Marquette’s Jacob MacPhee, right, fouls Negaunee's Kyle Waterman as the Miners’ player goes to the hoop during their high school boys basketball game played at the Barb Crill Gymnasium in Marquette on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

By JASON JUNO

Ironwood Globe

IRONWOOD — Ewen-Trout Creek’s Austin Gordon along with more than half of the All-Upper Peninsula Dream Team in high school boys basketball will suit up for the Northern Michigan team in this year’s Kiwanis Classic Border Bash.

The 11th annual games showcasing top senior basketball players in northern Michigan and northern Wisconsin — both in boys and girls basketball — is set for Thursday, June 5, at the Lindquist Center at Gogebic Community College in Ironwood.

This game, along with the U.P. All-Star Classic that is usually held later in June, is open only to graduating seniors, since younger student-athletes with eligibility left would put the remainder of their high school athletic careers in jeopardy by participating.

The Northern Michigan team has generally been made up entirely of U.P. players, though on several occasions, in years when there weren’t a large quantity of prospects or a good number of them declined to play, this team has drawn a small handful of players from the northern Lower Peninsula.

In the same way, the Northern Wisconsin team has most often included players from roughly the northern half of that state, though occasionally a few players from further south have been brought in.

All four of this year’s teams have nine-player rosters, meaning there should be plenty of court time available to every player.

And five of the boys players and four of the girls are from Marquette and Alger counties, including multiple players from Marquette Senior High School on each Northern Michigan team.

The Northern Michigan boys haven’t won since North Central’s Jason Whitens led them to a victory in 2017. They’ll have a chance to break that streak this year with a lot of All-U.P. talent, but the Northern Wisconsin team is pretty good, too, with an all-state player plus six honorable mentions.

Every member of the Northern Michigan girls team received some sort of All-U.P. honors, while the Northern Wisconsin roster also includes players that have received state recognition.

The Border Bash is a popular early-summer event as it gives area fans a chance to see talented players they may hear about but never get a chance to see in person. 

The girls game starts at 6 p.m. EDT with the boys to follow at 7:45 p.m. EDT. All proceeds generated by the game are given to the Gogebic CC basketball programs.

Here are more details about the players in each game:

Boys game

Gordon, a guard, led E-TC to a top-five ranking in the U.P. late in his senior season when he averaged 23.7 points per game.

He’ll have plenty of help.

Mr. U.P. Basketball Jacob MacPhee of Marquette, Kingsford’s Gavin Grondin and Iron Mountain’s Oskar Kangas all made the All-U.P. Dream Team. 

MacPhee, a forward, averaged a double-double — 20.1 points and 10.2 rebounds — for the Sentinels, who advanced to the regional tournament championship game in Division 1 of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, made up of the largest schools in Michigan.

A Michigan Tech commit, MacPhee will be joined by Marquette teammates Jaxon Jurmu, an All-U.P. First Team guard, and Second Teamer Kyler Sager, also a guard. Jurmu averaged 11.8 points and 8.2 assists per game, while Sager finished at 14.2 points per game.

Their coach, Richard Ledy, will mentor the Northern Michigan team.

Grondin led Kingsford to the state semifinals in Division 2. The guard is going to play at Lake Superior State after averaging 24.3 points per game as a senior. Flivver teammate Morgan Sleik will join him at the Border Bash. The All-U.P. Second Team forward averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Kangas, who’s listed as a guard-forward at 6-foot-6, is going to play at Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He averaged 24.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

Ishpeming guard Caden Luoma was an All-U.P. First Team choice after a solid season for the Hematites. He scored 26.7 points per game and also contributed 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 steals and 3.1 assists a night.

Negaunee guard Jordan Guenette averaged 18 points per game.

The Northern Wisconsin team doesn’t look to be an easy foe, however.

Stevens Point Pacelli’s Camden Schurk made the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 5 All-State team. He averaged 23.5 points per game and finished with over 1,800 career points.

Six others were honorable mention in various divisions.

Luck guard Ty Roehm averaged 22.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game and was honorable mention in Division 5 of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, that state’s equivalent to the MHSAA.

Cameron forward Carter Cherney, honorable mention in D-4, scored 18.7 points per game. The Northern Wisconsin team’s tallest player, Oconto 6-5 forward Carter Koch, averaged 22.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He was also honorable mention in Division 4.

Amery guard Carter Wollan, who was the Middle Border Conference Player of the Year and is committed to UW-La Crosse, averaged 28.1 points per game, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game and was honorable mention in D-3.

Gillett guard Jesse DeBauch is the Northern Wisconsin team’s highest scorer. He scored 34.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game and was honorable mention in Division 5.

Guard Race Anvelink scored 13.9 points per game for Division 4 state runner-up Bonduel. He was honorable mention in D-4.

Ladysmith guard Andrew Lehman averaged 20.8 points per game and guard Truman Lamers led Rhinelander with 13.4 points per game.

Pacelli’s John Schurk will coach the Wisconsin players.

Girls game

The entire Northern Michigan squad received All-U.P. honors after their senior season.

