Gladstone Braves Sweep Post-Season Awards                     The Gladstone High School girls basketball team had a dream season this winter, winning 24 games in a row and winning a Class B regional championship for the second year in a row. Now the Braves are being recognized for that success. Gladstone was named the Upper Peninsula Class A-B Team of the Year by the U-P Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Braves Coach Karl Dollhopf was named the Class A-B-C Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. Gladstone senior forward Jammie Botruff was named the Class A-B-C Player of the Year, sharing the title with Escanaba senior Olivia Nash. Gladstone's Whitney Wells was a Class A-B Second Team pick, while Katie Becker and Escanaba's Trista Barron got Special Mention.

END OF THE LINE                     Freeland's Tori Jankoska (1) drives on Gladstone's Whitney Wells (12). Left photo: Courtney Nevala (10) drives for a lay-up as the Braves tried to come from behind. (Peyton Jurek photos) Braves Finish Season 24-2 ALMA, Mich.---The most successful season in the history of Gladstone High School girls basketball seemed destined to end, one way or another, at Michigan State University's Breslin Center. The girls were playing their best basketball of the season, clicking on all cylinders, riding high on a 24-game winning streak. But Tuesday night at Alma College, the Gladstone girls simply ran into a better team. The Freeland Falcons had too much firepower and the Braves could not match them offensively, losing, 66-52, in the Class B state quarterfinal game in central Lower Michigan. Freeland junior Tori Jankoska scored 25 points and grabbed ten rebounds, and her teammate, junior Tara Padgett scored 20 points, as the Falcons took a big lead early and held off several Gladstone challenges all night. "That's a very nice team that we just played, especially with how young they are (no seniors)," Gladstone Coach Karl Dollhopf said. "They just played a real nice game." Erin Boddy hit a three-pointer early in the game to give Gladstone a 3-2 lead. That would be the only time the Braves would have the lead all night long. Freeland scored the next seven points as the Braves hoisted up several long three-pointers that were way off target. Dollhopf used two of his five time outs as his team trailed, 9-3, just three minutes into the game. "I thought we fell in love with the three-point shot too early," Dollhopf said. "Our plan was, originally, to get it in the paint and they extended their defense and made it very difficult for us to see the paint. That's just a compliment to Freeland and their defense and their gameplan." Jankoksa (1) vs Jenna Leisner (34). >>> The time out didn't help. Jankoska nailed a three and keyed another run as Freeland led, 18-7, after the first quarter. The Braves managed to cut it to 21-14 in the second quarer, but the Falcons forced several turnovers and scored on lay-up after lay-up. The Freeland lead grew to 33-18 after the Falcons dribbled 80 seconds off the clock and got a lay-up from Abbye Wenzel late in the second quarter. It was 35-21 Falcons at the half. "That wasn't what we expected going into halftime," Dollhopf said. "We gave up too many points to the guards. I think we got rattled early. We tried to regroup, they had very good, outstanding guard play. It's just tough to match." Gladstone closed to within 35-25 as Jammie Botruff scored two straight baskets to start the third quarter. But the turnovers started to pile up on the Braves as Freeland went on a 12-0 run to lead 47-25 late in the third quarter. Gladstone fell behind by as many as 23 points (51-28) before coming back with a furious run in the fourth quarter. Jordan Schwartz had a basket, Botruff hit four free throws, and Katie Becker nailed a three as the Braves closed to within 54-43 with 5:21 left. Jankoska countered with four straight points to rebuild the Falcon lead to 15. <<<Katie Becker (14) hoists up a 'three' during Tuesday's game. Botruff and Courtney Nevala both had lay-ups off of steals to close the gap to 60-49 with 2:05 left, and it looked like the Braves would get the ball when Jenna Leisner was knocked over at midcourt. But the foul was not called, and Freeland scored a basket at the other end of the court to put the game away. Botruff closed her high school career the way she started it: on top. She scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as