“It feels good to get it through with tonight,” said Jokela, with a big smile. “I didn’t feel a lot of pressure, but I am glad it’s over. It has been a lot of hard work, and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”

She went on to score 24 points in the Lakes’ regular-season finale – a 78-41 victory over L’Anse (10-11).

This has been a season of high marks for Jokela. First came 1,000 career points, which she reached in early January. Then last week she became the top girls scorer with 1,331 points, and now she holds the school-wide record with her senior year still to go.

“What can I say,” said her coach Jack Kumpula. “She means everything to to this team. We wouldn’t be where we are without her.”

With her signature quick drive to the hoop, Lake Linden-Hubbell’s Emily Jokela looks to score against L’Anse’s Mylee Londo (2) during a game Tuesday at the Lake Linden-Hubbell Gym. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

Where they are is second in the Copper Mountain Conference with a 21-1 overall record and a 10-1 record in conference play. Their one loss was to Baraga, whom they defeated early in the season in nonconference play. The next step for the Lakes is districts, which start Monday.

Jokela wasn’t alone in receiving accolades on Tuesday. The Lakes honored their five seniors with Senior’s/Parent’s Night. They included Taylor Clements, Maddie Buschell, Amy Mahrley, Olivia Shank and Becca Lyons.

“They are a great group of girls who work hard and will be sorely missed,” added Kumpula.

As for the game itself, the Lakes pulled out to a 20-8 lead after one and posted a 46-21 lead at half. In short, the Purple Hornets did not bring their game faces, and their coach, Sheila Royal, was the first to admit it.

“We were lazy,” she said. “We didn’t play offense, and we didn’t play defense. There was no communication.”

The mismatch led to a 40-point running clock just after the start of the fourth quarter, and the inevitable victory for the Lakes.

Interestingly, the Lakes were not led by their seniors. With Jokela in double-digit scoring, there was sophomore Cleo Milkey who poured in 31 points, which included five 3-pointers. Eighth grader Payton Goldsworthy rounded out the scoring with 16.

“Payton had a great game both offensively and defensively,” said Kumpula. “Her hustle was tremendous.”

The Purple Hornets had two players in double figures. Mylee Londo sunk 12 and Brooklyn Dompier had 11.

UP NEXT

The Purple Hornets will wrap up their season at Ironwood Thursday with a 5 p.m. tip off. The Lakes will open up district play at home on Wednesday, facing the winner of the Dollar Bay-Tamarack City/Jeffers game.