Negaunee’s Ella Mason, left, loses her footing as she tries to compete with Ishpeming’s Mya Hemmer for a loose ball in the fourth quarter of their high school girls basketball game played at Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium in Negaunee on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)
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By STEVE BROWNLEE
Journal Sports Editor
MARQUETTE — Considering where area teams stood last week, it’s probably not bad news that not one of them moved one iota in this week’s high school basketball polls conducted by the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
The half-dozen ranked area schools located in Marquette, Alger and Baraga counties held their ground with boys teams completing their regular seasons this week and girls squads finishing up next week.
After that will be MHSAA district tournaments for all, or at least just about all, since a handful of the smallest schools — many in the Northern Lights League — choose to forgo the state tourney.
But back to the rankings. Three No. 1 teams from the area are still at the top, with the two that were unanimous remaining that way, and the third solidifying its hold on the top spot.
The Negaunee girls won their only game last week to improve to 18-1 and continue being the consensus No. 1 team in Divisions 1-3. The Miners downed Gwinn 73-25 a week ago.
Ishpeming’s girls are in the same position, though they won twice to improve to 17-1 and remain a unanimous No. 1 in Division 4. The Hematites dispatched Division 4 Baraga 70-43 and former Divisions 1-3 No. 5 Escanaba 61-46.
Though Associated Press polls weren’t available on Tuesday, it seems likely neither of those highly ranked teams would slip at all — Ishpeming was No. 1 in Division 4 and Negaunee No. 6 in Division 2.
The third No. 1 team is the Division 4 Munising boys, who got in two of three scheduled games to improve to 16-4, winning both of them. The Mustangs dropped Manistique 51-39 and Rapid River 86-44 while having Thursday’s makeup game against Brimley postponed again.
Last week, though Munising was a solid No. 1, the Mustangs only received two of five first-place votes. This week, they’re getting four of five first-places with St. Ignace (14-6) getting the other one.
Three more area teams are also in the rankings.
The Baraga girls remain No. 2 in Division 4 despite losing by 27 points to Ishpeming, since the Vikings also chalked up a 66-27 win over Dollar Bay to improve to 15-4. Not included is Baraga’s big 79-13 win over Chassell on Monday that will be reflected in next week’s rankings.
The Munising girls in Division 4, who were on the “others receiving votes” list, also split a pair of games last week, adding in another win on Monday night. These Mustangs, listed at 14-3, lost a close 50-47 decision to Marquette before blitzing Superior Central 66-6. Munising also downed Brimley 55-40 on Monday.
The final area team that continues to rate is the Marquette boys in Divisions 1-3, still at No. 2 with a single first-place vote after winning three times last week to improve to 18-3.
Playing all three games at home, the Sentinels outscored Houghton 90-66, turned away Negaunee 63-50 and blew past MInocqua Lakeland, Wisconsin, 81-66, on Saturday.
MSHS still trails 19-1 Iron Mountain, which held onto the top spot even after suffering its only loss of the season two weeks ago in overtime to Menominee.
The biggest mash-ups in the U.P. polls came with the Division 4 boys even as Munising held onto the top spot.
Previous No. 2 Forest Park (16-3) fell to fourth after splitting a pair of games last week, its loss to previous No. 5 Norway 62-57.
St. Ignace rose from third to second after a pair of wins, including a 54-45 win at previous No. 4 Pickford.
And Norway (15-5) bumped up from fifth to third with that win over the Trojans along with another victory.
Pickford fell into the “others receiving votes” list, being replaced by Lake Linden-Hubbell (16-3) at No. 5 after the Lakes dropped Stephenson 58-50.
Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 552. His email address is [email protected].