she tried to bring her team back from that big deficit. Botruff ended up with 23 points in the game, and became Gladstone High School's all-time leading scorer with 1,465 career points. That's four more points than Brianne Weber had during her career back in the 1990's. "These girls hung in there and stuck with it," Dollhopf said. "They could have packed it in and lost by 20, 30 points. But we're just too competitive to do that. I knew that our girls would re-group. I'm awful proud of this group for battling back throughout the night. But hats off to Freeland." Gladstone finished 24-2, and one of the best eight teams in Class B. It is the second straight year that the Braves won both the district and regional championships, only to lose in the quarterfinals. Botruff (20) gets a pass from Wells (12) as Taryn Taugher (23) defends Tuesday. >>> "I just want to thank everybody for the support they gave us all season long," Dollhopf said. "This was a very special group of girls, and the school and the community embraced them. To have 24 victories in a row, it's a tribute to them, and in the support that these girls get at home, in the school, and throughout the community. I feel really fortunate to have had a chance to coach them." Freeland (23-3) will play in the Class B state semifinals Friday night at Michigan State University. WATCH GLADSTONE vs FREELAND VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's student section go crazy during the quarterfinal. CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's Jammie Botruff score on a driving layup. CLICK HERE to see Gladstone's Erin Boddy nail a three-point basket. CLICK HERE  to see Freeland's Tori Jankoska score on a cross-court pass. CLICK HERE  to see Freland's Tara Padgett score off a pretty pass from Jankoska.                     The large Hogan Center scoreboard before the Braves-Falcons quarterfinal game.

REGIONAL CHAMPS AGAIN!                       The Gladstone Braves celebrate with their regional title trophy Thursday night in Gaylord. Left photo: Braves senior Jammie Botruff (20) prepares for a war with Ludington star player D'Erika Varenhorst (43) on the tip. (Dan Becker photos) Braves Rally 65-54 GAYLORD---Things did not look good early on for the Gladstone Braves girls basketball team as they played in the Class B regional championship game Thursday night against the Ludington Orioles at Gaylord High School. The Braves had a hard time getting the offense going in the first quarter, and when Ludington's Chelsey Hackert nailed a 25-foot shot at the end of the quarter, Gladstone was down 15-6. But the Braves ramped up their defensive intensity after that dismal first quarter, and Gladstone overwhelmed the Orioles, 65-54, to win their second straight regional championship. "It's really been a special group," Braves Coach Karl Dollhopf said. "It's been fun. I can't say enough about our girls. We took a shot early, down by nine, but we were able to extend our pressure and get back into it." "I'm feeling really good, don't really know what to say," Braves senior Jammie Botruff said. "We knew that they were big. We tried our hardest to box out. We didn't do the best job at first, but we knew that if we got down, we would keep battling back." Jenna Leisner plays defense on Ludington's Rachael Petzak >>> Gladstone went to work as soon as the second quarter began, and when Botruff drained a wide-open three-pointer, the Braves had gone on an 11-0 run and had a 17-15 lead. Gladstone led, 22-21, at halftime, and then really started to dominate in the third quarter. Especially on defense, where Whitney Wells-and-company forced numerous turnovers. "I thought that at halftime, we had them in their heels," Dollhopf said. "If we could come out and apply that kind of pressure in the second half, I liked where we were at. We had the momentum, and we extended that coming out of halftime. I'm really proud of this group." "They had a lot of big people, but they were easy to trap, and we just took advantage of what we could," Wells said. "We came to win." <<<<Courtney Nevala (10) looks to make a pass during Thursday's game. Six different Gladstone players scored in the third quarter as the Braves outscored the Orioles, 23-12, in those eight minutes. Katie Becker was on fire in that quarter, scoring nine of her 16 points. Wells had six points, including four straight free throws in the third quarter, and Gladstone built