Click the thumbnails to see photos courtesy of Gladstone Braves Athletics. Also click the AUDIO buttons to hear post-game comments from Lillie Johnson and Coach Andy Cretens. Also listen to the radio replay of the entire game.
GLADSTONE---Sophomore Lillie Johnson scored 37 points as part of another double-double, and the Gladstone Braves rallied from twelve points down to beat the Escanaba Eskymos, 60-51, Monday night in Gladstone.
This rivalry game was special for many different ways, not the least of which was the annual Breast Cancer "Pink Out" event, which is always an emotional night.
"We got punched in the face and we (at first) didn't respond very well," Gladstone Coach Andy Cretens said. "We pride ourselves on toughness, and we weren't very tough today. We were down eight heading into the fourth, and we made our run. Lillie took over. That was the difference-maker."
Johnson scored 18 of her game-high 37 points in a dominating fourth quarter, a performance that saw her shred everything the Eskymos tried defensively in those final eight minutes.
The first half saw the Eskymos in control, leading, 32-22, at halftime.
Escanaba senior Keira Maki, who has been on a roll in the past six games, scored 22 points in that first half, and the famous 1-3-1 zone defense of Eskymo Coach Tracy Hudson was holding Johnson in check, although she did have 14 of her team's 22 first half points.
Maki drained a couple of triples in the third quarter to give Escanaba a 44-36 lead heading into the final eight minutes. But that's when Johnson took her team on her back, literally outscoring the entire Escanaba team, 18-7, in the fourth quarter. It was the latest in a string of high-scoring games for Johnson, although, as always, she stayed humble after the game.
"We started moving the ball around a little bit more, and once we got them all mixed up on defense, it made me more open, and also my teammates, so we could make better pases," Johnson said. "The zone definitely put pressure on me, and they face-guarded me for a little bit. I'm not really used to the pressure, but it got better later in the game. I guess I got more confident after I made a couple, and I just kept going."
Escanaba (10-8) came into the game red-hot, having won nine of its last eleven games, with the only losses being three-point setbacks to Bark River-Harris and Houghton. Maki ended up scoring 29 points for the Eskymos in this one, but it just wasn't enough to match Johnson.
"Once I looked up at that scoreboard, and I saw that we were down by like eight, I got like two steals and rebounds, and just put them back up," Johnson said. "Then I looked back up at the scoreboard, and it was a lot better. So, I just kept going!"
Indeed it was. And Johnson says she took it personal that Maki scored 22 points on her in the first half. So, she buckled down on the defensive end of the ball as well.
"I challenged Lillie a little bit at halftime," Cretens said. "I challenged the girls as a team, that we had to get up on her. They set a lot of ball screens, so we get switched off every once in a while. We just had to do a better job, and the team shut her down, knowing that one our keys to the victory here today was to shut down Keira Maki."
Gladstone improved to 10-6 on the season. The Braves have a make-up game against Manistique Tuesday night, and another home game on Thursday night against Gwinn.
Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on FM-93.5, AM-600, and www.rrnsports.com.
GLADSTONE---Sophomore Lillie Johnson scored 37 points as part of another double-double, and the Gladstone Braves rallied from twelve points down to beat the Escanaba Eskymos, 60-51, Monday night in Gladstone.
"We got punched in the face and we (at first) didn't respond very well," Gladstone Coach Andy Cretens said. "We pride ourselves on toughness, and we weren't very tough today. We were down eight heading into the fourth, and we made our run. Lillie took over. That was the difference-maker."
Johnson scored 18 of her game-high 37 points in a dominating fourth quarter, a performance that saw her shred everything the Eskymos tried defensively in those final eight minutes.
The first half saw the Eskymos in control, leading, 32-22, at halftime.
Escanaba senior Keira Maki, who has been on a roll in the past six games, scored 22 points in that first half, and the famous 1-3-1 zone defense of Eskymo Coach Tracy Hudson was holding Johnson in check, although she did have 14 of her team's 22 first half points.
Maki drained a couple of triples in the third quarter to give Escanaba a 44-36 lead heading into the final eight minutes. But that's when Johnson took her team on her back, literally outscoring the entire Escanaba team, 18-7, in the fourth quarter. It was the latest in a string of high-scoring games for Johnson, although, as always, she stayed humble after the game.
Escanaba (10-8) came into the game red-hot, having won nine of its last eleven games, with the only losses being three-point setbacks to Bark River-Harris and Houghton. Maki ended up scoring 29 points for the Eskymos in this one, but it just wasn't enough to match Johnson.
"Once I looked up at that scoreboard, and I saw that we were down by like eight, I got like two steals and rebounds, and just put them back up," Johnson said. "Then I looked back up at the scoreboard, and it was a lot better. So, I just kept going!"
Indeed it was. And Johnson says she took it personal that Maki scored 22 points on her in the first half. So, she buckled down on the defensive end of the ball as well.
"I challenged Lillie a little bit at halftime," Cretens said. "I challenged the girls as a team, that we had to get up on her. They set a lot of ball screens, so we get switched off every once in a while. We just had to do a better job, and the team shut her down, knowing that one our keys to the victory here today was to shut down Keira Maki."
Gladstone improved to 10-6 on the season. The Braves have a make-up game against Manistique Tuesday night, and another home game on Thursday night against Gwinn.
Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on FM-93.5, AM-600, and www.rrnsports.com.
