Gladstone sophomore Eva Pankonien (10) fires a 3-point shot during a game against Ishpeming on Feb. 4, 2025 at Ishpeming High School. (“The Big Dog” Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

ISHPEMING — Tuesday night was all about Ishpeming junior Jenessa Eagle.

Six days prior she earned her 1,000th career point in a 54-30 road win over Gwinn.

In her first game on her home floor she was honored before the game on the milestone. In return Eagle put on a show with a 31-point performance.

But No. 2 Gladstone played spoiler in the evening, earning a 53-46 win over the Hematites.

“You don’t see a lot of players like that, especially what they’ve done through three years,” Hematites coach Ryan Reichel said. “Tonight, Jenessa showcased why she is a 1,000 point scorer as a junior. She demands excellence out of herself.”

Eagle caught fire in the third quarter. With the Braves (13-1) holding a 27-20 lead entering halftime, the Hematites junior erupted for 14 points in the third frame, including a 3-pointer to close the quarter to put the Hematites within striking distance at 38-36 entering the fourth quarter. Eagle hit a jumper less than 30 seconds into the frame to tie the game at 38.

But it’s as close as Ishpeming (10-4) got to taking a lead down the stretch.

Despite having senior point guard Mayce Hanson fouling out with 3:20 to go with a 47-43 lead, the Braves got contributions from normal and new faces down the stretch. Junior Lillie Johnson, to the surprise of no one, put up four of the Braves final six points, including a pair of free throws which iced the game and sent Hematites center Mya Hemmer to the bench after committing her fifth foul. Sophomore Adele Ostlund added a putback on the game-sealing run without their facilitator.

“They played with confidence,” Braves coach Andy Cretens said. “At this point in the season we’ve played enough basketball and in their lifetime to know it’s just a game, just play. When we play we’re fine. We just have to get out of our heads.”

Tuesday’s win also saw Gladstone sophomore Eva Pankonien take another big step in her progression. After knocking down the game-winning shot against No. 5 Calumet on Friday, the guard came up big in the tail end of the first half.

With the game tied at 17 all Pankonien netted eight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers and a layup off a Johnson block, to anchor a 10-0 run which gave the Braves a 27-17 lead with 1:34 to play until intermission.

Pankonien finished with 16 points on the night, the third most of any player behind Eagle’s 31 and Johnson’s 19. Eagle and Johnson were both All U.P. Dream Team selections last season.

“She has as much talent as anybody, but it’s mental for her. Confidence is key,” Cretens said of Pankonien. “When she’s confident she’s really good. If she didn’t get off to the start that she did we probably would lose the game. She was huge.”

The Braves were also faced with attempting to contain Hemmer, who stands at a staggering 6-foot 2 with the ability to swat balls away like no other in the U.P., a big reason why she has dozens of Division 1 college volleyball offers.

Gladstone, who primarily tasked Ostlund and senior Alexa Wetthuhn defensively, bottled her to six points while using all five fouls.

“They did a great job,” Cretens said of the defensive efforts from Ostlund and Wetthuhn. “Early on we did a good job with help side, and I think it made Mya second guess looking to score right away. Every time she caught (the ball) after that she looked to facilitate because she thought help side was coming again. It was key to focus on her early and do things right early. It dictated the rest of the game.”

Takeaways

Ishpeming: The reigning Division 4 state champions still wreak havoc with their play on the defensive end of the floor, but lack a true second option on the offensive end. Eagle’s 31 points were matched with Hemmer’s six points, four points from Laynie Korpi, three points from Izzy Perry and two from Ava Jo hares.

But Reichel sees some sense of improvement.

“We can actually execute a play,” Reichel said. “We haven’t been able to lately. We have to run more sets than we did last year because we don’t have the same team. Getting the girls to buy into those is huge. Tonight we did a good job getting the ball to the right spot and the right hands at the right moments.”

Gladstone: After suffering their first defeat at the hand of No. 1 Negaunee, the last two games have proved pivotal for the Braves. Gladstone rallied to beat No. 5 Calumet and earned a regular season sweep over the Hematites with both wins coming on the road.

“They’re a good team,” Cretens said of the Hematites. “They can give anybody a run, especially when Eagle gets hot like she was today. It’s a good feeling to get these two wins in a row against these teams.”

Next games

Ishpeming: Trips to play No. 1 Negaunee at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Gladstone: Hosts Menominee at 7:15 p.m. Friday for Pink Night. All proceeds from t-shirt and pink ribbon sales, basket raffles, miracle minute, 50/50, admissions and a portion of Friday’s concession sales will go to the family of Harlow Jane, a 4-year-old girl who recently had a brain tumor removed.

Box score

Gladstone 11 16 11 15 — 53

Ishpeming 11 9 16 10 — 46

Gladstone –Blowers 4, Hanson 6, Pankonien 16, Ostlund 6, Reynolds 2, Johnson 19; FT: 9-13; Fouls: 16; Fouled out: Hanson; 3-point baskets: Pankonien 3, Johnson 1

Ishpeming — Eagle 31, Korpi 4, Hares 2, Hemmer 6, Perry 3; FT: 11-20; Fouls: 14; Fouled out: Piotrowski, Hemmer; 3-point baskets: Eagle 2, Perry 1