High School
On the opening night of the boys high school basketball tournament…
• In Division Four, District 98…
– Baraga eliminated Republic-Michigamme 44-37. The Vikings will host L’Anse tomorrow at 6:00 in one district semifinal. Dollar Bay-Tamarack City will play at Lake Linden-Hubbell tomorrow at 6:00 in the other semifinal.
• In Division Four, District 97 quarterfinals…
– Watersmeet ousted Ontonagon 51-42.
– Ironwood edged Bessemer 47-44.
– In the district semifinals at Wakefield-Marenisco tomorrow, Watersmeet will face Ewen-Trout Creek in the first game, and Ironwood will take on Wakefield-Marenisco in the nightcap.
• In Division Three quarterfinals…
– Hancock lost to Ishpeming 63-33.
– Calumet defeated Gwinn 56-36.
– Calumet will play at Westwood tomorrow night at 6:00 iin one district semifinal. Coverage will begin at 5:40 on the Voice of the Copper Kings, KBear 102.3. Jeffers will host Ishpeming in the other semifinal.
• In Division Two semifinals…
– Houghton lost at Kingsford 79-29. The Flivvers used a pressure defense and a fast break offense to take control early. Tucker Ryynanen led the Gremlins with 10 points. Nick Nora scored 26 for Kingsford.
– Escanaba dispatched Negaunee 57-31. The Eskymoes and Flivvers will play for the district title tomorrow night in Escanaba.
In girls regional semifinals tonight…
• In Division Four at Kingsford, Baraga faces Ontonagon at 6:00 Eastern Time. Carney-Nadeau plays Superior Central at 7:45.
• In Division Three, Calumet takes on Bark River-Harris at 6:00 at Marquette High School. Coverage will begin at 5:40 on the Voice of the Copper Kings, KBear 102.3. St. Ignace will play Glen Lake in the other semifinal.
Ewen-Trout Creek dominates the boys All-Copper Mountain Conference Team. Jaden Borseth of the Panthers was named Player of the Year, and teammate Jonah Nordine was honored as Defensive Player of the Year. Wakefield-Marenisco’s Pat Libertoski was named Coach of the Year.
Local members of the Elite Team include John Schutz of Jeffers, A.J. Datto of Dollar Bay-Tamarack City, and Kelsey Jilek from Ewen-Trout Creek. Joining Schutz and Datto on the Copper Country Division First team are Levi Frahm from Jeffers, Marcus Sutherland from Lake Linden-Hubbell, and Amos Norland from Dollar Bay-Tamarack City. Second Team members include Gabe Popko and Danny Marcotte from Lake Linden-Hubbell, Shawn Gibbons and Eli Ostermeyer from L’Anse, and Lance Heininen from Jeffers. Honorable mention votes went to L’Anse’s Dysean Allen and Nathan Hochstein, and Baraga’s Danny Nieskes. Local members of the Porcupine Mountains Division Second Team include Eric Abramson and Brenden Polkky from Ewen-Trout Creek, and Bryce Buzzo from Ontonogan. Luke Strasser of the Gladiators earned Honorable Mention votes. See the full roster here.
Five Houghton skiers have earned all-state honors. On the girls side, exchange student Blanca Pages Borrell was named to the first team slalom and first team giant slalom. Ashley Lehmann was placed on the first team slalom and second team giant slalom. Keegan Leonard was named to the second team slalom. On the boys side, Reed Heathman made the first team giant slalom, and Eli Heathman was named to the second team slalom and second team giant slalom.
The Calumet High School hockey team will face Midland Dow Friday at 1:30 in the semifinals at Plymouth. The Copper Kings continue to accept financial help to cover the cost of the trip downstate. Click here to make a donation.
NHL
The Detroit Red Wings host the Arizona Coyotes tonight. Coverage will begin at 7:15 on 99.3 The Lift.
The Wings placed veteran defenseman Danny DeKeyser on waivers yesterday – on his 32nd birthday. The move opens up a roster spot for Jakub Vrana, who is about to return from a shoulder injury he suffered in the preseason. If DeKeyser clears waivers, he could be assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins.
NBA
The Detroit Pistons scrambled past the Atlanta Hawks 113-110 in overtime last night. Cade Cunningham scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jerami Grant added 23 points.
The Pistons have won six of their last eight games, and entertain the Chicago Bulls tomorrow. Coverage will begin at 6:35 on 99.3 The Lift.
Local Sports Broadcasts
• Today – Division Three girls basketball regional semifinal at Marquette – Calumet v Bark River-Harris – 6:40 pregame on the Voice of the Copper Kings, KBear 102.3.
• Tomorrow – Division Three boys basketball district semifinal – Calumet at Westwood – 5:40 pregame on the Voice of the Copper Kings, KBear 102.3.
• Friday – State hockey semifinal at Plymouth – Calumet v Midland Dow – 1:10- pregame on the Voice of the Copper Kings, KBear 102.3.
Email sports news and scores to mornings@up.net.