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Sports
By Patrick Browne
CALUMET — The Michigan High School Athletic Association’s postseason tournament has begun. The annual tournament rewards the winning team with the opportunity to play for the state championship, while the losing team must return home having ended their season. Teams must win their District Championship in order to qualify for the Regionals and then must win their Regional Championship to continue their march toward the State Championship.
The Lady Wykons (11–11) began their journey toward a district championship on March 4 when they took on Iron Mountain (7–15) in a first round match up. The Wykons previously defeated the Mountaineers 47–40 and, due to the margin of victory, the rematch was expected to be competitive.
West Iron took a first quarter lead of 14–11 and entered the half up 25–24. The game was nip-and-tuck from the start and didn’t fail to entertain. The Wykons held tight to their lead, up 33–31 entering the fourth quarter.
With eight minutes to go, the Wykons took control of the game, outscoring the Mountaineers by eight points and shutting down Iron Mountain’s offense. West Iron held Iron Mountain to only four points in eight minutes. The defensive stand gave West Iron a first round victory, 45–35.
Wykon Coach Eric Shamion was more than pleased with his team’s effort.
“The girls gave a great effort. Kaitlyn Smith hit two big three’s in the first quarter,” he said. “Defensively, Haiden Gill, Seanna Stine and Lacey Shamion had big moments throughout the game. In the fourth quarter we gave up one bucket and two free throws. That’s tough defense!”
With the victory, the Wykons advanced to the district semi-final and took on Calumet (11–11) on March 6. The Copper Kings defeated the Wykons in their two regular season meetings, the last time after a questionable technical foul was called with just seconds remaining on the clock. West Iron had a desire to avenge the game which was stolen from them and went about taking care of business.
The Wykons went up 29–21 at the half and held the lead through the third quarter, 36–32. Although the lead was being narrowed and the game could have swung to Calumet on numerous occasions, senior Danica Shamion was able to control the tempo of the game in tight moments and the Wykons never let the lead slip out of their hands.
“The game got tight in the fourth quarter, then Kaitlyn Smith hit a huge three to give us some breathing room,” Coach Shamion said. “Danica hit her free throws down the stretch to seal the win.”
The fourth quarter once again saw West Iron play its best basketball as they outscored the Copper Kings 16–10 to seal the victory at 52–42.
Coach Shamion reflected after the game: “It’s hard to win a basketball game in Calumet, but our kids went up there with determination and it showed. We shot well from the outside and we rebounded the ball on both ends of the court.”
In winning their second tournament game, the Wykons earned the right to play for the District Championship at home on March 8.