a 45-33 lead that held up late in the contest. "Oh, my gosh, I was pumped," Wells said. "I was walking down the court thinking, 'four-for-four. Yeah!'" "The fourth quarter, you have the lead, but you don't want to be too cautious," Dollhopf said. "We had to do what got us there. Get to the line and make some free throws. And that's what we did." Especially Botruff, who made nine of ten charity baskets in that fourth quarter. Throughout the game, Botruff was a stellar 14 of 16 at the line. (You can listen to radio replays of three's by Botruff and Becker, and the final few seconds of the game, by clicking the 'GLADSTONE 65 LUDINGTON 54' button on the left side of this page) Ludington (23-2) managed to cut the Gladstone lead to eight points on a couple of occassions in the fourth quarter, but could never get over the hump, despite having a size advantage at several positions. The tenacious Braves defense kept holding the Orioles at bay, either causing turnovers or forcing shots that were hurried or were low-percentage. The Orioles were led in scoring by Rachel Petzak, who had 15 points. D'Erika Varenhorst had 12 points and Hackert added ten. Senior Whitney Wells (12) > For the Braves, Botruff scored 21 and Becker added 16. Wells and Erin Boddy both had nine points, but the girls don't care who scores what. "We went into the locker room and we didn't talk about who scored," Botruff said. "It's all about teamwork. We had a good effort, but I thought we could have played a little bit better. But that will come." "They've done it all year long," Dollhopf said. "They are a super group, and they deserved to win. Jammie has been a great player for us. She has sacraficed this season to help us become a team. She signed with Grand Valley and could have been all about winning conference scoring titles. Jammie hasn't done that. She's played within our system, she makes people around her better. I can't say enough good things about Jammie." WATCH BRAVES vs LUDINGTON ORIOLES VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to see the Braves girls celebrate with their regional trophy. CLICK HERE  to see Jammie Botruff nail a wide-open 'three'. CLICK HERE  to see Whitney Wells pick off a pass and score. CLICK HERE  to see Katie Becker knock down a three-pointer. CLICK HERE  to see Ludington's Chelsey Hackert get a long 'three'.                     The Gladstone student section....whose fan bus arrived late....cheers for the Braves girls. Below: the Braves team poses for the victory shot! (Dan Becker photos)

ROLLING IN THE REGIONALS                         Gladstone's Allison Austin jumps in front of Gladwin's Rashell Voracheck (4) during Tuesday's game. Right photo: Jenna Leisner gets a lay-up. (Peyton Jurek photos) Braves Overwhelm Gladwin; Face Ludington Thurs. GAYLORD---The Gladstone Braves got off to a good start Tuesday night and kept on rolling throughout the game, turning back the Gladwin Flying G's, 72-44, in the Class B regional semifinals in Gaylord. Jammie Botruff scored eight of her game-high 24 points in the first quarter, and Erin Boddy also scored eight points in that first quarter as the Braves built a 17-7 lead. The lead grew to 39-17 at the half, and 51-19 in the third quarter, and the girls were on cruise control from there. "I thought the girls did what they do best," Gladstone Coach Karl Dollhopf said. "They did a great job of sharing the ball, and we knew that if we got after it on defense, that we'd get some seperation (in the score)." The girls were playing a team they had never seen before, but Botruff said that she had no problem getting prepared to face the Flying G's from the central part of the Lower Peninsula. "I personally like it more," Botruff said. "You don't know anything about them, they don't know anything about you. They don't know your tendacies. When you play Esky or Kingsford, they know every single play we're calling. I mean, sometime, our coach and their coach are calling the same plays!" Gladwin (11-12) couldn't keep up with the pace that was set by the Braves at both ends of the court. Defensively, Whitney Wells and Courtney Nevala were pests, as usual. And offensively, the girls were on the same page all night, especially with their bounce passes underneath. "I credit my teammates for their great passing," Botruff said. "I got seperation in the post, and they saw that, and it was just some great passes. We've been playing together since