Ishpeming Standouts Close Magnificent Careers, Wild Week by Leading Team to 2nd Title
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 21, 2026
EAST LANSING – Mya Hemmer and Jenessa Eagle put on one final show in an Ishpeming uniform Saturday.
The Hematites seniors were dominant in leading their team to a 48-28 victory against Portland St. Patrick in the Division 4 Girls Basketball Final at the Breslin Center, winning their second title in three years.
“This is my last organized basketball game, which is really sad for me – this is my first sport, my first love,” said Hemmer, who will play volleyball at Baylor. “I just changed to volleyball freshman year, so it’s kind of a shock that I’m going to be done. It’s just such a great opportunity to be able to play, and that was just amazing. Who could have asked for a better end to their season? That’s the goal, right?”
Hemmer had 18 points, 17 rebounds, nine blocks and six steals, while Eagle had 19 points and 11 rebounds. It was a repeat of 2024, when Ishpeming won its only other championship with the then-sophomores leading the team in points and rebounds.
“I really wasn’t nervous this time around,” said Eagle, who will continue her career at Michigan Tech. “I remember the first time we came here, I was shaking, sweating, I was on the verge of tears the first time two years ago. Coming back here, it helped with our maturity, not being nervous and then helping other teammates who haven’t played here to be less nervous.”
This year’s road to the Final was a tough one, and not necessarily on the court. The Hematites (25-3) won all but one of their postseason games by double digits, with the Semifinal against Morenci the lone exception.
Much of the struggle was simply getting to East Lansing, as the Upper Peninsula was buried in several feet of snow earlier in the week, forcing Ishpeming to play its Quarterfinal on Wednesday and Semifinal on Thursday.
“We had a grueling stretch here,” Ishpeming coach Ryan Reichel said. “Leave on a Wednesday, four days in a hotel, snowstorms, lack of practice, some of the things you take for granted in the regular season. Us having two games basically starting within a 24-hour period at this high of a level is not easy, and they showed that UP grit, that Hematite grit in (the Semifinal). Then, this morning you got to see them do it with fresh legs and energy.”
Their classmates also got to see it, something they weren’t able to do Thursday because of the weather. Having them in attendance Saturday provided another boost for the Hematites.
“It was amazing. I love our fans,” Eagle said. “They’re amazing and they showed out today, leaving at 12:30 in the morning, that’s ridiculous. I think that proves how diehard the UP is.”
A 15-0 second quarter blew the game open for the Hematites, giving them a 29-13 lead at the half.
Ishpeming forced five turnovers and blocked four shots, and St. Patrick was 0-for-11 from the field in the quarter.
Hemmer had three of those blocks, as her mere presence in the paint was clearly affecting the Shamrocks. She had a double-double – 14 points, 10 rebounds – by halftime, along with five blocks and three steals.
“It’s hard, because you can see her coming and you don’t think she is that tall, but she is really tall and blocks you,” St. Patrick junior guard Gracelyn Rockey said. “It makes it harder, because we get a lot of rebounds and putbacks, so it was hard for us not to get those.”
St. Patrick went 10 minutes of game time without scoring, as Ishpeming’s run reached 20-0. When Rockey finished off a three-point play with 18 seconds to play in the first quarter, the score was 14-13. By the time Lily Sandborn hit a 3-pointer just under two minutes into the third quarter, it was Ishpeming 34-16.
“We struggled to make shots, and I think we tried to challenge them maybe a little more than we should have underneath the basket,” St. Patrick coach Michelle Smith said. “When we don’t make shots, it’s difficult for us to settle into our zone defense, which is what we hang our hats on. In the second quarter, they got a lot of long outlets which made it difficult for us to settle in defensively and created a number of open looks for them.”
Rockey had 10 points and six rebounds to lead the way for the Shamrocks (23-6), who were making their 13th Finals appearance, but first since 2006.
“It’s been a great journey,” said senior Mattie Honsowitz, who was lost to injury early in the season. “I think it’s 20 years since the last time we made it this far, and we just worked as a team this entire year – that was our goal. We rebound, we communicate, and that’s what led us here. We’re really proud of that.”
PHOTOS (Top) Ishpeming’s Jenessa Eagle (3) drives toward the lane while a teammate cuts to the basket during their Division 4 Final win over Portland St. Patrick at Breslin Center. (Middle) Mya Hemmer (14) and Brittanie Piotrowski (5) surround St. Patrick’s Gracelyn Rockey as she drives. (Photos by Keionna Banks and Lilanie Karunanayake/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 10
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 17, 2026
Three months of Michigan high school girls basketball results are soon to be poured into the sorting of 128 District brackets, which will be published Sunday on the Girls Basketball page after teams are seeded based on their Michigan Power Ratings this winter.
A week’s worth of games certainly still can make a difference, and there are plenty of matchups coming up that could tilt how teams line up at several locations. Follow along on the MPR page and see below for some of what we’re watching as we move toward one of the most highly-anticipated days of the season.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Belleville 56, Wayne Memorial 54 The Zebras (15-2) made this much closer than Belleville’s 28-point win in their first meeting, but the Tigers (20-0) still prevailed to clinch the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East title.
2. Jackson Lumen Christi 48, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 36 The Titans (15-2) claimed the Catholic High School League Bishop Tournament championship, adding to their CHSL Central East title by downing the CHSL Central West champion Eaglets (15-3).
3. Detroit Renaissance 63, Detroit Mumford 37 The Phoenix (15-2) finished an undefeated run through the Detroit Public School League with a second win this winter over Mumford (8-8), this time in the PSL Tournament championship game.
