This photo collage illustrates some of the moments during Negaunee senior Ella Mason quest to set the all-time scoring record for Negaunee High School girls basketball on Wednesday evening at Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium in Negaunee. In the top row from left, a fan-made homemade sign celebrates Mason, she sets up for her record-breaking 3-point shot in the third quarter, and the ball goes through the net on that shot. In the bottom row from left, her teammates surround her in the celebration after the record was set; junior teammate Madison Pekrul, left, shares a laugh with Mason; and Negaunee athletic director Paul Jacobson shakes Mason’s hand in congratuations. (Photo illustration courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

MARQUETTE — The west end of Marquette County continues to be a hotbed of high school girls basketball this winter.

Both Negaunee and Ishpeming posted convincing victories at home in their opening games of MHSAA district tournaments on Wednesday.

And that shouldn’t be a surprise as each has been a No. 1 team in the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association polls for most of the season, Negaunee in Divisions 1-3 and Ishpeming in Division 4.

Each of these 22-1 teams now advances to their respective district championship games, heading out on the road for a 6 p.m. game today against another UPSSA top-five team.

Here is a roundup of Wednesday’s action:

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Negaunee 72, Kingsford 34

On Wednesday at Negaunee, the Miners got excited both about a fast start in their Division 2 tourney opener and the record that senior guard Ella Mason set.

Negaunee scored 27 points while grabbing a 16-point lead after one quarter, while Mason set the Miners girls basketball program scoring record in the third quarter that had been set in 1999.

“I thought we set the tone early and came out and made shots against their zone (defense),” NHS head coach Mike O’Donnell said. “That was key. Sometimes when you miss shots early against a zone, it can cause you to tighten up and things can snowball fast. For us to come out and score 27 in the first quarter was big.

“Then our pressure was able to get to them and I feel started to wear them down. We had great balance scoring and got contributions from multiple places.”

And the veteran coach was psyched to get a big contribution from Mason on her record-setting night when she broke the Miners’ all-time scoring record of 1,325 points that had been held by Maryellen (Poutanen) Charbonneau.

“Ella Mason was able to break the all-time scoring record … with a 3-pointer in the third quarter,” O’Donnell said. “For her to do it with a 3-pointer was neat, as many of those record points came from back there.

“Ella is 100% deserving of the mark. She’s put in so much work into this game and to be able to go into the record books is very fitting for her.

“It was nice for her to do it on our home floor as we had a lot of little girls who look up to her able to witness the special moment.”

Mason finished with 16 points, joining junior teammate Aubrey Johnson with that point total as 11 Negaunee players in all scored. Freshman Gretel Johnson added eight points, while senior Callie Rajala, freshman Keira Waterman and junior Theresa Anderson had six apiece.

With Mason scoring 11 points in the opening eight minutes, Negaunee led 27-11 after one quarter before extending it to 46-19 by halftime. The Miners continued to pour it on in the third when Mason hit her record-breaker, leading 61-26 entering the final period.

Kingsford was led by Alaina Kowalski with 14 points, including a pair of 3s, as teammates Abby Przeslakowski and Anna Bortolini each scored nine points.

Negaunee advances to the MHSAA Division 2 district championship game tonight at Sault Ste. Marie, which dispatched Escanaba 53-49 on Wednesday. The Blue Devils finished as the No. 3 team in the U.P. in Divisions 1-3.

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Ishpeming 75, L’Anse 44

On Wednesday at Ishpeming, the Hematites raced out to a 21-7 lead after one quarter and outscored the Purple Hornets in every quarter to advance to the Division 4 district championship game being played against Baraga at the Vikings gym.

Baraga, ranked No. 2 in Division 4 in the last few U.P. polls, advanced to the district title game with a 44-36 home victory over Forest Park on Wednesday.

Ishpeming featured a balanced scoring attack against L’Anse, with four players scoring between 11 and 15 points and 11 Hematites scoring in all.

But it was sophomore Jenessa Eagle who got IHS off to the fast start, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and scoring eight points in the opening quarter as she finished with a team-high 15 points. She also made 4 of 4 free throws.

Another Ishpeming sophomore, Mya Hemmer, contributed 13 points, while senior Addison Morton had 12 and senior Jenna Maki 11.

The Hematites extended their lead to 36-18 by halftime and ended any doubt about the outcome with 26 points in the third that made it 62-32 after three.

L’Anse junior Brooklyn Dompier led all scorers with 17 points, hitting a pair of triples in the third quarter and scoring seven points in the fourth.

Purple Hornets’ junior teammate Elle Kromer added 12 points, while junior Mylee Londo contributed eight.

Both teams shot well from long range, Ishpeming making eight 3-pointers and L’Anse seven, and also didn’t fare too badly at the free throw line either, the Hornets sinking 7 of 9 (78%) and the Hematites 9 of 14 (64%).

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