GWINN — In a battle of the high school boys basketball scoring stars, Negaunee’s Jason Waterman and Gwinn’s Tucker Taylor nearly canceled each other out.

But it was the Miners’ supporting cast that was much deeper as Negaunee ran off with a 62-45 victory at the Modeltowners gym on Tuesday night.

Waterman hit 14 shots from the field to score 33 points, while Taylor made 11 free throws en route to a 31-point night.

The game was nearly even at halftime before Negaunee ran off with it in the third quarter. The Miners led 27-25 at halftime before a 23-8 burst made it 50-33 entering the final period.

“In the third quarter, Jason Waterman just got hot,” Gwinn coach Jim Finkbeiner said. “Give him credit, he just kept knocking down contested shots. We had a hand in his face for most of them.”

Waterman, a sophomore guard who is a second-year starter, made eight field goals in the third, including two 3-pointers, for an 18-point quarter.

“We came out and tied it right away in the third quarter, then we had a couple of missed layups and a couple turnovers, and all of a sudden we’re down nine points,” Finkbeiner said.

On the other side, the junior forward Taylor was also a scoring force.

“They didn’t have an answer for Tucker,” Finkbeiner said. “They were pressing right from the beginning, but fortunately, we have some good ball handlers and we were able to break it.”

Eight other Negaunee players scored in addition to Waterman, led by Drew Lindberg with nine points and Jakson Sager with eight.

On the other side, just three other Gwinn players made the scoring column after Taylor, led by Austin Forbes with 10.

The Miners also won the JV game 46-39.

Both teams have one more game left before Christmas. The Modeltowners host Westwood on Thursday night while Negaunee entertains Marquette on Friday.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.