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ISHPEMING — Strong defense and some timely free-throw shooting down the stretch allowed Westwood to emerge with a 42-35 high school girls basketball victory over Marquette on Thursday at the Patriots’ gym.

“Our girls didn’t give up when Marquette started coming back,” Westwood head coach Annie Skewis said. “We had some other girls step up who don’t normally score as much when one of our top scorers wasn’t scoring as much.

“So, all in all, good game.”

Westwood’s Lexi Olson, left, tries to make a move around Marquette defender Aubree Blackburn in the first half of their high school girls basketball game played at the Patriots’ gym in Ishpeming on Thursday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

Both teams had something to prove. The Patriots were looking to bounce back from a tough loss to Ishpeming earlier in the week, while Marquette was coming off its highest-scoring game of the season in a dominant win over Bark River-Harris. Westwood is now 5-8, while MSHS slipped to 6-9.

Marquette head coach Ben Smith acknowledged his team’s struggles but credited Westwood for controlling key moments.

“We let them get a little too loose offensively in the first half,” he said. “But (Westwood) competed really well, and we knew they would, they made shots, and they deserved it tonight … but we’re not going to have one game define us.

“So hopefully we have a good couple days of practice to get us ready for couple big ones next week.”

Early on, the Patriots set the tone, using aggressive play to build a lead, but the Sentinels kept clawing back, making it a tight game until the final minutes.

Westwood struck first, with Addelyn Hallum finding an opening inside for the game’s first basket. Marquette had chances to answer but struggled at the free throw line, missing several early attempts.

After a back-and-forth stretch with little scoring, Westwood’s Lexi Olson converted a three-point play, giving the Patriots a 5-2 edge. A slow offensive pace continued for both teams, with free throws accounting for most of the scoring in the first quarter.

Eliisa Doney added a three-point play of her own late in the frame, and Olson knocked down a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Patriots a 14-5 lead.

Marquette responded in the second quarter, chipping away at the deficit with strong defense and key baskets from Addison Kramer and Aubree Blackburn. Kramer’s layup was the culmination of a 10-0 run that gave the Sentinels their first lead, 15-14, but Olson answered with a 3-pointer and a layup to help Westwood take a 19-15 advantage into halftime.

Coming out of the break, the Sentinels struck quickly, with Kramer draining a 3 to pull within one. Westwood countered with a crucial defensive play from Hallum, who stripped the ball and scored in transition. The teams traded baskets throughout the third, but the Patriots managed to start pulling away, ending the frame with a 32-24 lead.

Marquette had some chances early in the fourth but struggled to capitalize. Free throws by Doney allowed Westwood to build its lead into double digits, and despite a late push from Kramer, the Sentinels couldn’t close the gap. Westwood sealed the victory at the free-throw line.

Skewis said her team still has areas to improve but was happy with the result.

“Our turnovers are still quite high, so we’re trying to get those down, but this was a good win,” she said. “We just need to keep working hard, keep giving 110% during games and at practices.”

The Patriots will look to build on their newfound momentum in the middle of their current seven-game homestand, hosting Baraga at 7 p.m. today, Iron Mountain at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Manistique at 7 p.m., Friday.

The Sentinels try to regroup as they prepare for key matchups at home against Houghton at 6 p.m. Tuesday and at Kingsford at 7:30 p.m. EST Friday. The Tuesday game will be the early half of a girls-boys varsity doubleheader with the Sentinels boys facing Gladstone in their game.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.