Gladstone Girls Rally For Tough Win At Stephenson

STEPHENSON---The Gladstone Braves junior varsity girls basketball team rolled to a 40-4 lead and beat the Stephenson Eagles JV's, 64-19, Tuesday in Stephenson.

But if anyone thought that the varsity game would be more of the same, they were in for a rude awakening. The Eagles had the lead for most of the game before the Braves used tough defense and clutch shooting to rally for a 66-58 victory in Stephenson.

"I thought that there were times in the game when our speed and quickness kind of got to them a little bit," Braves Coach Karl Dollhopf said. "There were spurts. Basketball is a game of spurts. There were times where I thought that our depth maybe bothered them."

But it was a struggle all night for the Braves, who entered the game ranked No. 4 in the Upper Peninsula in the first Class A-B-C Sportswriters and Sportscasters U.P. poll.

"Hats off to Stephenson," Dollhopf said. "We haven't played a more competitive group. They're big. They're strong. They rebound the heck out of it. They have a heck of a program going there. And those girls are young."

"They're a very athletic team," Gladstone senior Alexis St. Cyr said of the Eagles. "They're really good. We came out with some bus legs there (falling behind 12-1), but we kicked it into gear and we grinded it out."

Tori Wangerin scores for Stephenson

Gladstone came out ice cold at the start, making no baskets for the first seven minutes of the game. The Braves fell behind, 12-1, as Eagles center Tori Wangerin dominated inside the paint, scoring eight of her team's first twelve points. Dollhopf had to make changes.

"When have we had to put a double team, that hard, on somebody a full game?" Dollhopf asked. "That just goes to show you how much respect we have for her as a player. We could not stop Wangerin in the first quarter. We had to do something different."

That meant that other girls were open, and the Johnson sisters took advantage.

While Wangerin was held to just three points in the second half, Karley Johnson scored 17 points and Kelsey Johnson added 14. Wangerin ended up with 13 points.

Gladstone was able to rebound from its 12-1 hole to tie the game at the half, 24-24.

And the game would be a see-saw affair throughout the second half as the Braves ramped up their defensive effort.

St. Cyr gave the Braves their first lead at 31-30 with a three-pointer with 3:35 left in the third quarter. But Karley Johnson scored nine points in the quarter and Ashley Nerat came off the Eagle bench for three clutch baskets.

Stephenson led, 45-40, entering the fourth quarter.

Kelsey Johnson scores for Stephenson

But the Braves battled back, and got the benefit of two foul calls that had the Stephenson fans howling like it was the fourth quarter of a Detroit Lions-Dallas Cowboys football playoff game.

The Eagles led, 51-46, and had the ball. Wangerin went inside and was called for an offensive foul. The Braves came up-court and St. Cyr drained a three-pointer to bring her team to within 51-49 with 4:17 left in the fourth quarter.

Nerat sank a long two-pointer to give the Eagles a 53-49 lead, but sophomore Leigha Woellfer responded with a three-point shot to being Gladstone to within 53-52.

On the next play, Woellfer got a steal and sent the pass to senior Anna Caramella. Known more for defense than offense, Caramella went to the baseline, drew a foul, and scored. That basket, and the ensuing free throw, gave Gladstone a 55-53 lead with 3:29 left in the game.

There was more defense to come on the next play as Ashley Edwardsen got a steal and fed Caitlyn Leisner.

She got it to Caramella, who nailed the wide-open jumper.

That made it a 57-53 lead, and it all gave Caramella a lot of confidence.

Gladstone's Leigha Woellfer gets clutch three-pointer

"I've been practicing my shot," Caramella said. "Finally, it came in today. I wasn't even thinking (on the basket and foul). I just got the ball and I put it up. I knew I had to make it and I knew it was really important to the game."

The game was far from over, as the Eagles closed to within 58-56. St. Cyr drained a pair of free throws, but then Wangerin scored from inside to cut it to 60-58. St. Cyr was fouled and made two more foul shots, but then came a play that the Eagles disputed.

Down by 62-58, Karley Johnson threw up a shot that hit the glass and went in.

And she thought that she was fouled with 15.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

But instead of a basket and a free throw attempt that could have cut the Gladstone lead to one, Johnson was called for an offensive foul.

As the Stephenson crowd protested, the Eagles were forced to foul St. Cyr again. She made two more free throws to end it.

"We had our full-court press fall back into a half-court trap," St. Cyr said. "We knew that if we got the ball out of their hands, we could double (Wangerin) and just play some overall good defense. We play really well together and feed off each others' energy."

"We pride ourselves on our defense," Caramella said. "We work really well together."

Anna Caramella basket and foul

St. Cyr had a game-high 24 points. Seventeen of the points came in the second half, and she made seven out of eight free throw attempts in those final minutes of the game.

"I guess if they want to foul me and put me on the line, I'll make them," St. Cyr grinned.

Caramella ended up with 13 points, and Edwardsen also added 13 points.

Gladstone hosts arch-rival Escanaba this Friday night. The game will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5), WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and to head radio replays and interviews.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

12/2	7:30 PM	at Negaunee Miners	54 - 39 (W)	1-0

12/5	7:30 PM	Gwinn Model Towners	38 - 44 (L)	1-1

12/9	7:30 PM	Marquette Redmen	33 - 38 (L)	1-2

12/11	7:40 PM	at Ishpeming Hematites	38 - 36 (W)	2-2

12/16	8:00 PM	at Kingsford Flivvers	49 - 43 (W)	3-2

12/27	3:00 PM	Houghton Gremlins	36 - 32 (W)	4-2

1/6	8:00 PM	at Stephenson Eagles	66 - 58 (W)	5-2

1/9	7:30 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	54 - 43 (W)	6-2

1/16	7:30 PM	at Manistique Emeralds	58 - 23 (W)	7-2

1/19	7:20 PM	at Marquette Redmen	46 - 64 (L)	7-3

1/27	8:00 PM	at Menominee Maroons	41 - 38 (W)	8-3

1/29	7:15 PM	Rapid River Rockets	61 - 12 (W)	9-3

2/3	7:15 PM	Negaunee Miners	43 - 37 (W)	10-3

2/6	7:15 PM	Menominee Maroons	40 - 49 (L)	10-4

2/10	7:15 PM	Ishpeming Hematites	43 - 33 (W)	11-4

2/12	7:15 PM	Westwood Patriots	PPD - PPD (T)	PPD

2/16	7:30 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	51 - 44 (W)	12-4

2/21	2:30 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	59 - 54 OT (W)	13-4

2/24	7:15 PM	Kingsford Flivvers	39 - 46 (L)	13-5

2/26	7:30 PM	at Iron Mountain Mountaineers	45 - 28 (W)	14-5

3/4	7:00 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	27 - 46 (L)	14-6