Negaunee, MI – March 3, 2020 – The Negaunee Miners Boys Basketball team returned to action on Tuesday night when it hosted the Calumet Copper Kings, and the Miners dominated the whole way through for a 61-25 win. Negaunee is now 17-2 on the season after the lopsided victory. Jesse Anderson had the call from Negaunee on Sunny 101.9.
1st Half:
Negaunee started the game as well as it could’ve hoped, the nets were being scorched at Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium by the Miners. Jakson Sager, Jason Waterman and Drew Lindberg couldn’t be stopped by Calumet, and they weren’t missing either. All three scored a basket to begin the game, and Negaunee held an 8-0 lead. After the Copper Kings started the game on a scoring slump, Brevin Antilla got Calumet on the board. The Miners weren’t slowing down on offense, and went on a 10-0 run led by Sager and Drew DuShane to go up by 18 points. Calumet was trying to muster any points it could, and a layup from Will Twardzik cut the deficit to 20-4. Both teams traded baskets in the final minute of the quarter after a Antilla buzzer beater for Calumet. Negaunee led 22-6, and its offense was clicking.
End of 1st: Negaunee Miners 22, Calumet Copper Kings 6
Negaunee’s Nate Brundage kicked off the scoring in the second quarter with a 3-pointer, and the Miners led 25-6. Waterman made another 3-pointer on the next possession to put Negaunee up by 22, he had 15 first half points. Both squads were going back-and-forth for a few minutes, and a Chas Kumpala bucket put Negaunee up 35-10 with four minutes left in the half. The Copper Kings started generating more offense, as Eli McParlan started to get it going, but the deficit remained large. At the break, Negaunee led Calumet 42-15.
Halftime: Negaunee Miners 42, Calumet Copper Kings 15
2nd Half:
The Miners cooled down in the third quarter with only 10 points, but its damage had been done in the first half. Negaunee didn’t have its best quarter, but its defense carried, only holding the Copper Kings to six points in the third. The quarter was a struggle offensively for both teams, but Negaunee extending its lead to 31 points.
End of 3rd: Negaunee Miners 52, Calumet Copper Kings 21
Negaunee’s substitutes entered the game, but the Miners held strong. Erik Salminen got on the board with a free throw, and the Miners extended the lead to 60-23 after baskets from Brundage and Will Luke. Negaunee build an early lead with its offense, and its defense in the second half made sure that it stood. The Miners’ stingy defense held Calumet to only four second half points, and Negaunee rolled to a 61-25 victory.
Final Score: Negaunee Miners 61, Calumet Copper Kings 25
NEXT GAME: It’s a short break for the Negaunee Miners Boys Basketball team, as it has one day off before traveling to Iron Mountain on Thursday, March 5 to battle the Mountaineers! Jesse Anderson will have the call from Iron Mountain on Sunny 101.9, and coverage will begin with the Elder Agency Pregame Show at 7 p.m. Tip-off for this huge Upper Peninsula battle is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Go Miners!
