ISHPEMING — Junior Jenessa Eagle scored 26 points and senior teammate Payton Kakkuri added 17 as Ishpeming evened its girls basketball record at 1-1 with a 67-36 victory over visiting Jeffers on Thursday evening.

“(This) was a good rebound game after a jittery first game versus Gladstone on Tuesday,” Hematites head coach Ryan Reichel said after Ishpeming lost its opener 51-47 on the road two days earlier. “With a quick turnaround, I thought the girls did a good job adjusting on what we needed to fix.

“Izzy Perry provided a quick (burst of energy) off the bench and helped get our press rolling.

“Jenessa Eagle was able to pick off passes forced by traps in our press from Brittanie Piotrowski and Izzy. That really got us rolling and the energy up.”

Ishpeming is coming off its MHSAA Division 4 state championship it earned in March after defeating Kingston 73-54 at Michigan State University in the seventh and final game of its tournament run.

The Hematites get right back on the court this season with a home game against next-door rival Westwood at 7:15 p.m. Monday. Ishpeming also hosts Calumet at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday.

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