Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By JASON JUNO
sports@yourdailyglobe.com
Ironwood --- Ewen-Trout Creek is a unanimous favorite among coaches to win next week’s MHSAA Division 4 District 97 championship.
They’re the No. 1 seed in the bracket, they’re 8-1 against district opponents, they’re the defending champions and they’re ranked fourth in the U.P. poll with a 16-5 record.
“Ewen has to be the favorite,” Ironwood coach Jesse Mackey said, “with that earned No. 1 seed. Very talented team. Those young girls have only gotten stronger and more experienced against the varsity level as the season has gone on.”
“Ewen is the team to beat, they are having a great season,” Bessemer coach Jordy Chiapuzio said. “They have beaten everyone in the district and have matchup nightmares for everyone. The Besonen sisters (Emma and Bree) and (Irelynd) McGeshick are very talented and skilled players. Anyone of them have the ability to score 30 in any given night. That’s a tough task to slow those three enough to beat them.”
The Panthers, however, are far from the only team that can win it.
E-TC coach Jacky Besonen acknowledged being the favorite as the top seed, but she said it’s much more open than that.
“It’s going to be at Ironwood, they have home-court advantage,” she said. “They’re a tough team, they have some good weapons. Wakefield’s really come along this year and Ontonagon has improved a ton, too, they’ve had some close games, just about beat Ironwood. … Bessemer, too, they’ve been scrappy, they played Ironwood right to the end, too.
“If we play well, I think we should be able to repeat, but it’s going to be tough for sure.”
Ironwood has the one win by a district team over the Panthers and it was at the tournament site, Ironwood’s John Krznarich Gym very early in the season. W-M was swept by E-TC, but they are unblemished against the other district teams, including Ironwood.
“We will be there to show we are ready to compete for a district title,” W-M coach Alex Metas said.
“Wakefield is another favorite,” Mackey said.
Ontonagon and Bessemer have both played well in Ironwood this month, showing one of the darkhorses could win it as well.
“E-TC is an obvious favorite, but many teams have improved,” Ontonagon coach Lori Wardynski said. “It could be anyone’s tournament. That’s why we play the games.”
Those games start Monday night with Bessemer meeting Wakefield-Marenisco and Watersmeet playing Ontonagon.
The semifinals are Wednesday night with Ironwood getting the Bessemer/W-M winner and E-TC playing the Watersmeet/Ontonagon winner.
The final is Friday night at 7 p.m. All of the games are in Ironwood.
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Ewen-Trout Creek (16-5) hasn’t let its youth slow it down. They start three sophomores and two eighth graders, but they average just nine turnovers per game with 13 assists per contest.
The Panthers have won three of the last five district titles. To make it four in six years, the Panthers will have to “take care of the ball, outrebound our opponents, don’t give up a lot of offensive boards, play good defense,” E-TC coach Jacky Besonen said. “It’d be great to get some steals and get a little confidence, those steals that can turn into some offensive points are huge. And just try to relax and hit some shots because sometimes in tournaments that can be an issue.”
They’ll also have to continue their success over district teams.
They received a first-round bye and will meet either Ontonagon or Watersmeet in a Wednesday semifinal.
The Panthers beat the Gladiators 52-15 in the first meeting and 56-33 in the second. They only played the Nimrods once and they won 63-11.
E-TC’s inside force, Irelynd McGeshick, had 32 points and 12 rebounds in the second meeting with Ontonagon.
“They had no answer for Irelynd, they don’t have a big girl. If we were to meet them, I would guess that’ll be changed by Lori (Wardynski), she’ll have two on her probably all the time,” Besonen said.
If E-TC advances to the final, they will face either Bessemer, Wakefield-Marenisco or Ironwood. The Devils are the 2 seed and at home, but the Devils have lost twice to W-M and they needed a shot in the final seconds to edge the Speedgirls.
E-TC won big over Bessemer in both meetings, 60-35 and 62-39. They won by healthy margins over W-M as well, 51-23 and 42-27 despite the Cardinals face guarding E-TC’s guards, Emma and Bree Besonen, and doubling McGeshick.
“We have to handle their pressure, move the ball around and look for other people to score on our team,” Besonen said.
If it’s Ironwood — the Devils play “scrappy, tough defense and when they get hot, they get hot,” she said. “You have to play good D, especially on their scorers (Hanna) Vaughn and (Jaelyn) Novascone. And making sure you box out is huge because they crash hard.”
The Devils won the first matchup, a 45-36 win in E-TC’s opener at Ironwood, and the Panthers won the second meeting 58-40.
“Bree’s a good defender, she’s usually got the best scorer and she does a pretty darn good job of staying in front, so she’s done a good job on Vaughn this year,” Besonen said of Ironwood’s standout guard. “MaKayla (Basel), for an eighth grader, she’s pretty athletic, so she does a pretty decent job because (Jaelyn) Novascone drives hard, it’s hard to stay in front of her, she cuts hard, but Irelynd was there to help more at the rim (in the second meeting), which definitely helped.”
