Date	Results	Opponent	Record
Nv 30 Dec 3 Dec 7 Dec 9 Dec 14 Dec 28 Jan 7 Jan 11 Jan 14 Jan 17 Jan 25 Jan 27 Feb 1 Feb 3 Feb 8 Feb 10 Feb 15 Feb 19 Feb 22 Feb 24 Feb 28 Mar 2 Mar 4 Mar 8 Mar 10 Mar 15	W, 55-44 L, 54-57 L, 29-31 L, 58-59 W, 63-50 L, 48-49 W, 51-43 W, 71-33 W, 62-42 L, 30-47 W, 39-27 W, 84-54 W, 51-36 W, 45-25 L, 36-43 L, 41-43 W, 38-36 W, 57-36 W, 59-42 W, 63-50 W, 74-42 W, 56-37 W, 47-32 W, 67-46 W, 50-45 L, 34-63	at Negaunee GWINN MARQUETTE at Ishpeming at Kingsford HOUGHTON ESCANABA at Big Bay deNoc at Manistique at Marquette MENOMINEE BIG BAY DE NOC NEGAUNEE at Menominee ISHPEMING WESTWOOD at Escanaba at Sault Ste. Marie KINGSFORD at Iron Mountain KINGSFORD* ESCANABA* at Menominee* Cheboygan# Tawas# Hemlock$ *=District Tournament #=Regionals @Gaylord $=Qtrs at Houghton Lk	1-0 1-1 1-2 1-3 2-3 2-4 3-4 4-4 5-4 5-5 6-5 7-5 8-5 9-5 9-6 9-7 10-7 11-7 12-7 13-7 14-7 15-7 16-7 17-7 18-7 18-8

HISTORY IN THE MAKING!                      The Gladstone Braves pose with their championship trophy after beating the Tawas Braves, 50-45, in the Class B Regional Final Thursday night in Gaylord. It is the first regional title in Gladstone High School history. (Andy Cretens photos and videos) Gladstone Outlasts Tawas To Win First-Ever Regional GAYLORD---The dream continues for the Gladstone Braves girls basketball team, and nobody associated with the team wants to be woken up anytime soon. After winning their first district championship in 18 years a week ago, the Braves took another step up the ladder Thursday night as they won their first regional championship in school history. Gladstone beat Tawas, 50-45, in a game that saw the Braves jump out to a big lead in the first quarter and then make some big plays down the stretch after Tawas had rallied to tie the game in the final minutes. <<<Gladstone AD Matt Houle hugs Ashlee Anderson. "It's special," Gladstone Coach Karl Dollhopf said, choking back tears. "What's special is that they really stuck to their dreams. We set some goals, and it's emotional because it's nice to see them get rewarded. You hear so much about kids not wanting to work hard, but these girls did." "I am so excited," Gladstone junior Whitney Wells said. "All day in school, I was just ready to get out, and I couldn't focus. We just had to look for the open person pass, and dribble as least amount as possible." "I feel great, I don't even know how to explain it," Gladstone senior Ashlee Anderson said. "I love it! I am so pumped!" Tawas...also nicknamed the Braves...came into the game with an impressive 20-2 record, and they sported a lineup with two solid guards and the inside-out game of 6-foot Molly Stoll. But it was Gladstone who got off to a good start, racing to a 15-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game. And one of the reasons was Dollhopf's decision to start 5-11 senior Ashlee Anderson over 5-7 senior Abby Ballard. He wanted to "go big", and it worked, as Anderson scored three tough baskets on the baseline during that 15-3 opening spurt. "We knew all year that she could have that inside prescene," Dollhopf said. "I think that, clearly, she was the difference-maker tonight. She set the tone early and we were able to get their big girl with two fouls early." Anderson during an earlier game. (Eric Thompson photo) "It (getting the start) made me a little nervous, but he told us what to expect," Anderson said. "He (Dollhopf) told us exactly how they played their zones." Stoll showed her range by nailing a three at the first quarter buzzer to bring Tawas to within 17-10, and the downstate Braves closed to within 20-16 in the second quarter as guard Dana Kolnitys scored four points. Gladstone regrouped as MacKenzie Shepeck scored twice, and the GHS lead was 24-17 at the halftime break. Gladstone got off to a good start in the third quarter, as well. When Jammie Botruff scored her second straight basket with four minutes left in the quarter, it completed a 10-3 run that gave Gladstone a 32-20 lead. But Tawas was far from finished. Emily Gracik nailed two straight three pointers to cut the Gladstone lead in half at 32-26. It was a 36-29 Gladstone lead after three quarters, and the Braves led, 40-32, about two minutes into the final quarter. But Tawas came back again. Gladstone had trouble with the Tawas pressure, and guard Abby Gentges got a basket, then a trip to the foul line after two turnovers. Kolnitys followed with a steal and a basket, then another bad pass gave Kolnitys the ball. She drove to the hoop and tied the game at 40-40 with 2:25 left. Many coaches would call time out at that point, but Dollhopf chose not to. Good idea. Botruff took matters into her own hands and drove from one end of the court to the other. She scored, got fouled, and made her free throw. A huge "answer" for Botruff to make it 43-40 with 2:05 left. <<<Botruff (20) is guarded by Tawas's Kim Salwey (24). "I didn't want to call a time out there because I thought the time out would only feed their momentum," Dollhopf said. "I wanted to give our girls a chance to respond, and I was pretty confident that they would do what they had to do. Tawas was doing a lot of gambling, and I knew that if Jammie stayed in the middle, game tied, that she'd be looking to score." And another thing. That basket-and-one put Botruff over the 1,000 point mark for her career. And she still has another year of basketball left. The Gladstone defense clamped down, forcing a missed jumper at the other end, then MacKenzie Shepeck found Katie Becker on the baseline for a layup to make it 45-40 with 1:08 left. Kolnitys