Ishpeming, Michigan – December 8, 2016 – The Ishpeming Hematites Girls Basketball Team got out to a hot start Thursday night en route to a 76-46 victory over the Gladstone Braves in Ishpeming.
It didn’t the Hematites long to get things going against the Braves Thursday night. Ishpeming found senior guard Khora Swanson open on the perimeter and she delivered. She knocked down the open three-pointer and set the tone for the rest of the game.
Ishpeming used defensive pressure, good shooting, and solid transition offense to build an early 8-1 lead. Late in the first quarter, senior Marissa Maino got a steal, took it coast-to-coast for a layup, got fouled, and hit the free throw for the traditional three-point play to put the Hematites up 15-5. The Braves responded with free throws and a basket to cut the lead to 5. But Maino came through again as she hit a three-pointer right before the end of the quarter to put the Hematites up 8.
Hematites head coach Ryan Reichel called the Braves “scrappy” in his post-game interview with Mike Plourde. Scrappy certainly described their play to start the 2nd quarter. Down 8, Gladstone used a 7-0 run to cut Ishpeming’s lead to just 1. After the two teams traded blows, and it looking like the game would be a battle, the Hematites went on a run of their own.
The Hematites used suffocating defense which lead to a lot of golden transition opportunities, which Ishpeming capitalized on. After Gladstone scored to cut Ishpeming’s lead to 23-21, the Hematites closed out the half on a 12-0 run to bring a 14-point lead into the locker room.
The Hematites began the second half right where they left off. Using that same formula of tough defense and transition offense, the Hematites went on an 8-0 run to start the third quarter. By the time Gladstone registered their first basket of the second half, the Hematites had scored 20 unanswered points.
The Hematites used their tough defense to keep Gladstone at bay and crush any hopes for a comeback. Ishpeming cruised to a 30 point win over the Braves to improve their record to 2-0 on the year.
The Hematites look to continue their success as they take on the Escanaba Eskimos Thursday, December 15th. You can catch all the action live right here on 98.3 WRUP or live at WRUP.com.
LISTEN – FULL GAME- Ishpeming Hematites defeat Gladstone Braves 76-46
Your Home for the Ishpeming Hematites – Real Classic Rock 98.3 WRUP and WRUP.com!