The Hematites came out on top 40-29 over Ewen-Trout Creek to advance to the quarterfinals, scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Gladstone High School.

Ishpeming (22-3) will face the winner of Thursday night’s regional final that was held in Cheboygan between Newberry and Indian River Inland Lakes.

Win in the quarterfinals and the Hematites will make a return trip to the Breslin Center at Michigan State University in East Lansing, where IHS won the D-4 state title just two short seasons ago with a 73-54 victory over Kingston in the finals.

Wednesday’s game was probably being watched all over the state, considering each combatant had been in the state championship game the previous two seasons. E-TC came up just short in the finals, 53-29, to Fowler last year.

Ishpeming's Mya Hemmer, center, is triple teamed by Ewen-Trout Creek defenders, from left, Hannah Ferguson, Emma Besonen (partially hidden) and Irelynd McGeshick during their MHSAA Division 4 regional championship girls basketball game played at Westwood High School in Ishpeming on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

In Wednesday’s game, Ishpeming senior Mya Hemmer spent much of the second quarter on the bench due to foul trouble, according to Hematites head coach Ryan Reichel.

Then in the fourth quarter, another one of his

senior standouts, Jenessa Eagle, fouled out with 4:30 remaining to play, forcing Reichel to employ another player.

“Marie Salisbury subbed in and hit one of the biggest 3(-pointers) in Ishpeming girls basketball history to put us up five (points),” Reichel said.

It was also her only points of the game.

Despite missing some time being out of the game, Hemmer led all scorers with 18 points, also pulling down a team-high 14 rebounds, while Eagle was joined by teammate Brittanie Piotrowski in scoring eight points.

Bree Besonen led the Panthers (22-4) with 13 points as teammate McKayla Basel had eight.

These teams also met two years ago in the D-4 regional final, with Ishpeming prevailing 70-42 over an E-TC team that was really young with multiple eighth-graders on its roster and at least one starting.

This year, the Panthers have grown up and were tied 6-6 after one quarter on Wednesday, then put together a big second quarter to go ahead 22-16 at halftime.

Hemmer’s fouls contributed at partly to that.

But the Hematites started reasserting control in the third quarter as E-TC only scored seven points the entire second half.

“Our ‘help’ defenders did an amazing job helping on all drives and screens,” Reichel said about the differences in each half. “Ava Jo Hares’ and Frankie Stetson’s impact on our game … won’t show up in a box score, but without them this regional championship doesn’t happen.

“(E-TC’s) Besonen girls are such an amazing backcourt. They control the ball so well.

“Also having (Ishpeming’s) Camby Gauthier step in when Jenessa got her fourth (foul) to guard their best player was huge. For a sophomore, she did amazing.”

Ishpeming put together a 12-point third quarter to go back up 28-25 after three periods and was able to pull away in the late going.

Neither team shot a lot of free throws, and had some struggles there, the Hematites make 6 of 12 for 50% and the Panthers 2 of 6 for 33%.

Salisbury also scored three points, Stetson two and Gauthier one.

Story contents based on text message received from Ishpeming head coach Ryan Reichel. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.