×

Years in the making: Negaunee Miners hand Marquette girls basketball team first home loss in over 4 years

Negaunee’s Aleda Johnson, left, works around Marquette’s Bridget Pliska during their high school basketball game on Tuesday in Marquette. (Journal photo by Ray Bressette)

“We want to play good teams like that every night.” — Ben Smith, head coach, Marquette Redettes

————————————

MARQUETTE — On Tuesday night, the Negaunee girls did something no team had done in more than four years.

The Miners (3-2) handed Marquette its first home loss since February 2012 as they took down the Redettes 48-38.

Aleda Johnson led Negaunee with 15 points, while Abby Nelson had 12 and Hailey Fezatt had 11. Amber Huebner led the Redettes with 14.

Marquette Senior High School's Amber Manitowabi Huebner brings the ball into Negaunee's the zone in the fourth quarter of their game on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 in Marquette. (Journal photo by Ray Bressette)

“We just kept our composure and followed our game plan,” Miners head coach Brandon Sager said. “We shot 17 of 21 from the line. For a team that was shooting 50 percent there for the season, that’s big. We’ve actually lost a couple of games by not making those, so we picked a good time to start making them.”

For Marquette (3-1), it was a tough way for their streak to end as they were tied at the half and within striking distance until late in the game.

“We came out in the second half and completed a couple of plays early, but then things got away from us,” Redettes head coach Ben Smith said. “We’ve struggled shooting the ball a little bit this year and they finished some plays. They cashed in on their free throws too. We want to play good teams like that every night, and if we play like that we’re not going to win.”

The first half was back and forth.

A Kelsey Grange jumper put the Redettes up 10-8 after the opening quarter, but the two teams were deadlocked at the half at 20-20. Negaunee took the lead in the second quarter on a layup by Johnson and a basket by Fezatt put the Miners up 18-14. However, Marquette rallied to tie it with the help of back-to-back layups by Stasha Warchock.

Negaunee's Sam Carlson cuts around Marquette's Amber Manitowabi Huebner to enter Marquette's zone in the second quarter of their game on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 in Marquette. (Journal photo by Ray Bressette)

Negaunee started to pull away in the third quarter. Two straight jumpers by Fezatt and Nelson gave the Miners a 32-26 advantage as Negaunee led 34-29 after the period.

Down by five at the start of the fourth, Marquette needed to rally and the Redettes almost pulled it off. A trey by Huebner pulled Marquette within two, but Negaunee hit almost all of its free throws down the stretch.

Marquette won the JV game 60-38. The Miners host Norway on Friday, while the Redettes head to Traverse City West.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.

Negaunee's Abby Nelson attempts a three-point jumper in the second quarter against Marquette during their match on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at Marquette. (Journal photo by Ray Bressette)

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today