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CALUMET -- The powerhouse Calumet Copper Kings girls basketball team took care of business with a 56-42 win against Westwood in the MHSAA Division 3 District 65 semifinals on Wednesday.
Calumet hosts Ishpeming in the district championship today.
Copper King senior Marybeth Halonen scored her 1000th point during the game. She led the team with 17 points.
"She comes to practice every day and works. She's a high character person," Calumet head coach Matt Laho said. "She's a good leader for the team. She sets the standards for how we compose ourselves on the court. Then she's just a hard worker; she gets shots and takes them."
Despite the victory, the Kings struggled at times to score.
"They were pressing a little. We weren't being patient," said Laho. "We made an adjustment at half-time, and they executed better in the second half."
Westwood started with three points. The Kings followed with a 15-point run that ended with 33 seconds left in the opening quarter courtesy of a Patriot free throw. Calumet added to their lead and carried a significant 17-4 advantage into the second quarter.
The second was low-scoring. The Kings made two baskets in the first two minutes and had a 21-4 lead. Westwood answered with a run of four to make it a 21-8 halfway through the frame. Four points were scored in the next two minutes, three for the Patriots and one for the Kings. Calumet was ahead 22-11 two minutes before half-time. The Kings hit four free throws, and the Patriots made a bucket to make the score 26-13 at the break.
The Patriots scored the first four points in the second half. The Kings answered with three, and the score was 29-17 two minutes into the third quarter. Each team scored two points, and midway through the third, Calumet led 31-19. Each team put three more on the board in the next two minutes. At the six-minute mark of the third, the Kings held a 12 point lead, 34-22. Before the quarter ended, the Kings scored four, and the Patriots scored two. In front 39-24, the Kings had control of the game entering the final frame.
Calumet wasted no time putting the game to bed. The Kings extended their lead by seven just minutes into the fourth quarter. With the Kings 46-24 edge, Westwood had little hope of a comeback. The Patriots outscored the Kings 18-10 in the remaining minutes. The Westwood push, in the end, was too little too late.
Senior Alexis Strom had 15 points, and senior Jana Loukus had 10 for the Kings.
Senior Natalie Prophet led the Patriots with 19 points.