Escanaba, MI – March 8th, 2018 – The Ishpeming Hematites Girl’s High School Basketball team met the LaSalle Saints in Escanaba this evening for the regional championship game and ended their season with a loss with a final score of 70-56.
First Quarter: 19-9 LaSalle
The Hematites came out to a rocky start in the first, with LaSalle obtaining the first points of the game and making several more unanswered baskets. Ishpeming made took great strides against the Saints but came up short at the end.
Second Quarter: 37-16 LaSalle
The Hematites upped their tempo and began shaking off some of that rust they sometimes experience when playing against skilled competitors. Mariah Austin put in a couple 3-pointers and it appeared the Hematites would be returning fire in the second half.
Third Quarter: 52-35 LaSalle
This frame belonged to the Hematites despite the lead by LaSalle. Ishpeming went on the offensive and outscored LaSalle in this frame by 16-15 for a lead of 1, however it did not make a significant impact on the overall score.
Final: 70-56 LaSalle
This was the frame where Ishpeming let loose on LaSalle and upped the Hematite tempo and began a strong offensive. Mariah Austin and Madigan Johns put up a barrage of shots and 3-pointers and it seemed like the Hematites finally shook off the crud from the first half and began a great game of basketball. The Hematites outscored LaSalle 24-18 making for a dominating second half of play, but it just was not enough to grasp the win despite winning the second half of the game.
Ishpeming Hematites coach Ryan Reichel had this to say about the game:
The Ishpeming Hematites Girls finish out their season with a record breaking 20-4, the most wins ina single season in Ishpeming Hematite history. Madigan Johns led team scoring with 25 points, followed by Mariah Austin with 21.
It is the opinion of this writer that the Ishpeming Hematites Girls were the better team and should of won this game if not due to the slow start. The bottom line score doesn’t change but as someone who has followed these girls for a long time I will say these girls are top athletes with world-class coach. The Hematites successfully won our hearts this season, and as the seniors move on to the next stage of their life we’ll look forward to our late 2018 Hematite team to take court and show the world why they are still the greatest.
The Hematites Boys are in action March 9th when they travel to Negaunee to take on the Westwood Patriots in the district finals. Join us for all the action on 98.3 WRUP and streaming online at wrup.com.
Listen to the game audio here: Ishpeming Hematites girls defeated by LaSalle Saints.mp3