Negaunee head coach Mike O’Donnell, left, and assistant coach Todd Brancheau watch the Miners play Marquette during their high school girls basketball game held at the Barb Crill Gymnasium in Marquette on Feb. 14. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — Teams that make the deepest run into the MHSAA state tournament usually get rewarded with top awards when the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association meets for its annual All-U.P. basketball awards.

The group — or at least the three-quarters of them who could make it through the aftermath of a weekend storm — gathered at an almost-otherwise closed Northern Michigan University in Marquette on Monday afternoon to hash out these awards.

That was true last year when Ishpeming won the MHSAA Division 4 state girls title and Negaunee reached the Division 2 semifinals.

And it was much the same story this year as state D-4 finalist Ewen-Trout Creek and D-2 quarterfinalist Gladstone won multiple major awards, with D-3 semifinalist Calumet also getting an award.

Gladstone was named the Divisions 1-2 Team of the Year in a unanimous vote over Negaunee after the Braves won their district championship over the Miners even after Negaunee had won both their regular-season meetings.

It didn’t hurt Gladstone’s case that the Braves then won two more games in the tourney before bowing out one step before a trip to Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.

Calumet won on acclimation — meaning no other team was put up against the Copper Kings — for the Division 3 team honor, and the same acclimation earned E-TC the Division 4 laurel.

The Panthers’ Jacky Besonen also ran unopposed for D-4 Coach of the Year, therefore winning that, but there was a three-way vote for Divisions 1-3 Coach of the Year.

Gladstone’s Andy Cretens carted off that award fairly solidly, gathering 12 votes as Calumet’s Charlie Kemppainen had five and Negaunee’s Mike O’Donnell one.

For the record, E-TC made it to the D-4 state championship game at MSU in East Lansing before bowing out to Fowler 59-23 on March 22.

Calumet got as far as the D-3 semifinals, also at the Breslin, before being knocked out by Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 43-38 on March 20.

And Gladstone made it to the D-2 quarterfinals before losing to Frankenmuth 56-36 on March 18 in Cheboygan.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 552. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.