Author: Tanner Hoops

The two teams traded buckets early and went into halftime tied at 11-all. Munising took a 14-13 lead early in the second half before Westwood erupted for an 8-0 run. The Patriots led 24-17 with four minutes left in regulation but Munising rallied with a 9-5 run to get within three in the final minute.

It then that the Mustangs connected on the night’s only made three-pointer, tying the game at 29 with eight seconds to play and Westwood couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer. The Patriots scored the first basket of the extra session but Munising scored nine of the game’s final eleven points to secure the victory.

Westwood was led by Ty Alderton’s game-high 14 points as the Patriots close their season at 10-11 overall. Westwood graduates five seniors; Alderton, Taylor Dellangelo, Matt Paavo, Erik Anderson and Mason Mariuzza.

The Westwood girls basketball team is moving on to the regional championship round after topping Calumet 51-26 Tuesday night in Marquette.

After a back-and-forth start to the game, Westwood scored the final four points of the opening quarter, including a buzzer-beating layup from Natalie Prophet, to take a 14-10 lead after one.

The Patriots turned that into a 13-4 run and carried a 24-17 lead into halftime. Westwood opened the second half on a 7-2 run and led 37-23 after three quarters, allowing just nine points after the break.

Prophet had a monster night for Westwood, pouring in 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. Emily Nelson added ten points on 4/5 shooting and Karlie Patron finished with eight points and nine rebounds. Westwood is now 22-2 and will meet Charlevoix in the regional finals for a second consecutive year. Last season Westwood topped the Rayders 47-29 in Sault Ste Marie. This Thursday’s regional contest will also be played in Sault Ste. Marie and will be broadcast on ESPN UP.

Westwood has captured the District 66 girls basketball championship for a second consecutive year after topping Negaunee 48-44 on Friday.

Westwood never trailed, racing out to a 13-4 lead after one quarter. The Patriots went up by as many as 11 points in the first half but Negaunee ripped off an 8-0 run to get within three. Westwood built a lead as large as 36-27 in the third quarter before the Miners answered with another 8-0 run to get within one.

Negaunee had the ball twice in the final minute of regulation trailing 44-42 but turned the ball over both times. From there, Tessa Leece and Natalie Prophet combined to knock down four free throws and Prophet sealed the victory with an offensive rebound in the final seconds.

Karlie Patron poured in a game-high 19 points while Madelyn Koski finished with 15 to pace Westwood. The Patriots are now 21-2 and will play Calumet in a regional semifinal Tuesday night in Marquette. Calumet topped Hancock 52-47 in double overtime to claim the District 65 title. Westwood defeated Calumet 59-45 on January 9th.

The Westwood Patriot girls basketball team punched their ticket to a second consecutive district championship game with a 51-36 win over Bark River-Harris on Wednesday.

The Broncos scored the first six points of the game and led 10-3 early, holding Westwood scoreless for the first 5:23 of the game. That’s when Westwood erupted to finish the first half on a 15-3 run to go up 18-13 at the break. Bark River-Harris got within 21-18 early in the third quarter but the Patriots answered with a 9-0 run and led by at least eight for the rest of the night.

Madelyn Koski tallied 20 points, finishing 5/8 from behind the arc, meanwhile Natalie Prophet added 13 points to lead Westwood. The Patriots are now 20-2 and will visit Negaunee Friday night in the district championship game. Negaunee topped Manistique 48-18 on Wednesday.

For the second consecutive year, Westwood’s Kurt Corcoran and Tessa Leece are each taking home top West PAC honors, the conference announced on Tuesday. Corcoran is the West PAC Coach of the Year for the second time in as many seasons meanwhile senior shooting guard Tessa Leece is the conference’s Player of the Year.

Corcoran, who earned his 100th career victory on February 11th, is also the reigning Class ABC Upper Peninsula Coach of the Year. Leece, a Michigan Tech commit, is averaging 13.8 points per game while pulling down 6.2 rebounds each contest, both of which are team bests. Leece was also named to the West PAC all-defensive team along with Negaunee’s Chloe Norman, Calumet’s Ellie Djerf, West Iron County’s Emily Nelson and Gwinn’s Emily Curtice.

