Ishpeming, MI – January 15th, 2018 – It had been a tough season so far for the Ishpeming Hematites boys basketball team, but they had high hopes for their game against the Marquette Redmen on a mild Tuesday evening. Making the calls on 98.3 WRUP were Bob Nadeau and Tyler Young, and they knew it was going to be a great game.
The action started right away for the Ishpeming Hematites as they let the Marquette Redmen put the first points of the game up on the board, but just a few minutes into the quarter, they had a significant lead. Bucket after bucket fell for Ishpeming, and they started to run away with the score. Although the Hematites did a great job scoring early in the quarter, they had some trouble on defense later in the first, allowing Marquette to get a few points before the buzzer.
First Quarter Score
Ishpeming Hematites: 17
Marquette Redmen: 10
Hunter Smith was blowing up for the Ishpeming Hematites with 11 points early in the second. It was 20-14 with just under 6:00 in the first half, and both teams were gambling on long three-pointers, with some success for the Hematites. After another long shot that turned out to be only a two-pointer, Ishpeming held the lead 24-14. “The Ishpeming Hematites are doing great on ball control, only giving-up ONE turnover throughout much of the half.” Bob exclaimed with amazement. Ishpeming extended their lead to 15 points with one minute left in the second, and the Hematites would go into the second half looking confident.
First Half Score
Ishpeming Hematites: 29
Marquette Redmen: 14
Brilliant would have been a great word to describe the way the Ishpeming Hematites played against the Marquette Redmen in the first half, and they kept it up in the second. The Redmen sensed that they were already running out of time, and were forced to use several key players’ fouls to try and slow Ishpeming’s scoring. At 2:30 left in the quarter, the Hematites kept stacking three-pointers onto their score, and they led by an amazing 20 points. Play was stopped multiple times for rough fouls as the third quarter ran down, but nothing was able to stop the charging Ishpeming Hematites. Darius Yohe amazed the Hematites fans when nailed a buzzer-beating three point shot from the sidelines at the end of the quarter.
Third Quarter Score
Ishpeming Hematites: 43
Marquette Redmen: 28
Less than :45 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Ishpeming Hematites forced Marquette to use another of the Redmen’s vital timeouts, signaling their desperation. As the seconds ticked off the score clock, the Redmen fought back to within just six points, erasing much of Ishpeming’s earlier lead. The noise level in the Ishpeming High School gymnasium was near deafening as the Hematites scrambled to hold back Marquette. With under four minutes left in the game, the Redmen made it a one-score game, but the Hematites responded immediately, extending their lead back out to five points seconds later. Whistles were a constant factor as the refs kept a hawk’s eye on the play, allowing both teams to steadily add points from free throws to their total. Screams from the Ishpeming fans were non-stop as the home team barely held onto their lead, but with :48 seconds to play, Marquette tied the game up at 50-50.
Fourth Quarter Score
Ishpeming Hematites: 50
Marquette Redmen: 50
There would be at least one four-minute overtime played to determine the winner between the Ishpeming Hematites boys and the Marquette Redmen. Both teams scored two-pointers on their first possessions of the overtime, and the game stayed tied as the extra quarter quickly passed the halfway mark. A nice layup put the Hematites ahead by two points, and some great rebounding helped Ishpeming stop Marquette’s following break. It was 54-54 with just seconds left in overtime, and the Hematites had the opportunity to in-bounds the ball to take the win, but they were forced to use their last timeout with seven seconds left on the clock. Ishpeming would have one final chance to win the game, and after moving the ball in-bounds again, the Hematites just couldn’t make a basket fall.
First Overtime
Ishpeming Hematites: 54
Marquette Redmen: 54
After playing solidly earlier in the game, the Ishpeming Hematites allowed the Marquette Redmen to fight back and tie the game just before the fourth quarter buzzer. Each team appeared worn out from the tough game, but two free throws allowed the Redmen to take the lead by a single point 56-55. Darius Yohe drained two back-to-back free throws to retake the lead from Marquette seconds later with a score of 57-56 and less than 2:00 to play. More free throws for the Hematites bumped their score up to 59-56 as the clock ticked under 1:30 in the final-final quarter. Ishpeming had a two-score lead over Marquette, and they had to hold on for just under a minute in order to take home the win. 61-59 was the score with :50.4 seconds in the game, and Marquette used their last timeout to plan their final moves. Amazingly, the Hematites fought through Marquette’s defense to score one last basket before game was over.
Final Game Score
Ishpeming Hematites: 64
Marquette Redmen: 59
Listen LIVE – The Ishpeming Hematites battle it out with the tough Marquette Redmen on Tuesday, January 15th, 2019 on 98.3 WRUP.mp3