the fourth grade and we just want to keep it going." "When you do that, everyone gets in on the fun, and the opponents can't focus in on just one person," Dollhopf said. "And on defense, we forced them into situations where they (Gladwin) were turning the ball over." Botruff may have led the way with 24 points, but Boddy also gave the Flying G's fits. Boddy missed a couple of early three-pointe attemts, but she kept on firing away, and was nothing-but-net on her last two attempts from behind the arch. "Erin doesn't know how good of a shooter she is," Dollhopf said. "She, sometimes, is really unselfish, and doesn't have the room to get the shot off. But she is an excellent shooter." Nevala, known best for her defense, found her offensive stroke in the second half. She scored ten points, including a pair of three-pointers. And Katie Becker scored three baskets in the third quarter as the Braves put the game away. Megan Strait led Gladwin with 18 points. "Jammie did a nice job of scoring early on, and finishing her baskets," Dollhopf said. "Courtney came in and did a great job running the team." (You can hear radio replays of several first half baskets by clicking the 'BRAVES vs GLADWIN' button on the left side of this page.) Gladstone (23-1) will try to defend its regional championship this Thursday with a game against Ludington team. The Orioles are also 23-1 this yera, after whipping Cheboygan, 70-39, Tuesday night. "Watching Ludington, they're a lot like us," Dollhopf said. "They're well coached, and they get after it pretty good. I expect that it will be a real good game, a real good match-up. They're a quality team." Game time is 7:00 Thursday night. It will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line streaming at www.rrnsports.com. WATCH BRAVES vs FLYING G'S VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to see the Jammie Botruff get a hoop, steal, and another basket. CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's Erin Boddy score a baseline basket. CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's Jenna Leisner get an easy lay-up. CLICK HERE  to see Braves Erin Boddy drain one of her three pointers.                     Erin Boddy (24) goes after a loose ball against two Gladwin girls. Below: not one, but two Beaudry girls (Ashley left, Jess, right) on the court! (Peyton Jurek photos)

Botruff Scores 30 As Braves Win District Title  The Gladstone Braves repeated as Class B District Champions on Saturday, beating the Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils, 61-39, at the Gladstone High School. The Braves jumped to a 21-8 lead after one quarter of play and never looked back, building leads as big as 29 points (52-23) in the second half. Jammie Botruff led the way with 30 points, and she did not play in the fourth quarter. Erin Boddy chipped in nine points, including a pair of three-point baskets. The Braves improved to 22-1, and will face Gladwin in the Class B regional semifinals Tuesday night in Gaylord. Pictured: Botruff (20) takes a shot against Escanaba in Friday's game as Olivia Nash (40) guards. (Eric Thompson photo) GLADSTONE 48, ESCANABA 45---In Friday night's Class B semifinal, the Braves built a 32-17 lead at halftime, but had to hang on at the end as Escanaba had several chances to score. Escanaba's Olivia Nash's half-court shot just missed at the buzzer, and the Braves topped the Eskymos for the third time this season. Jammie Botruff scored 17 points and Jenna Leisner added eight for the Braves. Nash scored 18 points and Trista Barron had 13 points for Escanaba. Pictured at right: Gladstone's Jenna Leisner (34) goes up for a shot as Escanaba's Meredith Marlet (30) defends during Friday's game. Photo courtesy of Eric Thompson. More photos HERE .

Braves Smack Kingsford To Open Tournament                      The MHSAA girls basketball district tournaments began on Monday across Michigan, and the Gladstone Braves served notice that they are ready to make another run. The girls dispatched the Kingsford Flivvers, 63-37, in a Class B district opener in Gladstone. The result sets up a big match-up between the Braves and Escanaba Eskymos on Wednesday in Escanaba. Pictured above: Gladstone senior Whitney Wells (12) plays defense (as always) against Kingsford's Carlee Benzie during Monday night's game. Below left: Katie Becker (14) looks to drive. Below right: Alison Austin grabs a pass. (Eric Thompson photos)