Gladstone junior Lillie Johnson (21) high fives junior Addy Blowers during a MHSAA Division 2 district semifinal game on March 6, 2025 at Gladstone High School. With a 19-point effort, Johnson became the program's all-time leading scorer on this night.

GLADSTONE — Gladstone junior Lillie Johnson boasted a decorated resume before she played a single second of the 2024-25 season.

This year alone she scored her 1,000th points in a 51-47 season opening win over Ishpeming. She also became the program’s all-time rebounder.

She cemented herself as one of, if not, the greatest player to wear a Gladstone jersey, becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer in a 52-36 district semifinal win over Houghton on Thursday.

“It’s a great feeling,” Johnson said. “Especially to do it on home court with all the fans.”

Johnson passed Jammie Botruff, who scored 1,465 points in her career which ended in 2012. Only Reece Castor has scored more points between both the boys and girls programs with 1,802.

“It’s pretty cool,” Braves coach Andy Cretens said of Johnson’s latest accolade. “It’s one thing to beat a record like that, a big record that’s been around for a long time. It’s such a high mark. But for her to do it as a junior is pretty special.”

Johnson entered Thursday’s game at 1,464 points. All she needed was one basket to break the record.

And with 5:09 left in the first quarter she gathered a rebound off a miss from Houghton senior Eva gerard. From there, Johnson motored down the floor like the mood on a first date went bad — straight downhill.

Johnson went coast-to-coast, blazing past four Houghton defenders for a right-handed layup, a play which has become all but routine for the back-to-back Great Northern Conference Player of the Year.

Not only was the basket the first two points of her game-best 19 points, but it played a small role in what led to that moment. Johnson’s historic layup gave the Braves an 11-0 advantage as part of a 13-0 run which featured a triple from sophomore Eva Pankonien, a layup from senior Mayce Hanson and four points from senior Alexa Wetthuhn, who finished the night with nine points.

“We knew we had to come out with energy,” Johnson said. “If we didn’t we knew we would have some trouble. We played great as a team to start.”

The Gremlins clawed back to within nine points twice in the first quarter, trailing 15-6 late in the frame. But the Braves went on a 9-2 run for a 24-8 lead in the second quarter before taking a 27-15 lead into halftime.

“Obviously Lillie led the way today like normal,” Cretens said. “But we’re a more well-rounded team at this point.”

With the win the Braves advance to their second district championship game in the last three seasons. Ironically enough, the number three applies to Friday’s championship game — a third matchup with Negaunee.

“We wanted another chance at Negaunee,” Cretens said. “We think we can play with them. We’re just excited that we have another chance at them.”

The Miners finished the regular season undefeated with a 45-28 win over the Braves in Gladstone on Jan. 28 and knocked off the Braves 58-44 in Negaunee on Feb. 27.

But the third meeting brings a different type of intrigue. Thanks to the winter storm that impacted a majority of the Upper Peninsula with a ludicrous amount of snow, cold temperatures and wind, the Miners’ semifinal matchup also got pushed back a day. Negaunee earned a 53-33 win over Escanaba in Escanaba on Thursday.

Friday’s championship game in Negaunee will see both teams play at less than 100% energy. Both will be tasked with finding any hidden energy sources in what will be the most emotionally intense game of the season so far.

“They’re young kids, and it’s going to be hard to play on back-to-back nights with a lot of emotion and energy,” Cretens said. “It’s going to be a unique situation. But at least both teams are in that same situation.”

Johnson shares Cretens’ enthusiasm.

“We wanted to win this game (against Houghton) so we can go to Negaunee again,” Johnson said. “They beat us twice. We’re the underdog going in. We have nothing to lose.”

The Miners and Braves tip-off at 6 p.m. Friday in Negaunee’s Lakeview Memorial Gym.

Box score

Gladstone 18 9 16 9 — 52

Houghton 8 7 11 10 — 36

Gladstone — Blowers 3, Hanson 12, Pankonien 7, Ostlund 2, Johnson 19, Wetthuhn 9; FT: 8-13; Fouls: 12; 3-point baskets: Hanson 2, Blowers 1, Pankonien 1

Houghton — Hainault 6, Rautiola 6, Zawada 6, Greard 11, Filpus 7; FT: 15-20; Fouls: 11; 3-point baskets: Hainault 1, Rautiola 1, Zawada 1