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Braves Hang On For District Win; Eskymos Up Next
 GLADSTONE---The Gladstone High School basketball team survived poor free throw shooting to post a 52-50 win over the Menominee Maroons in a Class B District semifinal game Wednesday night at the Gladstone High School Gym. That result sets up a district championship battle with Escanaba Friday night.  They had to hang on at the end as the Maroons closed the gap to 52-49, and Jake Peterson missed two free throws that could have iced the game. As Menominee came up-court looking for a possible game-tying three, Justin Jurek (pictured, left) made a smart foul. With 2.2 seconds to play, Adam Nolde went to the line and made the first shot. He missed the second shot intentionally, but the Maroons could not keep possession. The Braves imbounded the ball and threw it up-court into safety. It was a sigh of relief, for sure, for the Gladstone Braves. Gladstone led the entire night, but couldn't quite put Menominee away. The Braves jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, and then led, 18-9 in the second quarter. The Maroons chipped away at the lead, but sophomore Joe Gibbs came up with a basket and a foul, plus another basket at the second quarter buzzer, making it 25-15 at halftime.  But the Maroons made it close at the end. Senior Tyler Wells led the Braves in scoring with 16 points, but was just 2-of-10 from the free throw line. Gibbs added nine points. For Menominee, Nolde led the way with 16 points, including 10-of-12 from the foul line. The rest of his team was only 4-of-8. The teams had split during the regular season, with the Braves winning in Menominee and the Maroons winning in Gladstone. Menominee finished 6-15. Marcus McKinney scored nine points for the Maroons. Jake Peterson had eight points for the Braves. Gladstone (9-12) will face Escanaba (11-10) for the third time this season. The Eskymos beat Kingsford on the road, 66-63, in Wednesday's other semifinal. The Braves beat the Eskymos both times during the regular season, 54-40 and 51-50. The winner of Friday's game will play in the regionals against either Cheboygan or West Branch Ogemaw Heights on Monday in Manistique at 6:00. Friday night's district championship game tips off at 7:00 in the Gladstone Gym. It will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5), WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com, with the pre-game show starting at 6:45. Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Lori Jurek in Wednesday night's game.  |
| Date | Time | Opponent | Score | Record |
12/19 |
7:30 PM |
at Escanaba Eskymos
|
54 - 40 (W)
|
1-0
|
12/22 |
7:15 PM |
Mid Peninsula Wolverines
|
62 - 47 (W)
|
2-0
|
1/3 |
3:00 PM |
at St. Ignace Saints
|
64 - 62 (W)
|
3-0
|
1/8 |
7:30 PM |
at Mid Peninsula Wolverines
|
45 - 41 (W)
|
4-0
|
1/10 |
3:00 PM |
Marquette Redmen
|
27 - 48 (L)
|
4-1
|
1/12 |
7:46 PM |
at Ishpeming Hematites
|
51 - 61 (L)
|
4-2
|
1/13 |
7:45 PM |
at Rapid River Rockets
|
56 - 29 (W)
|
5-2
|
1/15 |
7:15 PM |
Kingsford Flivvers
|
45 - 57 (L)
|
5-3
|
1/20 |
7:15 PM |
Gwinn Model Towners
|
53 - 58 (L)
|
5-4
|
1/23 |
8:00 PM |
at Menominee Maroons
|
48 - 30 (W)
|
6-4
|
1/27 |
7:15 PM |
Ishpeming Hematites
|
46 - 63 (L)
|
6-5
|
2/2 |
7:15 PM |
Big Bay deNoc Black Bears
|
60 - 50 (W)
|
7-5
|
2/10 |
7:20 PM |
at Marquette Redmen
|
24 - 46 (L)
|
7-6
|
2/12 |
8:00 PM |
at Kingsford Flivvers
|
48 - 58 (L)
|
7-7
|
2/17 |
7:15 PM |
Negaunee Miners
|
45 - 55 (L)
|
7-8
|
2/20 |
7:15 PM |
Menominee Maroons
|
43 - 49 (L)
|
7-9
|
2/23 |
7:30 PM |
at Westwood Patriots
|
54 - 60 (L)
|
7-10
|
2/27 |
7:30 PM |
Escanaba Eskymos
|
51 - 50 (W)
|
8-10
|
3/3 |
7:30 PM |
at Manistique Emeralds
|
44 - 54 (L)
|
8-11
|
3/5 |
7:15 PM |
Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils
|
30 - 44 (L)
|
8-12
|
3/11 |
7:00 PM |
Menominee Maroons
|
52 - 50 (W)
|
9-12
|
3/13 |
7:00 PM |
Escanaba Eskymos
|
30 - 32 (L)
|
9-13
|
