Girls Basketball

Feature

Madelyn Koski and the court that made her

1/18/2019 | Feature | By Eden Laase

Madelyn Koski is perfect. At least she tries to be. And sometimes she tries not to be. Koski has a complicated relationship with perfection. Take today for example. It’s the Saturday before finals week and Koski is at home with her family, college basketball plays on the TV in the background. She likes to get up early, so as not...

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St. Ignace's formula for success

Features

St. Ignace's formula for success

12/18/2018 | By Eden Laase

Feature

Top 25 girls countdown

12/3/2018 | By Bryce Derouin

St. Ignace's formula for success

12/18/2018 | Feature | By Eden Laase |

Basketball, like most things in life, is constantly changing. Every season coaches and teams try to adapt to the latest and greatest — be it over-hyped trends or tried and true methods that are making their way into the mainstream....

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Top 25 girls countdown

12/3/2018 | Feature | By Bryce Derouin |

For the first time, a preseason player rankings poll was conducted to rate the top 25 boys and girls basketball players in the UP. Five coaches and Bryce Derouin of Upbeat ranked the girls on a 25-point scale. A first-place...

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Feature

Ontonagon's Dick Franti retires after 35 years of coaching

8/7/2019 | Feature | By Jason Juno (Daily Globe) |

Ontonagon has never had to worry about the girls basketball program. First there was Gladys Chamberlain, who led the Gladiators to a state runner-up finish in 1974, the program’s second year. And in 1984, Dick Franti took over. Since then, he has taken Ontonagon to state three times, won more than 500 games and been inducted into the U.P. Sports...

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Negaunee's Sager resigns, takes job as NMU women's assistant

8/6/2019 | Feature | By Eden Laase |

Brandon Sager has been a fixture on the sidelines of Negaunee girls basketball for the last seven years, but now he’s giving up the position for a new job. It’s different, but not unfamiliar. The decorated Negaunee coach is heading back to Northern Michigan, where he will join the women’s basketball coaching staff as an assistant. Sager played at NMU,...

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Column

The Way-Too-Early rankings: Division 1-3 Girls

7/31/2019 | Column | By Eden Laase |

For our final installment of the Way-Too-Early Rankings, I’m taking over for Bryce because frankly, I’m too pumped about the Division 1-3 girls teams this season. Last season’s Division 3 Regional Semifinal between Westwood and West Iron County was one of the best games of the year. The two teams attacked each other’s weaknesses for a back-and-forth contest that...

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With a strong returning junior class, Menominee readies for greater expectations

7/22/2019 | Feature | By Eden Laase |

After finishing the 2017-18 season with an 11-11 record, plenty of us were guilty of looking the other way when it came to the Menominee Maroons. But coach Lucas Chouinard had a secret up his sleeve: The class of 2021. And eight games into the 2018-19 season, the Maroons were 6-2, with losses coming in overtime to Westwood (65-60) and...

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Column

The Way-Too-Early rankings: Division 4 girls

7/10/2019 | Column | By Bryce Derouin |

The Division 4 UP champion may have been decided this summer when the MHSAA released its division classifications for girls basketball. With St. Ignace earning a Division 4 designation, the Division 3 schools in the UP could let out a sigh of relief knowing they won’t have to deal with the defending Division 4 state runner-ups this next season, while...

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Now healthier, St. Ignace's Coveyou excels at UP All-Star Game

6/16/2019 | Feature | By Eden Laase |

You can talk to St. Ignace coach Dorene Ingalls 1,000 times about Emily Coveyou, and every time she will say something a little bit different. Sometimes she will talk about Coveyou’s skill, and sometimes her strength. Other times it’s her work ethic or determination. But no matter what comes up in conversation, Ingalls always mentions one thing. Emily Coveyou is...

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