Negaunee's Gretel Johnson, left, drives to the basket near the end of the third quarter while defended by Marquette's Lexi Curran during their high school girls basketball game played at the Barb Crill Gymnasium in Marquette on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — The Negaunee girls puts the defensive clamps on to open the season on Tuesday night, defeating neighbor Marquette 44-26 in a basketball game played at the Barb Crill Gymnasium.

“I thought we came out of the gate really well for the first game,” Miners head coach Mike O’Donnell said in an email detailing the result. “We executed and made shots from the perimeter.

“Then I felt like fatigue set in, which tends to happen in a first game. We lost our offensive rhythm and Marquette had a hand in that; they defend well.

“We’ll look to clean some things up, but overall (I’m) happy with going on the road against a rival and getting a win to open the year.”

Negaunee had a scoring advantage in every quarter, leading 14-9 after one period, 27-13 at halftime and 35-19 after three quarters.

The Miners’ Gretel Johnson was the only player on either team to score in double digits, putting in 11 points, all in the first half, as she hit a trio of 3-pointers and dished out a team-high five assists.

Teammate Clare O’Donnell added nine points, making 3 of 3 free throws in the fourth, to go with a team-high nine rebounds, while Aleana Park and Paige O’Donnell contributed eight points apiece.

Hayley Taylor paced the Sentinels with nine points as she scored all seven of her team’s points in the final period. Teammate Lexi Curran added seven points as both Taylor and Curran hit a 3.

Both teams go on the road today but in opposite directions. While the Miners head north to play at Hancock, the Sentinels make a long trek downstate to face Muskegon. MSHS also stays in that Lower Peninsula city to face Muskegon Reeths-Puffer on Saturday afternoon.

Negaunee 44, Marquette 26

Tuesday at Marquette

Summary (field goals, free throws, total points)

NEGAUNEE — P. O’Donnell 3-2-8, Johnson 4-0-11, Morey 1-0-2, Waterman 3-0-6, Park 3-1-8, C. O’Donnell 3-3-9. Totals 17-6-44.

MARQUETTE — Curran 3-0-7, Osborne 2-1-5, Taylor 4-0-9, Kramer 1-2-5. Totals 10-3-26.

Score by quarters:

Negaunee 14 13 8 9 — 44

Marquette 9 4 6 7 — 26

FG shooting: unavailable; FT shooting: Negaunee 6 of 8 (75 percent), Marquette 3 of 6 (50 percent); Rebounding: unavailable.

Gwinn 38, Houghton 32

On Tuesday in Houghton, the Modeltowners used some superior shooting to pull out a close win on the road to open the season.

Gwinn not only shot better from the free throw line — 6 of 12 for 50% compared to just 1 of 7 for 14% for the Gremlins — but the Modeltowners hit from long range, too, making a half-dozen 3-pointers as Houghton had just one.

“We were excited to go up there and get one to start the season,” Gwinn head coach Adam Ely said. “Everyone on the roster contributed and it was a total team win.

“We have a lot of respect for Houghton and the way they play. We felt prepared and were able to grind one out.”

Makayla Delmont was part of the superior shooting for the Modeltowners as she led all scorers with 12 points. She made 2 of 3 free throws and also a pair of triples.

Teammate Adeline Derwin added 10 points, while Ellie Hainault and Kate Filpus scored nine points apiece for the Gremlins, Hainault hitting their only 3.

Gwinn jumped out to a 13-6 lead after one quarter before the home team closed the gap by halftime, trailing just 19-17. The Modeltowners still only had a one-score lead to start the second half, going up 26-23 entering the final period.

In the fourth, Gwinn was 3 of 7 at the free throw line while Houghton didn’t get a chance there.

The Modeltowners return to action on Monday night at Manistique, then head over to Munising on Wednesday.

Gwinn 38, Houghton 32

Tuesday at Houghton

Summary (field goals, free throws, total points)

GWINN — Delmont 4-2-12, Malette 1-1-3, Demars 1-0-3, Derwin 4-2-10, Soyring 2-0-6, Ruggerio 1-0-3, Sorenson 0-1-1. Totals 13-6-38.

HOUGHTON — Lawson 1-0-2, Hainault 4-0-9, Matson 3-0-6, Burns 1-0-2, Mattson 1-0-2, Kreipke 1-0-2, Filpus 4-1-9. Totals 15-1-32.

Score by quarters:

Gwinn 13 6 7 12 — 38

Houghton 6 11 6 9 — 32

FG shooting: unavailable; FT shooting: Gwinn 6 of 12 (50 percent), Houghton 1 of 7 (14.3 percent); Rebounding: unavailable.

Ishpeming 59, Westwood 42

On Monday at Westwood, these next-door neighbors had a hard-fought first half before the Hematites started pulling away in the third quarter.

The Patriots led 14-12 after one quarter before Ishpeming eased ahead 25-21 at halftime. Then the Hematites used a 21-11 bulge in the eight minutes after halftime to open up a 46-32 advantage headed to the final period.

“This was a matchup that combined the pressure of opening night, a brand-new opposing coach and the intensity of a cross-town rivalry,” Ishpeming head coach Ryan Reichel said in an email detailing the result. “Westwood came out energized on their home floor, disrupting (our) offense and knocking down shots to set the tone.”

He added that his charges started to settle in after the halftime break, improving spacing on offense and finding rhythm.

“Defensively, (Ishpeming’s) Brittanie Piotrowski made a significant impact, providing strong on-ball pressure and hauling in key rebounds, particularly in a crucial second-quarter stretch that kept the game within reach,” Reichel said. “Credit goes to Westwood and its new coaching staff for a gritty performance.”

Westwood mentor Christie Makela said her team will take this game to heart.

“It wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but we will learn from it,” she said in a text with her details about the game. “We forced a lot of our own turnovers by trying to play faster than we wanted.

“Ishpeming played a great game and is well coached.”

The Hematites’ Jenessa Eagle found her offensive touch in the second half to finish with a game-high 32 points, while teammate Mya Hemmer added 18.

Addy Hallum paced a balanced Patriots attack with 11 points as Lyn Magnuson had 10 and Kaylin Doney nine.

Westwood gets back into action tonight hosting Manistique, while Ishpeming doesn’t play again until Thursday when it travels to Jeffers.

Story contents based on emails received from Negaunee coach Mike O’Donnell, Gwinn coach Adam Ely and Ishpeming coach Ryan Reichel, along with a text from Westwood coach Christie Makela. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.