McGeshick is averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds. Bree is at 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals and Emma is at 13 points, three assists and two steals while facing the best defender that Kate Borseth got last year. Basel averages a much-needed seven points and five rebounds. Another E-TC starter, Hannah Ferguson, has been very helpful as a help defender.
A district title would mean E-TC advances to what looks to be a very tough regional tournament. Their first opponent is likely to be Lake Linden-Hubbell, ranked third in the U.P., but Hancock is hoping to pull off the upset after losing by just two to the Lakes recently.
E-TC led LL-H by 18 points in the second half of their only regular-season matchup but ran out of gas and the Lakes were able to get the win in overtime.
In the regional final, it’ll likely be either Baraga or Ishpeming, and most likely it’ll be Ishpeming, the top-ranked team in the U.P. and the state all season. They just dropped to Division 4 this year and beat Baraga, ranked second in the U.P., by 27 in their only regular-season meeting on Feb. 13.
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Ironwood (15-6) is looking to take advantage of its home-court advantage.
They’ve been really good at John Krznarich Gym, going 8-2, while beating some good teams like Ewen-Trout Creek and West Iron County. They lost a tough battle with a good Hancock team 40-36.
They’ve beaten every district team at home except for Wakefield-Marenisco, which beat them 40-36 on Feb. 1.
“It’s very exciting to be playing in front of your school and fan base during the postseason,” Ironwood coach Jesse Mackey said. “Getting to play on your homecourt when it’s the floor you practice on daily is a huge advantage.”
The Devils are a tough opponent no matter where they play.
“When everyone has the mentality of looking to score and doing whatever they can to get their teammates to score, we have played some great basketball,” Mackey said. “We talk about moving with a purpose often. Whether the ball is in our hands or not, we need to move with a purpose to help the team. That could be swinging the ball quickly, cutting hard, finding the open lane, etc. If our offense is clicking, it almost always brings out our best defensive games as well.”
Jaelyn Novascone leads Ironwood with 16.7 points and 7 rebounds per game. Hanna Vaughn averages 13.5 points, 5 rebounds and 3.8 steals. Akira Ruotsala is at 4 assists.
“We are going to have to play our best basketball as a team to win the district,” Mackey said. “It’s no secret Hanna and Jaelyn are the focus of many teams’ defensive game plans, but the others have shown they can be offensive threats, too. Being able to get scoring from every girl that’s on the floor will be key.”
Ironwood was close behind W-M in the MPR rating the MHSAA uses to determine the two seeds in districts for quite awhile. Ironwood moved up and was just behind W-M after beating West Iron County last Thursday and they moved ahead of the Cardinals after Friday night’s action, which included Hancock winning. Part of the MPR formula is how your opponents’ do.
Being seeded gives Ironwood a better chance at reaching the final as they can’t play E-TC until the final now whereas they would have played them in a semifinal without being seeded. But they still have to beat two tough teams to win the district, either Bessmer or W-M and likely E-TC.
“We have had a good season,” Mackey said. “It may have felt up and down at times, but that’s basketball. Those strong stretches earned us that No. 2 seed.”
While Mackey considers E-TC the favorite being the 1 seed, she said W-M is another favorite.
“They obviously beat us twice and their strong, anticipatory defense is what really stood out to me. They are quick and like to bring pressure,” she said. “Can’t count out Bessemer with Brooke (Stanislawski). If she and (Audrey) Stone are both playing well and the others start hitting shots, you never know what can happen.”
E-TC is good both inside and outside.
“(Irelynd) McGeshick is a very solid, physical post player,” Mackey said. “She’s quick around the basket and she isn’t afraid to battle to get in position. Once she gets you on her back, it can be very hard to contain her. Throw in that she is also a great free throw shooter and she’s the ultimate post threat.
“Emma and Bree Besonen are just great all-around basketball players. They shoot well, handle the ball well, get to the basket well and create for themselves and others well. They are also strong defenders that will relentlessly pick you up all game full-court.”
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Wakefield-Marenisco (13-7), like most teams in the district, is young. They’ve had some ups and downs, also like the rest of the district, but they’ve won every matchup against a district team except for two lopsided losses to E-TC. (W-M has one regular-season game left, at Bessemer on Thursday).
They finished second in the Porcupine Mountain Division and fourth in the whole conference.
“We have worked on becoming a complete team and it is working,” W-M coach Alex Metas said. “We have three girls that average over double digits and at any time can have and have had 20-plus points in a game.”
Those three are Emily Delfavero, Carine Cole and Emma Choronzy. All of five of their starters — those three plus Noelle Grace and Kenly Anderson — average over five rebounds per game.
“This helps us to control the boards,” Metas said.
Ellie Libertoski provides a boost off the bench.
“She has helped a lot with the ability to score and with her great defense,” Metas said.
The Cardinals are on a five-game winning streak entering Thursday night’s game against Bessemer.
“The team has been playing great team defense and that will help keep us in every game,” Metas said.
