Ishpeming’s Grady Gauthier, center in air, goes up for a shot against Westwood’s Aaron Pizziola, right, as the ball wouldn’t go in during their high school boys basketball game played at the Patriots’ gym in Ishpeming on Feb. 4. (Photo courtesy of Cara Kamps)

The senior Ishpeming player was the lone area representative to make a top-10 shooting list for the past season as put out by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan.

The BCAM produces a number of honor lists at the conclusion of the state high school seasons, including for the best players and coaches, along with academic awards.

While limited to players nominated by BCAM-member coaches, the organization includes all high school varsity coaches in Marquette and Baraga counties, along with Munising in Alger County.

The honors for accurate shooters — 3-pointers and free throws — weren’t separated by division, meaning the boys’ and girls’ top-10 lists were culled from all teams of all sizes throughout the state.

The Ishpeming team celebrates with Grady Gauthier, center wearing No. 0, after he sank 10 of the Hematites’ school-record 23 3-pointers in their game against Manistique played at the Hematites’ gym in Ishpeming on Feb. 23. (Photo courtesy of Cara Kamps)

For 13-9 Ishpeming, Gauthier ranked No. 4 statewide among boys with his free throw prowess, making 84.62% of his attempts, 44 of 52 to be exact.

He just made the cutoff of a minimum 50 attempts, though four other boys in the top 10 also had attempts numbering in the 50s, with nobody trying even 100.

All of the rest of the top 10 came from Lower Peninsula schools, including the top three — Andrew Caldwell of Flint Powers at 89.87%, 71 of 79 made; Wilson Huckeby of Freeland at 89.25%, 83 of 93; and Logan Pleasant of Rochester at 88.14%, 52 of 59.

Interestingly, the girls player in the same spot as Gauthier in her rankings, fourth place, made the exact percentage that the Ishpeming player did, 84.62%. That was Mya Porter of downstate Coldwater sinking 55 of 65.

There was one other local entry on these lists — L’Anse ranked No. 2 in the state in boys’ team free throws, making 73.46%, or 155 of 211. Robert Potter is the Purple Hornets’ head coach.

Manistique’s Carsyn Herst, right, brings the ball up the court while defended by Ishpeming’s Grady Gauthier during their high school boys basketball game played at the Hematites gym in Ishpeming on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

No. 1 on that list was Greenville at 77.97%, or 230 of 295, while next after L’Anse is No. 3 Freeland at 71.18%, or 247 of 347.

The boys’ 10th-place cutoff on these free throw lists was 83.12% for individuals and 68.20% for teams.

In 3-pointers for the boys, it was all players and teams from below the Mackinac Bridge, led by Adam Dugener of North Muskegon making 52.48%, the only player above 50%, as he made 74 of 141. Tenth place was 45.54%.

For team 3s, the same North Muskegon squad led the way at 42.66%, 189 of 443, with 10th checking in at 34.89%.

There was also a western Upper Peninsula presence on the girls lists, led by Ewen-Trout Creek and the Panthers’ Bree Besonen taking three of the four positions, Houghton getting the other.

In free throws, Besonen ranked No. 2 at 86.00%, making 43 of 50, trailing only Allie Crighton of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at 86.27%, 44 of 51.

For teams, Julie Filpus-coached Houghton was No. 8 in free throws at 67.50%, hitting 189 of 280, trailing No. 1 DeWitt at 70.70%, 193 of 273.

Besonen was also in the girls’ 3-pointer top 10, ranking No. 5 at 45.45%, 50 of 110, with her Jaclyn Besonen-coached E-TC team ranking No. 1 at 39.92%, 99 of 248.

No. 2 on the team list was a distant 36.23%, New Lothrop, which made 125 of 345.

The leading individual 3-point shooter was Karleigh Byrd of Niles Brandywine at 50.00%, making exactly half with 26 of 52.

All-time leaders

Each year, the BCAM updates its all-time lists of the best shooting players and teams, and those top-20 rosters are littered with area players. In fact, between the boys and girls lists, there is quite a competition between west end Marquette County schools with Negaunee, Ishpeming and Westwood each having an all-time top-five listing.

Though the BCAM didn’t state it, it looks like its records date back to the mid or late 1990s, with the oldest top-20 listing from 1997.

The only area No. 1 is the Ishpeming girls team from 2017-18, the top free-throw shooting team in the past 30 years at 78.35051%, making 228 of 291.

Those Hematites just nudged out No. 2 E-TC of 2020-21 that made 77.27273%, 136 of 176.

Negaunee can boast of a No. 2 ranking, where Ella Mason in the 2023-24 season made the individual free throw shooting list for girls at 93.06931%, making 94 of 101. She was just barely beaten out by No. 1 Abbey Kimball of the 2019-20 Grand Rapids West Catholic squad at 93.24324%, 69 of 74.

And area boys captured a No. 4 ranking, with Westwood in 1998-99 rating that highly in team free throw shooting at 77.97029%, sinking 315 of 404. No. 1 Warren De La Salle of 2024-25 comes in at 79.43037%, hitting 251 of 316.

Overall, area teams and individual players make their mark on these all-time lists a dozen times, seven for the girls and five for the boys.

Here’s a rundown of the others:

• In boys team 3-pointers, Negaunee of 2018-19 is No. 6 at 44.19476%, with E-TC of 2002-03 at No. 3 at 46.80134% (139 of 297) and the No. 1 squad being 2013-14 Vermontville Maple Valley at 47.60147% (129 of 271).

• Staying with boys 3s but for individuals, Jason Waterman of 2016-17 Negaunee is No. 17 at 54.54545%, hitting 30 of 55, with the all-time leader being Brendan Green of 2011-11 Burton Bentley at 62.96296% (34 of 54).

• Two more area teams join Westwood on the boys team free throw list. Marquette of 2024-25 is No. 11 at 76.05985%, 305 of 401, with 2006-07 Westwood at No. 13 at 75.71884%, 237 of 313.

• For individual girls free throws, Madelyn Koski of 2018-19 Westwood is 13th at 89.39394%, making 59 of 66.

• Among girls team free throws, four more teams join the No. 1 Hematites of 2017-18. Actually next locally is another Ishpeming team, from 1997 (when girls still played in the fall), ranking No. 12 at 73.75000%, hitting 236 of 320.

Then comes 2003 Westwood in the next slot, 13th, at 73.41463%, making 301 of 410, followed by another Patriots’ team, this one from 2018-19, 16th at 72.88136%, hitting 215 of 295. And Negaunee of 2017-18 is in the final spot, 20th, at 72.54237%, 214 of 295.

Some other U.P. teams and players also made these lists. In addition to E-TC’s No. 2 ranking in girls team free throws, the next highest are the Panthers of 2002-03 at No. 3 on the boys team 3-point list at 46.80134%, 139 of 297.

Story contents based on an examination of the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan website, bcam.org. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.