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Local prep rankings

Bryce Derouin/Daily Mining Gazette Dollar Bay's Jacob Iacono shoots over Hancock's Hans Stimac Tuesday in Dollar Bay,

This will be the last local basketball rankings column of the year. With girls districts starting next week, there will be enough content going into Thursday’s paper. 

For districts, there will be a preview column for the girls and boys in a similar format as I have done while discussing the local teams. The girls column will run on Monday. 

Girls

1. Houghton 19-1 (1)

From their 42-25 win over the Hancock Bulldogs on Monday, to the district matchup with the Escanaba Eskymos on March 1, the Gremlins will have had eight days to smooth things out before starting a potentially deep tournament run.

2. Calumet 12-5 (2)

Calumet’s Hailey Wickstrom was named West-PAC Player of the Year on Tuesday by the league’s coaches after she averaged 19.2 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. Those are All-U.P. type of numbers. 

3. Baraga 16-2 (3)

Due to sickness, we weren’t able to see the Calumet-Baraga matchup. That would have been a fun game. 

With the Vikings earning a conference championship, the do-it-all Carsyn Osterman has a strong case for Copper Mountain Conference Player of the Year. 

4. Jeffers 13-6 (4)

If we’re just talking pure scorers, Jeffers’ Julia Nordstrom is one of the best in the area. She scored 21 in the first quarter against the Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes before finishing with 36 in her team’s 77-41 win on Monday. In her last four games, she’s averaging 21.8 points.

5. Chassell 14-5 (5)

If Jeffers can beat Ontonagon in a district opener, Chassell will face Jeffers in a district semifinal. Those two teams split in the regular season. 

Boys

1. Jeffers 14-3 (2)

During Jeffers’ eight-game winning streak, just one game has been decided by less than 10 points — a 57-54 win over Ontonagon on Jan. 19 that started the winning streak. 

I think we’re all just waiting for the Jeffers’ March 2 matchup at Dollar Bay. 

2. Dollar Bay 13-4 (1)

The Dollar Bay Blue Bolts lost to a big, physical team on Friday, falling 71-68 to the Bessemer Speedboys. Then the Blue Bolts beat a big, physical team on Tuesday when they topped the Hancock Bulldogs 66-57, thanks to 43 points from Devin Schmitz. Now Dollar Bay faces the small and quick Chassell Panthers on Friday.

3. Chassell 10-8 (4)

After a stretch that saw them lose five of six, Chassell has reeled off three straight wins and is trending in the right direction; wins over Ontonagon (64-48) and Calumet (62-59) have solidified the turnaround. 

4. Calumet 12-5 (3)

Next week is the big one for the Copper Kings; Calumet hosts Houghton on Tuesday before welcoming Hancock on Thursday. If Calumet wins those games, they’re West-PAC champions. 

5. Ontonagon 10-7 (5)

Another team that’s putting it together at the right time, the Gladiators are 6-1 in their last seven games. 

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