Westwood senior point guard Madelyn Koski earned West PAC Dream Team honors. Koski, a Ferris State commit, is scoring 12.7 points per game while leading the team with four assists per contest. Koski is joined on the Dream Team by Djerf, Nelson, Negaunee’s Alyssa Hill and Gwinn’s Marissa Delmont.

Westwood also landed two West PAC First Team selections; senior Karlie Patron and sophomore Natalie Prophet. Patron, a Bay College softball commit, is averaging 8.4 points per game while shooting 50% from the floor. Prophet is turning in 11 points a night while shooting 38% from behind the arc.

The Westwood Patriot girls basketball team is moving on to the District 66 semifinals after topping Ishpeming 52-31 Monday night in the postseason opener for both teams.

Westwood never trailed, scoring the first four points of the contest en route to a 17-8 lead after one quarter. The Patriots widened the gap to 35-17 by halftime and scored the first five points of the third quarter to take their largest advantage of the night. Ishpeming responded with an 8-0 run to get within 15 but could get no closer.

Karlie Patron finished with 19 points while Tessa Leece scored 13 and added seven assists. Natalie Prophet turned in 11 points to round out three Patriots in double figures. Westwood is now 19-2 and will host Bark River-Harris in the districts semifinals Wednesday night. The other semifinal has Negaunee visiting Manistique, the Miners topped Gwinn 37-36 on Monday.

The Westwood Patriots girls basketball team clinched both the West PAC and Mid Peninsula Conference championships for a second consecutive year with a 38-27 victory over Gwinn on Thursday.

The Modeltowners raced out to a 9-4 lead before Westwood ripped off nine consecutive points, forcing a timeout. Gwinn tallied the final three points of the first half to get within 13-12 at the break. But the Patriot offense opened the game up after halftime, erupting on a 14-3 third quarter run and led by double digits the rest of the night.

Nine of Madelyn Koski’s team-best 11 points came in that crucial third quarter while Tessa Leece finished the night with eight points to lead Westwood offensively. The Patriots close the regular season at 18-2 and open the district playoffs Monday at Ishpeming.

The Westwood boys basketball team honored their seniors prior to Wednesday night’s game against Negaunee but it was the Miners who came away with a 43-32 victory.

The two teams played to a 2-2 draw for the first three minutes of the game but the Miners ended the first quarter on a 7-2 run. Negaunee led by as many as seven before halftime but Westwood answered with four consecutive points to get within 15-12 at the break.

The Patriots scored the opening bucket of the second half to cut the deficit to one but then Negaunee drained back-to-back three-pointers, forcing a Westwood timeout. The Patriots managed to get within 25-19 but a midrange buzzer-beater gave Negaunee an eight-point lead after three.

The Miners took their largest lead of the game at 33-21 with five minutes to play before Zach Carlson knocked down Westwood’s first three-pointer of the night. However, the Patriots could get no closer than within seven down the stretch and Negaunee put the game away at the free throw line.

Ty Alderton led the Patriots with ten points and nine rebounds, Taylor Dellangelo added eight points and Carlson had seven. Westwood is now 10-9 and will visit Houghton on Monday.

A strong second quarter helped lead Westwood to at least a share of their second consecutive West PAC girls basketball title as the Patriots ran past West Iron County 59-38 on Tuesday.

Westwood had a 10-9 lead late in the opening quarter but the Patriots ended the first half on a 24-5 run and led by double digits for the rest of the night. The closest the Wykons could get down the stretch was within 15 midway through the third quarter.

Tessa Leece led all scorers with 20 points, Natalie Prophet added 14 and Madelyn Koski ten. Westwood (17-2) can clinch both the West PAC and Mid Peninsula Conference titles with a win over Gwinn on Thursday.

Gladstone led from start-to-finish Monday night, topping Westwood 79-61 in Mid Peninsula boys basketball action.

The Braves led 21-8 midway through the opening quarter before Westwood managed to get within 25-14 after one. The Patriots cut the deficit to single digits twice before halftime but trailed 38-28 at the break.

Westwood opened the second half on a 5-2 run to pull within seven but would get no closer as Gladstone went on to stretch their lead to 59-45 after three quarters.

Ty Alderton finished with 18 points while Taylor Dellangelo added 15 and Zach Carlson 12 to pace the Patriots. Westwood is now 10-8 and hosts Negaunee on Wednesday for senior night.