Calumet Girls Slip Past Menominee In Semis, 64-40

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ESCANABA---The Calumet High School girls basketball team advanced to the MHSAA Division Three regional final Monday night with a 64-40 win over the Menominee Maroons in the semifinal at the Escanaba High School Gym.

The Copper Kings improved to 20-5 on the season and will face Manton in the regional final Wednesday night in St. Ignace. Manton beat Harbor Springs, 51-40, in the other semifinal.

"I don't know if we got to a comfortable lead until later in the fourth," Calumet Coach Charlie Kemppainen said. "I thought our on-ball pressure was pretty decent. We got some deflections and got some open transition lay-ups. I think that kind of sparked us on both ends of the floor."

Despite having a 9-15 record, Menominee hung in there. The Maroons trailed, 17-10, afteer the first quarter, and managed to stay within 31-22 at halftime. But the third quarter saw the Copper Kings pull away, and Calumet iced it with a 18-7 fourth quarter push.

"They were scrappy," Kemppainen said of the Maroons. "They kind of broke us down in our zone a little bit and they hit some shots on us, and they moved the ball well."

Jackie Kiilunen led the Copper Kings with 20 points. Allison Bjorn and Kiirsi Johnson both contributed ten points. Menominee was led by Lexi Marineau's 16 points.