Gladstone sophomore Eva Pankonien (10) watches her 3-point shot attempt during a MHSAA Division 2 regional semifinal game against Sault Ste. Marie on March 10, 2025 at Sault Ste. Marie High School. This shot was the fourth made 3-point attempt for Pankonien, who earned 15 points in a 68-36 win over the Blue Devils. (Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

SAULT STE. MARIE — There were oodles of mountainous snow banks surrounding Sault Ste. Marie High School on Monday night. Yet, those snow banks stood tall after the game despite Gladstone girls basketball’s red-hot shooting against the Blue Devils. 

Behind  10 successful 3-point shots, 31 points from junior phenom Lillie Johnson and 15 points from sophomore Eva Pankonien the Braves cruised to a 68-36 regional semifinal win over Sault Ste. Marie.

“We’re doing this for each other,” Johnson said. “We don’t want our seniors to leave yet. We want to keep going. It’s making our push a little harder.”

The Braves now face Fremont at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Houghton Lake. The Packers (23-2) defeated Clare 67-43 in their regional semifinal game on Monday night.

“We have to stay focused and hungry,” Braves coach Andy Cretens said. “We’ll enjoy this one today, but as soon as we wake up tomorrow we’ll focus on the next game. We’ll be watching film and figuring out what we need to do, have a good practice and get ready to go.”

While Johnson’s dominance on the floor is more than apparent on the eye test and box score scanning, the Blue Devils had a prized scorer of their own in sophomore Piper Bell. Like two Cy Young caliber pitchers, Bell and Johnson dueled in the games opening minutes, combining to score 11 of the game’s first 14 points.

But as the trend has gone this season, the Braves are not a one-trick pony. Enter Pankonien, who came up with 3-point shots in the right moments, including the only three initial points made by either Johnson or Bell. 

Pankonien’s first triple came to tie the game at 5-5. With the lead at 13-11 Pankonien hit again, igniting a 7-2 run to claim a 20-13 lead to end the first. 

With the lead trimmed to 20-18 in the second quarter sophomore Adele Ostlund came up with a steal. Moments later there was Pankonien, all alone in the corner with the ball in her hands. She fired from long range.

From there the only sounds were the swish of the ball going through the net and the Gladstone faithful screaming in elation. Pankonien’s triple pushed the lead to 23-18, igniting another big Braves run, this time to a 13-2 spurt to close the second stanza and take a 33-20 lead at the half.

“Getting hot early and hitting those outside shots was huge,” Cretens said. “That got the energy going.”

Pankonien’s fourth and final 3-pointer capped off an 8-2 run to open the third quarter, forcing the Blue Devils to burn a timeout down 41-22 1:20 into the second half.

“I was just feeling it,” Pankonien said. “I know what I’m capable of. I put a lot of time in the off-season and in the season. I’m really confident in what I can do and what my team can do.”

Senior Alexa Wetthuhn came up with four points to grow the lead to 45-24. One last push by the Braves firmly drives the stake through the heart of the Blue Devils’ 2024-25 season.

Enter Johnson, who not only netted 16 points in the first half, but has been driving metaphorical stakes through the hearts of her opponents since she was a wee freshman two years ago. And much like a bull taking its first step inside a china shop, devastation was about to reign.

It didn’t matter if she was driving in the lane for a layup. It didn’t matter if she was at the free throw line. It didn’t matter if she hit her patented spin move for a routine seven-foot jumper. It didn’t matter if she was wide open from beyond the arc.

Sault could not stop her.

By the time the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter the Braves led 58-27. Johnson outscored the Blue Devils 13-3 all on her own.

“Once I get a couple (of points) I feel like I have to keep going until I get stopped,” Johnson said. “When I attack (opposing defenders) attract to me. I have Eva and other shooters that can knock down shots too. It’s great.”

The win also marks the 17th time this season the Braves held their opponent to less than 40 points.

Box score

Gladstone 20 13 25 10 — 68

Sault Ste. Marie 13 7 7 9 — 36

Gladstone — Blowers 7, Hanson 2, Pankonien 15, Reynolds 5, Johnson 31, Wetthuhn 8; FT: 12-16; Fouls: 14; 3-point baskets: Pankonien 4, Johnson 3, Blowers 2, Reynolds 1

Sault Ste. Marie — McLean 2, Bell 14, Oshelski 5, Pace 4, Love 2, Darling 5, Sporte 3, Fazzari 1; FT: 6-11; Fouls: 19; Fouled out: Oshelski; 3-point baskets: Bell 2, Oshelski 1, Sporte 1