Negaunee’s three seniors, Ella Mason, Callie Rajala and Grace Nardi, embrace each other after their Miners team defeated Ludington to win an MHSAA Division 2 regional championship in Petoskey on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Mike O’Donnell)

PETOSKEY — Success breeds … lots of travel?

For the Negaunee High School girls basketball team playing in the MHSAA Division 2 tournament, it certainly does as the Miners chalked up their latest accomplishment on the other side of the Mackinac Bridge on Wednesday evening, defeating Ludington 52-35 at Petoskey High School to capture their first regional championship in more than a quarter century.

“I can’t say enough about the gauntlet these girls endured the past week,” NHS head coach Mike O’Donnell said in an email detailing the result. “We’ve won games in the Sault (Ste. Marie), Manistique and Petoskey, all in a span of six days.

“As a coach, you are worried that grind may catch up to you at some point. Our girls willed themselves through tonight and can proudly say they are regional champions!”

While the travel isn’t about to lessen, at least the 25-1 Miners can get some rest — or more likely, get more practice time in — with their next game at 7 p.m. Tuesday back on this side of the bridge in Sault Ste. Marie.

The opponent will be Flint Powers Catholic, a 23-3 team that defeated Freeland 62-59 in its regional final at home, also Wednesday.

A win in that game would send Negaunee on its longest trip yet — gladly and willingly — to Michigan State University’ Breslin Center in East Lansing for the state semifinals and finals late next week.

On Wednesday, Negaunee thrusted and parried with the Orioles (19-8) in the first half, building leads of 13-10 after one quarter and 26-22 at halftime.

Then the Miners broke loose, not so much on offense, but on defense as they outscored Ludington 16-7 in the third to take a 42-29 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Senior Ella Mason and junior Aubrey Johnson, who combined to score just three points in the first half, also broke loose after halftime on the scoreboard to each finish with a team-high 10 points. Johnson made a single free throw in the first two quarters before hitting three baskets in the third, while Mason had a first-quarter basket before hitting two more in the third and all four of her free throw attempts in the final period.

Freshman Keira Waterman added eight points, while junior Theresa Anderson had seven.

“This one was special for us,” O’Donnell said. “This has been our goal and driving force for the entire offseason, preseason and season.

“You never like to look ahead, but you have long-term, ultimate goals. For our school, it’s been over 25 years since the last regional championship, we’ve lost at this point the last two years. These girls wanted to right that.

“They checked the boxes tonight. A total team effort tonight, multiple people played huge roles for us. We’ve been rotating a lot of girls this year and tonight … that experience helped us.”

That showed in the scorebook as 10 Miners scored. And while Negaunee didn’t make a single 3-pointer — Ludington had four — the Miners did make 16 of 21 at the free throw line (76.2%).

The Orioles’ Elianna Jeruzal led all scorers with 11 points, hitting a pair of first-half 3-pointers but missing five of six free throws. That hurt Ludington as a team as it only was 3 of 12 at the line (25%).

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