The win could be best described as a defensive victory for the Miners (7-0).

Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the opening minutes so much so that the opening basket, by Negaunee, was not scored until midway through the first quarter. Calumet’s Brevin Antilla answered with a 3-pointer soon after to put the Copper Kings (1-4) on the board.

However the Copper Kings trailed 11-6 going into the second quarter.

“It took us a while to get comfortable,” said Negaunee head coach Dan Waterman. Calumet played hard the first half and that kind of knocked us back.”

Calumet's Trevor Torola (22) is fouled by Negaunee's Drew DuShane (22) on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

The second quarter belonged to the the Miners as they settled into their gameplan.

“I thought we did a much better job of moving the ball in the second, and we got some open looks that we were able to knock in,” Waterman said.

Meanwhile the Copper Kings struggled to make shots. They went through a five-minute drought in the second which allowed Negaunee to move from a five-point lead to a 15-point lead at halftime. Turnovers and poor passing did not help the Copper Kings’ cause.

“Negaunee played well and they bottled up our offense and we could not settle in,” said Calumet’s head coach Frank Bonacorsi.

The Miners outscored the Copper Kings 15-4 in the third quarter. Calumet struggled to find any momentum and for every Calumet basket the Negaunee squad had three of the their own.

Calumet's Trevor Torola (22) looks for a shot while being defended by Negaunee's Drew DuShane (22) and Chas Kumpula (5) on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Drew Lindbergh led the Miners offense with 22 points. Jackson Sager and Jason Waterman both followed with 10.

If there was one silver lining in the game for Calumet, Bonacorsi said it was his team’s defense, especially in the first.

“On the down side however, we were spending so much time playing defense that our shooting was off,” he added. “We were off-balance.”

The Copper Kings’ best eight minutes was their last quarter where they outscored the Miners 19-15. Calumet scored more points in the fourth than the previous three quarters combined. It was too little too late as the Miners coasted to a 22-point victory.

Negaunee also won the JV game.

Negaunee's Jason Waterman (4) shoots over Calumet's Brevin Antilla (5) and Kip Kangas (10) on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

The Copper Kings visit West Iron County on Thursday.

Negaunee 11 16 15 15 — 57

Calumet 6 6 4 19 — 35

NEGAUNEE (57): Sager 10, Munson 6, Waterman 10, Kumpula 2, Luke 5, Toutant 2, Lindberg 22. 3-point FG: 8 (Lindberg 5, Luke 1, Waterman 2). FT: 3-3. F:15.

CALUMET (35): Antilla 4, Kangas 5, Congdon 3, McParlan 15, Twardzik 4, Torola 4. 3-point FG: 2 (Kangas 1, Antilla 1). FT: 3-6. F: 17.

Negaunee's Jakson Sager (2) grabs a rebound in front of Calumet's Dryden Nelson (2) on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Negaunee's Jakson Sager (2) drives to the basket while being defended by Calumet's Brevin Antilla (5) and Trevor Torola (22) on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Calumet's Trevor Torola (22) puts up a layup against Negaunee on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Calumet's Elijah McParlan (14) puts up a layup against Negaunee on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Calumet's Trevor Torola (22) shoots against Negaunee on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Calumet's Will Twardzik (20) battles Negaunee's Drew Lindberg (23) for the ball on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Calumet's Brevin Antilla (5) shoots over Negaunee's Jason Waterman (4) on Monday, January 13, 2020, in Calumet, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)