4. Mio 50, Au Gres-Sims 46 These North Star League Little Dipper rivals played each other twice in four days, Au Gres-Sims (16-3) winning the first matchup 53-46 before Mio (14-4) took this one; both have just the one loss, to each other, in league play.
5. Brooklyn Columbia Central 59, Hanover-Horton 52 (OT) Columbia Central (15-2) earned a one-game edge atop the Cascades Conference West with these two set to meet again tonight and Hanover-Horton (15-3) playing to secure a share of the title.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Muskegon (15-2) The Big Reds have clinched the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green championship with two league games to play and after finishing third and 11-12 overall just a season ago. Muskegon certainly is a contender statewide in Division 1 as well with wins over Rockford (16-1) and Hudsonville (12-7) and losses to only Wayne Memorial (15-2) and Grand Haven (16-2) – the latter by just a point. Haslett (15-2) and Holt (14-3) are league champions and will provide two more solid prep games heading into the postseason.
Saginaw Heritage (15-5) The Hawks have won four straight to clinch the outright Saginaw Valley League North championship after finishing second in the one-division SVL a year ago. Heritage also has moved up to No. 3 in statewide Division 1 MPR with its success coming against opponents with a combined .688 winning percentage and the five losses to teams that all have at least 13 wins. The team’s final two regular-season games are against league champions – Flint Powers Catholic (18-2) and Yale (17-1).
DIVISION 2
Grand Rapids West Catholic (14-4) Last season’s Division 2 runner-up can’t catch Grand Rapids South Christian in the O-K Gold but still has plenty of chances to make noise this season and plenty of quality wins showing what’s possible – including victories over reigning champion Tecumseh (17-2), Saginaw Heritage (15-5), Parma Western and Wyoming (both 13-5). Two of West Catholic’s losses came to the undefeated Sailors, with the others to Muskegon (15-2) and Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (10-7). Thursday’s matchup with Grand Rapids Catholic Central (16-2) should be especially interesting heading into seeding.
Redford Westfield Prep (12-5) The Warriors defeated Hamtramck on Friday to win the Charter School Conference Tournament, and they have only one loss this season to an in-state school – Riverview (15-4), by a point – with the other four coming against opponents from Chicago. All but an earlier win over Hamtramck came by double digits, and Westfield went from defeating the Cosmos by two on Jan. 30 to 22 last week. Tonight’s matchup with Milford (14-4) highlights the final weeks of the regular season.
DIVISION 3
Hemlock (17-1) The Huskies are enjoying another dominating run in the Tri-Valley Conference Blue, carrying a 37-game league winning streak into this week as they seek to clinch a fourth-straight title Friday against second-place Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary. Hemlock has five wins over opponents with at least 12 victories this season, including by 20 points the first time it faced MLS (14-4) and more recently over Beaverton (16-2) on Feb. 9. The lone loss came to Division 2 Freeland (12-6). The Huskies will head into the postseason seeking a second-straight District title.
Kalamazoo Christian (13-3) The Comets clinched a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley title Friday with a 35-33 win over Schoolcraft and can make the championship outright against Lawton this Friday. The league crown is K-Christian’s fourth-straight, and the Comets will head into the postseason seeking at least a fourth-straight District title. The only losses came against Division 1 and 2 opponents that are a combined 42-12. They see second place Hackett Catholic Prep (15-3) one more time Feb. 24 and could see the rival Irish as well in the District.
DIVISION 4
Ewen-Trout Creek (16-2) Last season’s Division 4 runner-up has played like a contender again, with a six-point loss to Division 2 Negaunee (17-1) just like last winter and also one against L’Anse (15-2), but with wins over Baraga (16-3), Norway (14-4) and Wakefield-Marenisco (12-5) twice – and with W-M likely to be the second seed in E-TC’s District in two weeks. Division 2 Houghton (13-5) on Feb. 24 will be another nice test heading into the playoffs.
L’Anse (15-2) The win over Ewen-Trout Creek noted above appears likely to decide the overall Copper Mountain Conference championship in favor of the Purple Hornets and came after they lost to E-TC by 24 a year ago. L’Anse did finish 18-6 last season so this progression may be just the next step, and they’ve shown it even during this winter avenging an early 12-point loss to Baraga with a 16-point win Jan. 29. The other defeat came to Division 1 Marquette, by just three points, also in mid-December.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Friday – Grand Haven (16-2) at Rockford (16-1) – The Rams’ third game in four days this week could clinch them the outright title in the O-K Red, as they look to add to a 64-48 win over the second-place Buccaneers from Jan. 30.
Friday – Pewamo-Westphalia (14-2) at Bath (16-2) – The Pirates’ 37-game Central Michigan Athletic Conference winning streak will be on the line as they look to finish a repeat championship and after defeating Bath 64-41 on Jan. 15.
Friday – Morley Stanwood (15-2) at Kent City (15-4) – Morley Stanwood can clinch the Central State Activities Association White title outright, or Kent City can move into a first-place tie with one league game left for both.
Friday – Beaverton (16-2) at Standish-Sterling (17-1) – These two are set to meet in next week’s Jack Pine Conference championship game as well, but this matchup could provide a preview.
Saturday – Cascades Conference Championship at Spring Arbor – Grass Lake (16-1), Michigan Center (15-3), Brooklyn Columbia Central (15-2) and Hanover-Horton (15-3) all remain in the mix to reach this game.
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PHOTOS (Top) Belleville’s Sydney Savoury (21) pulls up for a shot during her team’s 56-54 win over Wayne Memorial. (Middle) Holt’s Olivia Gadson (11) follow’s a teammate’s screen during the Rams’ 51-42 win over Okemos on Feb. 10. (Belleville/Wayne photo by KMS Photography. Holt/Okemos photo by John Johnson.)