By Journal Sports Staff

ISHPEMING — While still the semiannual pitched battle on the hardwood, this year’s first Negaunee-Ishpeming girls basketball game didn’t quite have the gravity that last year’s contests provided.

The Miners opened this year’s edition of games with a 55-30 runaway victory in Ishpeming on Friday night.

When these teams clashed a year ago — and split their games, each winning on the other’s floor — neither team lost to anyone else all season, at least until the Miners were dethroned in the MHSAA Division 2 semifinals to end their season.

And the Hematites could say they just didn’t lose, finishing off their Division 4 state championship run with a splendid 28-1 record.

On Friday, though, it was all Negaunee, as the Miners raced to a 19-4 lead after one quarter and held their own in the second period to take a 32-17 halftime advantage.

NHS put together one more big quarter in the third to bump its edge to 49-24 before each team scored just a half-dozen points in the fourth.

“We started well tonight,” Negaunee head coach Mike O’Donnell said in an email detailing the result. “Ishpeming came out in a zone (defense) and we were able to pick it apart for great shots.

“Gretel (Johnson) had the hot hand from the perimeter and nailed some big shots early; those were key for our confidence.

“I thought we moved the ball well. We’ve seen enough zone this year and you can tell we’re getting very comfortable against them.

“We also played some pretty good defense. Aubrey (Johnson) did a heck of a job on (Ishpeming’s Jenessa) Eagle, who is one of the top guards in the (Upper Peninsula).”

Gretel Johnson finished with a game-high 19 points, sinking three first-quarter 3-pointers along with 4 of 5 free throws. Aubrey Johnson and teammate Keira Waterman each scored eight points.

Mya Hemmer led the Hematites with 11 points as she made at least one basket every quarter, while Eagle added eight points with a triple.

After playing at Gwinn on Tuesday night, the Miners host Westwood at 6 p.m. Friday in the early half of a girls-boys doubleheader.

Ishpeming was also scheduled to play Tuesday at West Iron County, then comes back with a home game against Manistique at 7:15 p.m. Friday.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.