Gladstone senior Mayce Hanson (5) attempts to get a layup past Marquette senior Brianna Anderson (14) during a Great Northern Conference girls' basketball game on Dec. 17, 2024 at Gladstone High School. ("The Big Dog" Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

GLADSTONE — When Gladstone and Marquette collided for the first time last season it came with no shortage of drama.

The Braves won 44-42 off a buzzer beater. So what did the first meeting between the Braves and Sentinels have in store this season?

This matchup saw Gladstone earn the win once again, but learn something valuable about itself while improving to 2-0 in Great Northern Conference action. The 50-35 win came with discovering that the Braves are able to play as a cohesive, effective unit on both ends of the floor with reigning First Team All-State selection Lillie Johnson able to rest on the bench.

“Our girls did an outstanding job, and we proved that we can play without Lillie on the floor,” Braves coach Andy Cretens said. “It showed that other girls have put in the time and have the confidence now to do things without her. That makes us really hard to guard when you know that we have other players like yourself who can step up.”

Johnson, a junior who eclipsed the 1,000 point plateau in the first game of the season, had her usual night. It was a game-best 25 points while making some plays which are difficult to the average joe look flawless.

But the remaining seven players on the roster continue to flourish before our eyes. While Johnson was the only player to finish with 10 or more points for the Braves (5-0, 2-0 GNC), key players had their spurts.

But no spot provided more of an emphasis than the third quarter.

Marquette’s 1-2-2 zone began to creep up to half court while attempting to trap any and every ball handler in the corners. While Gladstone did take time to adjust, it still produced points, matching all of the Sentinels’ 13 points in the third quarter thanks to a triple and a jumper from sophomore Eva Pankonien, two press breaking layups from sophomore Adele Ostlund, a steal turned into a transition layup from junior Addy Blowers and freshman Tiahna Reynolds, emerging as a pesty defender for opposing teams, split a pair of free throws. 

Oh, and Johnson split a pair of free throws in the frame which saw the Braves and Sentinels (1-5, 0-1) each score 13 points. 

“That’s what’s really cool about this team,” Cretens said. “You can’t sleep on anybody.”

All of this came off the heels where the Braves defense bottled Marquette to a single basket in the second quarter. It was senior Brianna Anderson dropping a dime of a pass to senior Aubree Blackburn with 33 seconds left in the second quarter.

The layup snapped a 15-0 Braves run which saw Johnson score 12 of her 25 points.

It’s a skid which Marquette coach Ben Smith said needs to change if the Sentinels want to accomplish what they desire this season.

“We do some things pretty well, but we don’t do them well long enough,” he said. “If we want to get to where we want to get to, we have to make sure that we have our ups beat a little bit higher and last longer, and have our dips not last the whole second quarter. They can last a couple possessions here or there. Then we have to stem the tide with someone stepping up and make a play so we can get things moving on the right path again.”

Takeaways

Marquette: While the Sentinels have yet to score 50 points in a game this season, their defense shined once again. Gladstone’s 50 points are the lowest it’s been contained to so far this season. The Sentinels are allowing 43 points per game through six games this season and now have allowed exactly 50 points for the second time during their season opening six-game road trip.

Gladstone: Players are beginning to emerge on both ends of the floor, but trying to figure out who is going to be the big contributor on any given night is hard to predict. Against Kingsford it was 16 points from Blowers. Against Iron Mountain it was senior Mayce Hanson. On Tuesday it was nine points from Ostluld and eight points from Pankonien. It’s a wild card scenario opposing teams must take seriously. 

Next games

Marquette: Hosts Gwinn at 7 p.m. Friday for its home opener.

Gladstone: Hosts Houghton at 7:15 p.m. Thursday. 

Box Score

Gladstone 9 14 13 14 — 50

Marquette 9 2 13 9 — 33

Gladstone — Blowers 4, Hanson 1, Pankonien 8, Ostlund 9, Reynolds 1, Johnson 25, Wetthuhn 2; FT: 11-19; Fouls: 19; 3-point baskets: Pankonien 2, Ostlund 1, Johnson 1

Marquette — Curran 13, Anderson 8, Maskart 1, Blackburn 6, Taylor 5; FT: 10-17; Fouls: 17; 3-point baskets: Curran 1, Anderson 1, Taylor 1