Negaunee guard Aubrey Johnson was the only senior to make the All-U.P. Dream Team, thus the only Dream Teamer eligible for this game. She averaged 13.5 points per game while leading the Miners to an undefeated regular season. She’s going to play basketball at Michigan Tech.

Iron Mountain post player Macy Linsenbigler is going to play basketball and volleyball at Gogebic CC. She averaged 21.9 points and 13 rebounds per game this year, while earning a spot on the All-U.P. Division 1-3 First Team.

Guard Emily Jokela finished her career at Lake Linden-Hubbell with 2,010 career points. She had the top scoring average in the U.P. this season at 23.8 points per game and was selected to the All-U.P. Division 4 First Team for the second year in a row. She’s going to Grand Valley State for track and field.

St. Ignace guard Jillian Fraser made the All-U.P. First Team with an impressive stat line — 17 points, 6 rebounds, 7.8 steals, 6.3 assists and 2.6 blocks per game. She also led the Saints to the state quarterfinals, where they lost to E-TC.

None of the players from E-TC’s state runner-up team are eligible to play in the game, since the Panthers didn’t have any seniors. In fact, because of the school’s small enrollment, there were actually two eighth-graders on that squad.

Carney-Nadeau’s Grace Maule is also going to play at Gogebic CC and made the All-U.P. Second Team for the second straight year after scoring 20.6 points per game her senior season.

Marquette’s Brianna Anderson made the All-U.P. Divisions 1-3 Second Team. She grabbed 13 boards per game.

St. Ignace’s Addison Cullen averaged a double-double at 16.8 points and 11.3 rebounds. Cullen and Munising’s Bailey Corcoran also made it two years in a row on the Second Team. Corcoran scored 17.5 a game.

Marquette’s Aubree Blackburn was a special mention in All-U.P. Divisions 1-3.

Legendary St. Ignace coach Dorene Ingalls will lead Northern Michigan.

The Northern Wisconsin team counters with some well-decorated players.

Northwestern forward Abby Johnson was named the Superior Telegram’s Player of the Year earlier this month after battling two ACL knee injuries in less than two years. She scored 22.4 points per game this season.

Wing Sydney Subke was named to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 4 All-State team after leading Neillsville to the Cloverbelt East title and averaging 15.6 points per game.

Sevastopol guards Kayla Ranly and Naomi Rikkola were both honorable mention on the Division 5 All-State team. They each averaged nearly 17 points per game while helping the team to the sectional final.

Laconia guard Payton Morgan is committed to Minnesota State after helping Laconia to four deep runs in the state tournament with titles in 2023 and 2024. She averaged 11.1 points per game this year to earn first team all-state honors for the third time. Laconia got to the state semifinal this spring after moving up to Division 3.

Birchwood forward Morgan Lobitz averaged 21.2 points per game, Crandon’s Lauren Littleton 17.3 points, Oconto guard Addison Viestenz 15 ppg and Marinette guard Riley Kiefer 12.6 ppg. 

The team will be coached by Marinette’s Zachary Barker.

Here are rosters, with each player’s school and height:

BOYS

Northern Michigan — Jacob MacPhee, Marquette, 6-6; Jaxon Jurmu, Marquette, 6-0; Jordan Guenette, Negaunee, 5-11; Kyler Sager, Marquette, 6-0; Caden Luoma, Ishpeming, 6-1; Austin Gordon, Ewen-Trout Creek, 6-1; Gavin Grondin, Kingsford, 6-0; Morgan Sleik, Kingsford, 6-5; Oskar Kangas, Iron Mountain, 6-6. Coach, Richard Ledy, Marquette

Northern Wisconsin — Andrew Lehman, Ladysmith, 6-3; Camden Schurk, Stevens Point Pacelli, 6-3; Carter Cherney, Cameron, 6-4; Carter Koch, Oconto, 6-5; Carter Wollan, Amery, 6-3; Jesse DeBauch, Gillett, 6-1; Race Anvelink, Bonduel, 6-0; Truman Lamers, Rhinelander, 6-2; Ty Roehm, Luck, 6-4. Coach, John Schurk, Stevens Point Pacelli

GIRLS

Northern Michigan — Aubree Blackburn, Marquette, 5-8; Aubrey Johnson, Negaunee, 5-7; Bailey Corcoran, Munising, 5-10; Brianna Anderson, 6-0, Marquette; Addison Cullen, St. Ignace, 5-11; Emily Jokela, Lake Linden-Hubbell, 5-5; Grace Maule, Carney-Nadeau, 5-7; Jillian Fraser, St. Ignace, 5-8; Macy Linsenbigler, Iron Mountain, 5-11. Coach, Dorene Ingalls, St. Ignace

Northern Wisconsin — Abby Johnson, Northwestern, 5-10; Addison Viestenz, Oconto, 5-5; Kayla Ranly, Sevastopol, 5-6; Lauren Littleton, Crandon, 5-8; Morgan Lobitz, Birchwood, 5-10; Naomi Rikkola, Sevastopol, 5-8; Payton Morgan, Laconia, 5-10; Riley Kiefer, Marinette, 5-6; Sydney Subke, Neillsville, 5-11. Coach, Zachary Barker, Marinette