W-M starts with Bessemer on Monday night. The Cardinals would have gotten a bye had Ironwood not passed them for the 2 seed two days before the seeds were locked in.
“It is what it is,” Metas said. “What has hurt us in the draw is the fact that we have not played a lot of games. All year we have been three to four games behind everyone else. The other teams have played 21 or 22 games and we have only played 18 games and don’t have 22 games this year. But, with the fact that we have three games this week, it will give us a chance to start rolling at the right time of the year.”
The Cardinals have a tougher path to a district title as a result of losing the 2 seed. Now they will likely have to beat both seeded teams, Ironwood and E-TC, whereas before they would have only had to get by one of them, in the final.
But first, they have to beat rival Bessemer Monday night. They won the first matchup 67-49 on Feb. 15 with the second regular-season meeting coming Thursday night.
“That will be a tough game,” Metas said of the district opener. “It will be the third time playing each other in the last 2.5 weeks. I believe that this district will have a lot of close games and should be nice for fans to come out and watch.”
If W-M wins, they’ll play Ironwood in a Wednesday night semifinal. They defeated Ironwood both times this season by almost identical scores, 40-35 and 40-36. If they win that, they’d likely get Ewen-Trout Creek in a Friday night final.
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Bessemer (7-14) starts the tournament with rival Wakefield-Marenisco Monday night. They fell to the Cardinals 67-49 on Feb. 15 and plays them a second time Thursday night to wrap up the regular season, four days before the district matchup.
“I feel we match up well with Wakefield,” Bessemer coach Jordy Chiapuzio said. “We have certain matchups I feel give us advantages. If we’re able to execute on these matchups, we are giving ourselves a better chance to win the game. It starts with Wakefield’s pressure and turning it into points. We need to be sharp with our passes and make good decisions with the ball.”
He said the Cardinals have five capable scorers.
“(Emily) Delfavero is fast and makes quick decisions. She’s a great shooter and a great passer,” he said.
Bessemer was at 6-6 before going on an eight-game losing streak that ended with Tuesday night’s win over Watersmeet. They nearly ended it sooner with a great effort at Ironwood, which won on a late shot.
To have a chance at winning it Chiapuzio said they need to limit mistakes.
“We are still getting better and I believe we have the players to compete for a district title,” Chiapuzio said. “We’re looking forward to it. This has been our goal all year long and we’re going to be ready.”
The Speedgirls have been led by Brooke Stanislawski, a senior who averages 21.3 points, six rebounds and three steals per game.
“Our offense needs to run through Brooke. She is an elite scorer and creates for everyone around her. She possesses a great skill set and very high basketball IQ,” Chiapuzio said. “Brooke is a workhorse, she has been on the floor a lot of minutes this year and continues to be effective. With her, I believe we have what it takes to beat anyone.”
Audrey Stone leads Bessemer with 9.2 rebounds per game. Maddie Guglielmotto averages seven rebounds and two blocks a game. Kaedyn Hendrickson is at 6.2 points per game.
“Audrey and Maddie have been tough players on both ends of the floor,” Chiapuzio said. “(Stone) works extremely hard and has given us nice games. Maddie has been a leader on the court this year. Each game she does her job and helps us be competitive. Maddie has been a good on-ball defender this year and doesn't allow too many easy looks inside. Her scoring has been consistent of late and we need that from her.”
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Ontonagon is 5-16 coming into the tournament. The Gladiators preserved through a brutal 1-8 start, and they’ve been better since then. They took No. 2 seed Ironwood into OT last week and a good L’Anse team into an extra session early this month. They also won at Bessemer 45-32 on Feb. 1.
“Our team has continued to improve throughout the second half of the season,” Ontonagon coach Lori Wardynski said. “We look forward to the opportunity to play teams to prove that.”
The Gladiators start with Watersmeet in a Monday night matchup. They beat the Nimrods 58-18 and 58-22 this season. If they beat them a third time, they’ll get top-seed Ewen-Trout Creek in the semifinal. Ontonagon lost to the Panthers 52-15 and 56-33. The winner of that game advances to the Friday night final.
Maddie Pollard and Madyson Pantti average about 10 points per game for the Gladiators.
“Alli Bobula has been an incredible defensive asset,” Wardynski said. “We are looking for a game where everyone can chip in however they need to get a W.”
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Watersmeet (0-17) plans to play in the tournament after dealing with several postponements in recent weeks, coach Rich Pallin said.
“My young team is learning and improving and is hoping to get our point guard back from an injury for districts,” Pallin said.
The Nimrods play Ontonagon Monday. The winner advances to Wednesday night’s district semi against No. 1 Ewen-Trout Creek.
“I would say E-TC would have a slight edge to be the favorite, but Ironwood has a home-court advantage this year, but E-TC is defending the district championship,” Pallin said. “Any team that gets hot shooting is going to be tough to beat. Both Ontonagon and W-M can get hot shooting and would be hard to defeat.”
Alana Barajas averages 12 points for the Nimrods.
