Lockdown Defense Setting Tone Again as Negaunee Moves Into Regional Round
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
March 9, 2026
NEGAUNEE — Playing tight man-to-man defense has been a Negaunee basketball tradition for many years.
The Negaunee girls did just that Friday night, and it resulted in a 47-30 triumph over Gladstone in a Division 2 District Final.
The victory enabled the Miners to improve to 23-1 and advance to the Regional Semifinal at Manistique, where they’ll face Petoskey (20-3) tonight at 7.
Negaunee is giving up only 30.9 points per game this season. The Miners have held opponents to 27 or fewer points 10 times and allowed more than 39 in only five games.
“I think that allows us to speed up our offense,” Miners’ junior Greta Johnson said of the team’s defensive dominance. “I think it also tends to keep other teams off balance.”
Friday’s victory served as redemption for the Miners, who dropped a 50-47 decision to Gladstone in last year’s District Final.
“You never forget something like that,” sophomore Paige O’Donnell said. “This definitely feels better than last year. We decided we were going to do it for each other.”
The Miners were 22-0 before dropping the District Final last season. This year their only loss was a 51-39 decision at Ishpeming on Feb. 6.
“I think the loss at Ishpeming was good for us," Johnson said. "We realized we had to focus on getting better in every game. You always have to be ready to play.”
This season, Negaunee won the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference and shared the Mid-Peninsula Conference title with Ishpeming.
“Having been able to win the West PAC and share the M-PC title was huge,” coach Mike O’Donnell said. “We try to keep them focused by splitting the season in tiers. Our first tier includes the early-season games, then we have the mid-season and late-season. We had two big battles with Ishpeming, which I think prepared us.
“This is a quick turn-around. There’s a lot to digest in two days. It’s always challenging to play a team which you don’t know like the back of your hand. We’ve got to be focused and ready to go.”
The winner tonight advances to the championship game at Gaylord, where it will face Clare (18-6) or Big Rapids (19-4) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Negaunee is only two seasons removed from reaching the Division 2 Semifinals.
Johnson led the Miners with 17 points and five assists in the District Final. Paige O’Donnell added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Keira Waterman chipped in eight points and seven boards, and classmate Sadie Rogers had four steals.
Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit Lillie Johnson scored 11 points for Gladstone but missed part of the third and fourth quarters with an ankle injury.
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top) Ishpeming Westwood's Eliisa Doney collides with Negaunee's Keira Waterman as she drives toward the basket during their game Jan. 16, with Clare O'Donnell (44) also defending. (Middle) Negaunee's head coach Mike O'Donnell talks to his team during a timeout Dec. 19. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)
Class B: Goodrich to Greatness
March 17, 2012
EAST LANSING – Flint Powers Catholic stood in the way for a long time. Then Detroit Country Day. Last season, Dearborn Divine Child stopped Goodrich one game short of its first championship chance.
So although the Martians talked early this season about remaining hungry despite their recent success, it’s hard to believe losing that drive was ever a possibility.
Goodrich was on the edge of elite then. But Saturday’s 60-53 win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central gave the Martians both their first MHSAA title and a final boost into that group of teams considered the state's best regardless of class.
It didn’t come easy. But it seemed nearly inevitable after the team advanced to the Quarterfinals in 2010 and the Semifinals a season ago.
“When we went into that huddle, Coach was speaking and we’re like, just hold your heads high. We’re fighting. We want this,” Goodrich senior Frankie Joubran said. “Because what it comes down to is who wants it more. I guess it showed."
Saturday’s Final was Goodrich’s first. The Martians, ranked No. 1 in Class B heading into the tournament, finished 28-0.
But just because Goodrich knocked off the reigning champion in the Semifinal, beating Grand Rapids Catholic (24-4) was anything but a formality.
Cougars seniors Shellis Hampton and Tiesha Stokes were in their third championship game in four seasons, and going for the 100th win of their four-year varsity careers. Stokes had 19 points and 11 rebounds Saturday and Hampton had 12 points and six assists.
After trailing by two at halftime, the Cougars led 40-39 with a quarter to play.
“We had a lot of things that didn’t go our way,” Goodrich coach Jason Gray said. “But eventually, we had that last run in us.”
Grand Rapids Catholic increased its lead to five with 5:32 to play. But the Martians finished on a 9-2 run thanks to scoring from four players over the final 2:07.
“We were pretty even on a lot of things, but a couple of possessions we missed some rebounds, and I think that killed us,” Grand Rapids Catholic coach Colleen Lamoreaux-Tate said. “It’s so back and forth, back and forth, and we needed to get some rebounds. It’s a one possession game all the time.”
Joubran led Goodrich with 16 points and junior guard Aketra Sevillian added 13.
Seven seniors will graduate from a team that finished 51-1 over the last two seasons. And the Martians also had a deeper inspiration to finish on top this season.
Longtime administrator Al Martus remains a legend in Goodrich and was close to both Gray and some of the team’s leaders. He began battling pancreatic cancer a year ago and died over the summer.
Photos of Goodrich’s state champions hang in the hallway outside the gym. So does a large picture of Martus. And next to that is a blank spot soon to be occupied by the team he provided with so much.
“It was weird, but we didn’t talk about it a lot as a team. But it was always there,” Gray said. “I don’t know if we kept quiet because we didn’t want to end up in the same situation or feel bad again.
“He was a great man, a great boss to me, and great mentor to the girls. And I know he’d be very proud of the effort they put forth this year.”
Click for the box score. Watch the game and both teams' postgame press conferences at MHSAA.tv.
PHOTOS: (Top) Goodrich celebrates its first MHSAA championship. (Photo courtesy of Terry McNamara Photography.)