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NEGAUNEE — The Upper Peninsula’s No. 1 high school girls basketball team found itself in a battle on Tuesday night, facing a relentless Calumet squad that refused to back down in their game played at Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium in Negaunee.

But with clutch shooting and strong defense down the stretch, Negaunee kept its undefeated season intact with a 37-31 victory over visiting — and also U.P. ranked — Calumet.

The Miners entered the night with a 15-0 record and season-long unanimous top ranking in the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association weekly poll in Divisions 1-3.

Negaunee’s Gretel Johnson, left, works her way inside the 3-point arc for a closer look at the basket in the first quarter during a high school girls basketball game played against Calumet at Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium in Negaunee on Tuesday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

They were fresh off a 45-28 win over Gladstone, while Calumet was 9-4 with the D 1-3 No. 5 ranking and looking to bounce back from a tough 48-46 loss, also to Gladstone.

Negaunee dominated their first meeting against the Copper Kings in Calumet back in mid-December, winning 56-35, but this time, the Kings made the Marquette County team earn every basket.

“This was a rock fight for four quarters,” Miners head coach Mike O’Donnell said in an email about the game. “Calumet definitely made us earn this one as nothing came easy.

“We luckily made some big buckets in the fourth (quarter) and forced a few timely turnovers to help us get the win. Aubrey (Johnson) was key for us, she played hard on both ends and disrupted Calumet’s guards.”

Despite the defeat, Copper Kings head coach Charlie Kemppainen saw positives in his team’s performance.

“I thought we played pretty well. We played hard,” he said. “We turned the ball over a little bit, but that’s a credit to them. They forced us into mistakes and capitalized.

“They’re just so well coached and they were able to make adjustments and knock down a couple shots that made the difference.”

The visitors came out aggressive, as Kiirsi Johnson opened the scoring with a quick bucket. Negaunee’s Keira Waterman answered at the free-throw line before Gretel Johnson converted a tough layup to put the Miners ahead.

A strong defensive stretch led to transition points for Negaunee, and Johnson’s 3-pointer gave the Miners an early 9-2 lead.

But Calumet responded. Jackie Kiilunen made a pair of key steals that resulted in fast-break layups, cutting the deficit to 13-8 by the end of the first quarter.

The Copper Kings continued to chip away to start the second, with Kiilunen and Bailey Strom finding success inside, while teammate Allison Bjorn drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game 15-15 midway through the period.

Calumet briefly took a 17-15 lead, but Aubrey Johnson hit a crucial layup in transition to even things back up. With just seconds remaining in the first half, Johnson split a pair of free throws to give the Miners a narrow 18-17 edge heading into the break.

Negaunee came out of halftime determined to create separation. Johnson continued to wreak havoc defensively, picking up back-to-back steals that led to easy layups and a 24-17 Miners advantage.

Calumet refused to go away, though, as Strom buried a much-needed 3 from the corner to cut it to 25-20. The Copper Kings went on a run, sparked by Jess Anderson and Kiilunen, eventually tying the game 25-25. But just before the buzzer, Aubrey Johnson drove inside for a layup, giving Negaunee a slim 27-25 lead headed into the fourth.

The final quarter turned into a defensive battle, with neither team scoring for several minutes.

Then, with the game on the line, Aubrey

Johnson came through in the clutch. The senior guard hit back-to-back triples to push Negaunee ahead 33-29 with under two minutes to play. The Miners’ defense continued to shine, forcing missed shots and crucial turnovers by the Copper Kings.

With just under a minute remaining, Negaunee’s Madison Pekrul converted a free throw to extend the lead to six points. Calumet had one final chance, but a missed pair of free throws and a strong defensive stance by the Miners sealed the victory.

The Miners look to keep their perfect season intact as they prepare to face off against Ishpeming at home at 7:30 p.m. Friday. It will be the second half of a boys-girls varsity doubleheader at Lakeview against the Hematites.

Calumet will look to regroup as the Kings take to the road at Escanaba at 7 p.m. Friday.

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