Marquette, MI – January 16th, 2017 – It was time for another cross-town battle as the Marquette Redmen took on the Negaunee Miners at home. The Miners won the opening tip off, but the Redmen’s defense quickly came to life. Marquette got onto the scoreboard first on a short jump shot, but Negaunee wasn’t giving up. The Redmen held a lead of two points three minutes into the first quarter, and they looked to hold the lead going into the first intermission. That lead wouldn’t hold for Marquette however, and with two minutes remaining, they trailed by five points. With one minute left, it was a four point Miner lead, and they would hold the lead going into the second quarter.First Period Score
Marquette Redmen: 11
Negaunee Miners: 15
The Marquette Redmen were trailing a tough Negaunee Miners basketball team by just four points starting the second quarter, but they hoped to close that gap before halftime. It was a back and forth quarter, but eventually the Miners extended their lead to six points. Three minutes before halftime, it remained a six point game. Marquette was having a lot of trouble dealing with the Miners’ 6’7″ Trent Bell, but as Negaunee’s lead advanced to ten points, Trent was benched, giving some hope to Marquette.
First Half Score
Marquette Redmen: 20
Negaunee Miners: 26
Trailing by just six points entering the second half of play, the Marquette Redmen looked to make a comeback against the tough Negaunee Miners. Joe O. drained a three point shot early in the third, closing the gap down to three, and that seemed to ignite the passion in the Redmen players. Sensing that the game would be decided in the second half of play, Marquette wasn’t giving up. Something clicked with the Redmen in the halftime break, and they were able to even the score at 30-30 midway through the third. Joe O. nailed his third three pointer of the game late in the quarter, and that evened the score back up at 33-33 with little time left in the third. With sixteen seconds left in the quarter, it was a one point game, and it would all come down to the final quarter.
Third Period Score
Marquette Redmen: 36
Negaunee Miners: 39
It was a tough first three quarters for the Marquette Redmen as they trailed the Negaunee Miners going into the final quarter of play. Ian Ogea and Joe O. were working together beautifully, and that allowed Marquette to keep the game within three points, even as Negaunee turned up the pressure. Marquette was playing great defense, and they stopped Trent Bell from scoring in the first part of the final quarter. With just over two minutes remaining, it was all tied up at 48-48, and the Redmen looked to take their first lead since the first quarter. With 1:30 left in the game, both teams began using their timeouts in hopes of stalling the offense of the other team. A technical foul allowed the Redmen to take the lead again 52-51 with just a minute on the clock, and Negaunee had to sit one of the best scorers due to fouling out. The Miners were out of time-outs with just :30 seconds, and Negaunee was forced to foul a Redmen player to stop the drive, giving Marquette a chance to get some security points.
Final Game Score
Marquette Redmen: 57
Negaunee Miners:53
