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Munising tops U.P. poll

E-TC standout Witt having a banner season

ESCANABA — As the Upper Peninsula’s girls basketball teams enter the final week of the regular season, a change has taken place at the top of the Class A-B-C poll.

Houghton was knocked off its unbeaten perch Thursday as Marquette avenged one of its’ rare losses by stopping the Gremlins 43-40 at Marquette. The loss snapped a 17-game winning streak for Houghton, which beat the Redettes in double overtime at home earlier this season.

Amber Huebner, one of the Upper Peninsula’s premier cagers, had 11 points for Marquette. The Redettes used a 21-12 second quarter burst for a 32-24 halftime lead.

Sloane Zenner had 12 points for Houghton, putting her into the 1,000-point club. The Gremlins secured the West Pac Conference title two nights earlier, belting Calumet 58-36 for their 17th title in the past 18 years.

Thursday’s outcome shuffled the big-school voting by a seven-member panel for the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

Munising took over the Class A-B-C poll lead and Marquette climbed two spots to second. Houghton fell to third and unbeaten Norway, despite winning its first Mid-Peninsula Conference title since 1985, slipped a spot to fourth.

Norway whipped Gwinn 54-34 to secure the championship as Jordan Kraemer, the school’s all-time scoring leader (boys and girls) with 1,310 points, scored 28 points. Sophomore Trisha McGuire had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Gwinn.

Forest Park, the peninsula’s top-ranked Class D squad, blasted North Dickinson 69-39. Abby Nylund had 24 points for the Trojans, who allowed just nine first-half points.

Hailey Wickstrom had 25 points and Brooke Kariniemi added 18 points as Calumet downed West Iron 71-63 in overtime. Emily Kinner had 23 points for West Iron.

Jake Witt joined the 1,000-point club at Ewen-Trout Creek, scoring 24 points as the Panthers clubbed Baraga 70-37.

The 6-foot-7 junior, basically unheralded beyond the U.P. this season, is starting to gain college recruiting attention, with Wisconsin-Green Bay and Northwestern among the recent suitors. Michigan Tech is likely the front-runner at this point.

“Athletically, he’ll be the best athlete to ever come out of our school, and we have a tradition of basketball kids who did some big things beyond high school,” E-TC coach Brad Besonen told Bryce Derouin of the Houghton Daily Mining Gazette.

Witt is just touching the surface of his potential in football. Last season, his first in that sport, he caught 71 passes for 1,698 yards and a state-record 25 touchdowns.

“I truly feel that if he attacks his offseason, he could legitimately be one of the better kids to ever come out of the U.P.” added Besonen.

Iron Mountain, which shared the boys Class A-B-C poll lead with Marquette last week but slipped back to second this week, pounded Kingsford 73-51. IM owns a 143-66 advantage in the series. Carson Wonders, perhaps the leading contender for big-school Player of the Year honors in the U.P., hit eight-of-10 triples and scored 37 points for IM.

No. 3 Norway drilled Forest Park 81-32 as Connor Ortman scored 23 points for the once-beaten Knights.

Top-ranked Marquette, which hosts Gladstone Wednesday, clipped Sault Ste. Marie 68-61 as four players reached double figures, topped by Joe Ostrowsky’s 14 points. Ryan Alaspa had 17 for Sault. Gladstone, which lost to Negaunee and Menominee last week, fell to fifth and Negaunee rose to fourth.

North Central and Carney-Nadeau are one-two in Class D boys. The Jets put their national-best 71-game win streak on the line tonight at Munising (15-2) and visit No. 4 Bark River-Harris Friday.

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