Ishpeming’s Jenessa Eagle, left, drives to the basket while defended by Gwinn’s Alayna Soyring during their high school girls basketball game played at Northern Michigan University’s Vandament Arena in Marquette on Jan. 6. (Photo courtesy of Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — There were just a few changes this week in the Upper Peninsula high school basketball polls tabulated by the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

But none involved area teams with only a girls poll being held as those teams finished up their regular seasons last week. The boys completed their regular season a week earlier, playing MHSAA district tournament ball last week.

That’s what the girls are doing this week, with every team not already in action on Monday getting onto the hardwood tonight.

That includes the four area teams in the U.P. poll — Negaunee in Divisions 1-3, and Ishpeming, L’Anse and Baraga in Division 4.

The Miners continue as the unanimous No. 1 team among their brethren in Divisions 1-3, picking up all five first-place votes again. Negaunee won twice last week to finish the regular season a near-perfect 21-1, taking down Iron Mountain 76-26 and No. 2 Gladstone 41-36.

The Miners’ only loss all season was at Division 4 No. 1 Ishpeming, as those teams split their two games, the home team winning each time.

Negaunee won’t have to worry about Ishpeming in the MHSAA tournament as they’re in different divisions. But they do have to worry about three other top-five ranked teams in Divisions 1-3, who join them in a Miners-hosted Division 2 district.

NHS entertains No. 4 Houghton at 6 p.m. today at Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium in Negaunee, with U.P. No. 2 Gladstone playing at No. 5 Kingsford in the other district semifinal.

The winners clash on Friday night, likely at Negaunee as it is host, though if not, it likely will be Houghton being the home team.

The Miners played Houghton one time, which was less than two weeks ago with NHS prevailing 67-49. Negaunee took out Gladstone 30-19 in their earlier game before last week, while also facing Kingsford once in the Miners’ Irontown Holiday Bash and winning 55-24.

Ishpeming (18-3) managed to keep its four-out-of-five first-place votes atop Division 4 despite splitting games last week, downing Bark River-Harris 77-45 before losing at Houghton 62-57.

The Hematites have a flock of nonranked teams in the district it is hosting, though Munising (16-5) was receiving votes as recently as four weeks ago.

Ishpeming hosts Superior Central at 6 p.m. today, with Munising and Big Bay de Noc going in the other semifinal. Winners meet at 6 p.m. Friday, likely back at the Hematites’ gym if IHS advances, otherwise the final should be at SC.

Of all the teams in its district, Ishpeming has only played Munising, drubbing the Mustangs 60-16 on Feb. 16.

Also ranked in Division 4 is L’Anse (18-3), standing pat in third after three wins last week — 88-37 at Lake Linden-Hubbell, 65-44 at Ironwood and 71-48 at home vs. Munising.

Baraga (19-3) comes in at No. 4 again with wins last week over Ontonagon 74-25, Bessemer 73-5 and impressively over Division I Marquette 52-48.

The two schools at the “bottom of the bay,” that being Keweenaw Bay along with L’Anse Bay, play in separate semifinals tonight in a Dollar Bay-hosted district. Each will be at home at 6 p.m., Baraga hosting LL-H and L’Anse taking on Hancock.

The district final is set for 6 p.m. Friday, apparently at either Baraga or LL-H.

The one change in the poll this week was Menominee (15-6) getting pushed out of the Divisions 1-3 top five into the “others receiving votes” purgatory. Gladstone (18-4) remained No. 2 and Sault Ste. Marie (17-4) No. 3, but Houghton (16-6) moved into No. 4 with Kingsford (15-5) also slipping a spot to No. 5.

In D-4, almost nothing changed with Ewen-Trout Creek (19-3) still No. 2 and getting one first-place vote, while Norway (17-4) is No. 5. However, the Knights are no longer in a tie with Hancock (14-7), which fell into the “others” list. Additionally, Forest Park, previously an “other,” didn’t get a vote this week.

In the state Associated Press polls this week, which like the U.P. only conducted a girls ranking this final time around, Negaunee bumped up one spot for the second straight week in Division 2.

The Miners are now No. 8, just a single vote behind No. 7 Grand Rapids West Catholic (16-5) and 11 votes ahead of No. 9 Otsego (17-2). Grand Rapids South Christian (22-0) was a unanimous pick at No. 1 even with No. 2 Goodrich (22-0) and No. 4 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (21-0) also undefeated.

Ishpeming slipped down two spots to No. 6 in Division 4, with E-TC at No. 8, L’Anse at No. 12 and Baraga tied for No. 14. Morenci (21-1) is a definitive No. 1.

Story contents based on an email from the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.