ISHPEMING, MI – 2/25/2015 – Congratulations to coach Brad Austin and the rest of the Ishpeming Lady Hematites on clinching the 2014-2015 MPC Regular Season Championship! The Lady Hematites locked it down last night with their dominating win on the road in Manistique, coupled with the Iron Mountain Mountaineers’ 62-47 loss in Gwinn. Despite a year of turmoil and turnover, the Lady Hematites, they’ve pooled together a 16-3 record and have only lost one conference game, a two point loss to Iron Mountain on February 2nd. Going into the last game of the regular season, a home game against the rival Negaunee Miners, the Lady Hematites have the conference title in hand, but will want to finish strong as this is their last home game of the seniors’ careers.
Coming off of a season that saw the Lady Hematites go 13-7, and a district championship, expectations were high with a lot of key players returning. Players like Tammy Simmula Morgan Skytta, Kaylie Engler, and the MPC leading scorer in Jessica Spencer have created a chemistry and a winning culture for girls basketball in Ishpeming. A team that was swept by Negaunee and split with Westwood last year, the team’s biggest rivals in most fan’s opinions, they returned the favor in the playoffs, knocking off both of the co-champions en route to winning the district championship. This year, they were having non of it. They’ve already dealt two knockout blows to the Patriots and are looking to complete the season sweep of the Negaunee Miners this Thursday.
As far as girls basketball goes, Ishpeming may not even have the best overall program in their own town, with the cross-town Patriots winning 14 conference titles in the past 40 years, to Ishpeming’s three, this is a big one for the Ishpeming program. Despite a season that saw an injury or two, a controversial coaching change, and a few close calls, the Lady Hematites kept their composure together and will be walking into Gwinn High School with an MPC title in tow.
Bask in your championship ladies! Make sure you don’t forget you have bigger things coming up though, the work is just getting started. End your season with a district and even a regional championship under your belts and have a season that people will remember in your town for years to come! CONGRATS from your friends at 98.3WRUP, and Great Lakes Radio!
-Carl Leander Johnson