Ten men have been president of the United States. All four of The Beatles were still alive. The world was six years away from discovering that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father.

But all that ended on Wednesday at Baraga High School. With a 70-42 win over Ewen-Trout Creek, the Hematites claimed their first regional championship since 1974 and are one game away from reaching Michigan State University’s Breslin Center as one of the final four teams in the Division 4 tournament.

“We’ve been talking about doing this since elementary school,” Ishpeming senior Jenna Maki said about her team that has been ranked No. 1 in the state for most of the season. “It’s always been ‘Our senior year we’re going to go all the way.’

“It means so much. Hopefully we can do that.”

Ewen-Trout Creek's Bree Besonen, second from left, goes up for a shot that would be blocked by Ishpeming's Jenna Maki, center, during their MHSAA Division 4 girls basketball regional tournament championship game held in Baraga on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

After seemingly holding control for a majority of the game, the underdog Panthers found ways to drive to the rim and draw fouls. A 22-10 Hematites lead shrunk to 25-20 as the first half was winding down.

Then with a 3-pointer by sophomore Jenessa Eagle sandwiched between putbacks from senior Lilly Swanson and Maki, the Hematites used a 7-2 run to carry a 32-22 lead into intermission.

To start the second half, Ishpeming’s vaunted pressure began to wreak havoc on E-TC’s offense, which turned into opportunities on the other end of the floor. It gave Ishpeming sophomore Mya Hemmer her chance to make an impact on the game.

Hemmer went to work in the paint, made a basket and drew a foul to extend the lead to 36-22. She later knocked down three free throws to push the lead to 45-22, forcing a Panthers timeout.

E-TC came up empty on its ensuing offensive possession, and Hemmer came up with the rebound and dashed down the court like she had the lead in the final lap of the Daytona 500.

She evaded every defender in her way for a layup as the second-to-last blow of a 15-0 run that also featured eight points from Maki for a 47-22 lead.

The Hematites never looked back.

“It’s special for this school and program,” Ishpeming coach Ryan Reichel said. “I’m excited to be able to continue battling with this team. We’re hoping we’re not done yet.”

Maki led all players with 21 points, while Eagle and Hemmer added 13 points apiece. Senior Allison Morton totaled eight points, Swanson and senior Payton Manninen added four points each.

Junior Journey Comment added a fourth-quarter corner 3 that sent the Ishpeming faithful into a frenzy. Senior Kadie Kaukola and junior Laynie Korpi each scored two points.

While E-TC’s season came to an end, it still finished 20-6 with a district title and the deepest playoff run of any team in the Copper Mountain Conference this season.

The Panthers also accomplished everything with a roster consisting of three sophomores and six players still in junior high.

E-TC coach Jacky Besonen admitted that some people didn’t think that the youthful Panthers could reach this point, but she believed that the Panthers could manufacture success since the beginning of the season.

“It’s huge to make it this far,” Besonen said. “But at the same time they like basketball, and I think they’re oblivious to their age. They just want to go play hard and want to win. They’re competitive.

“It was great for them. Great experience.”

Sophomore Irelynd McGeshick paced the Panthers with 14 points. Eighth-grader Bree Besonen totaled 13 points. Sophomore Emma Besonen added 10 points. Sophomore Hannah Ferguson earned three points, and seventh-grader Leona Schutz earned two points.

The Hematites season continues in the state quarterfinals against St. Ignace, slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Gladstone High School. The Saints knocked off Munising 54-33 on Wednesday.

And while breaking a 50-year drought is something Ishpeming is proud of, the Hematites know that it didn’t get this far just to only get this far.

“I’m willing to play until I can’t run anymore,” Maki said. “I think all the girls on this team would do the same thing … push until the last second. It doesn’t matter if we’re down by 20, we’ll keep pushing.”