MANISTIQUE — The Negaunee High School girls basketball team got out of the gates the way head coach Mike O’Donnell wanted on Tuesday night, taking a 63-20 road victory at Manistique.

Miners junior Ella Mason led all scorers — in fact, she outscored the whole Emeralds team — with 23 points as she made at least two baskets every quarter.

Senior teammate Cooper Atkins added 11 points, nine coming in the second half, while Negaunee junior Grace Nardi and sophomore Aubrey Johnson added 10 points apiece as Nardi sank a pair of 3-pointers and Johnson pumped in six points in the opening quarter.

“We had a nice balanced attack,” O’Donnell said in an email. “For our first game after only two weeks of preseason practices, I was pleased with our effort.

“We have a lot of new faces and girls who are learning new roles, so for us to get four people (scoring) in double figures is huge.

“We obviously have a long way to go, but (this) was a good start for us.”

Jenaya Reque-Goudreau paced Manistique with seven points.

The Miners opened a 17-5 lead after one quarter, building it to 31-7 by halftime.

Negaunee dropped in 22 points in the third to take a 53-14 advantage heading into the final period. In the third, the Miners made 10 2-point baskets, led by Mason with four.

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