen and our guards were able to handle the ball a little better tonight.”

After retaining its district title, Munising (14-4) advances to the regional tournament at Kingsford where it faces Upper Peninsula No. 3-ranked Baraga (17-3) at 6 p.m. Monday.

“We basically couldn’t contain the Werner girl,” Mid Pen coach Phil Croasdell said. “They were hitting their shots and we couldn’t hit one. They’re a great team. They (Mustangs) have a shot at winning the regional next week.”

This marked the first meeting this season for the teams, which had both regular-season games canceled by poor weather conditions.

“We were a little concerned about not seeing them during the regular season because we weren’t sure how we’d match up with them,” Werner said. “This was a great effort by our team all the way around.”

Mid Pen (11-8) couldn’t buy a bucket early and fell behind 11-0 within the first five minutes.

The Wolverines finally hit two baskets in the last 80 seconds of the opening period, trimming their deficit to 11-4 on a lay-up by junior center Kennedy Englund.

Munising, continuing to dominate inside the paint, surged to a 20-6 advantage midway through the second.

“We knew we had an advantage in the post,” Munising coach Matt Mattson said. “Part of our game plan was to work the ball inside and make free throws. We weren’t happy with the way we executed the other night (in Wednesday’s 49-33 victory over Rapid River). We took much better care of the ball tonight.”

Mid Pen responded with six unanswered points, pulling within 20-12 on a jump shot from the top of the key by sophomore guard Daisy Englund with three minutes remaining in the first half.

Munising finished the second quarter on a 13-2 run, gaining a 33-13 cushion on a three-point play by Werner moments before halftime. The Mustangs continued to extend their lead after intermission.

Foul trouble compounded Mid Pen’s problems as three players picked up their third foul in the first half and got their fourth infraction in the third quarter.

Junior forward Cheveney Koski paced the Wolverines with 10 points. Junior forward Camryn Croasdell and Daisy and Kennedy Englund had seven apiece.

“They played good defense on Kennedy, but Chevy picked it up and helped us out,” said Coach Croasdell. “We’ve been hot and cold all year. We had a little spurt for a minute, but once we got in foul trouble we couldn’t play our defense. The kids were ready to go. They were up for it. We have a great bunch of girls.”

Junior guard Daryn Johnson added 11 points for the Mustangs, who hit 26 of 51 field goals and committed 12 turnovers. Mid Pen, which was 12 of 46 from the field, also had 12 miscues.

“The key is we played good defense for four quarters,” Mattson said. “Kennedy is a fantastic player. Daryn’s assignment was to cover Kennedy and she did a great job. The key to slowing them down was to slow her down.”

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