scored at the other end for Tawas, but the Braves broke the press and Anderson was able to score from under the basket to make it 47-42 with 48 seconds left. The desperate Tawas Braves missed again at the other end, and Gladstone junior Courtney Nevala got fouled. She banked in a free throw to make it a six-point game. Gracik nailed an NBA-three at the other end to cut the lead to 48-45. But the Braves broke the press again, and Nevala scored on a baseline layup in the final seconds to make it a 50-45 final score. (You can hear radio replays of baskets by Botruff, Becker, Anderson, and Nevala....plus the final seconds of the game...by clicking the 'GLADSTONE 50, TAWAS 45' button on the left side of this page) "Sometimes, you work hard, and you never get that payoff," Dollhopf said. "You tell kids, 'just stay in there, work hard, work hard' and it doesn't happen. It's great to see these girls get that payoff. "This group has done everything that I've asked of them," Dollhopf added. "They've stayed with the game plan. This is real rewarding for me as a coach because I realize how special it is for us to be able to pave the way for other (Gladstone) teams in the future to do this." "This is amazing," Wells said. "We are all so excited. I've never been so nervous for a game in my entire life." Wells (12) dribbles during an earlier game. (Eric Thompson photo) >>> Botruff led Gladstone with 15 points, while Anderson had 14. Gracik had a game-high 17 points to lead Tawas, and Kolnitys added 12 points. "I told the girls that they had a chance to make history, and to seize the moment and take care of business," Dollhopf said. "Man, they stuck with it. I'm just so pleased to see them have the rewards of hard work." WATCH GLADSTONE vs TAWAS VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to see Ashlee Anderson score an inside basket. CLICK HERE  to see MacKenzie Shepeck score two from under the basket. CLICK HERE  to see Jammie Botruff get a steal and drive to the basket for two. CLICK HERE  to see Courtney Nevala sink a mid-range jumper. NEXT BRAVES GAME: The Gladstone Braves (18-7) advance to the Class B State quarterfinals against the Hemlock Huskies (21-3), next Tuesday night in Houghton Lake. The Hemlock Huskies also won their first-ever regional championship Thursday night with a stunning upset of previously-undefeated Morley-Stanwood, 62-57. <<<Gladstone's Jammie Botruff (20) and MacKenzie Shepeck (32) clutch their first regional trophy! CLICK HERE  to read the story about Hemlock's Thursday night win over Morley-Stanwood. CLICK HERE to watch video of Hemlock's win via WWTV (9 and 10) in Cadillac. Tuesday's quarterfinal game, with a trip to the Final Four at Michigan State University on the line, will start at 7:00. The Gladstone-Hemlock game will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5), WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

BRAVES 'D' OVERWHELMING  Gladstone's Jammie Botruff (20) looks to pass the ball during Tuesday's regional semi win over Cheboygan. (Andy Anderson photo) Gladstone Rolls Past Cheboygan GAYLORD---The secret to success for the Gladstone Braves girls basketball team's playoff run is really no secret at all. When the girls play with a high-octane sense of intensity on the defensive side of the ball, they win. When they're flat, they struggle. Well, as the girls played in their first regional tournament in almost two decades Tuesday night, their defensive intensity was stifiling. The 1-3-1 press (along with other assorted defenses) caused numerous turnovers as Gladstone raced to a 13-1 lead and cruised to a 67-46 win over the Cheboygan Chiefs in Gaylord. Gladstone will play for its first-ever regional championship Thursday night, again in Gaylord, against the Tawas Braves. Cheboygan came into this game with a 9-13 record, but the Gladstone girls were not about to overlook the Chiefs in this game. "You've got to expect the unexpected," Braves senior MacKenzie Shepeck said. "We didn't do anything different from any other game. We maybe came off the bus a little slow, but I think we made the adjustments that we needed to win." Longtime Cheboygan Coach Jason Purcell was concerned about Botruff's inside-out game, so he double-teamed her all night long. The Braves coaching staff was not surprised by this, and made the adjustments. Gladstone led, 24-7, after the first quarter, and 39-22 at halftime. (You can hear radio replays of a Jammie Botruff three-pointer, a MacKenzie Shepeck put-back basket, and a steal and hoop by Whitney Wells, by clicking the 'GLADSTONE 67 CHEBOYGAN 46' button on the left side of this page.) "It was all about passing the ball to other players," Gladstone Assistant Coach Lori Botruff said. "When they put that Diamond-and-one on her (Jammie), our whole team wound up with 20 assists and Jammie had to work hard for whatever she got. The whole team did good." Gladstone senior Miranda Boden. >>> Botruff still ended up with 13 points. Shepeck scored 17, including eight points in the third quarter as the Braves put the game away. "They were doubling on Jammie, so that leaves somebody open, and luckily, that was me," Shepeck said. "The team did a nice job of getting the passes into me." Whitney Wells also had a nice game, scoring 11 points on offense and being a general pest on defense. Nine different Braves players scored, as the team advanced to its first-ever regional championship game. "It's a great 'refresher' to know that the girls can do it, too," Shepeck said, referring to the Gladstone boys team making the regional finals in both 2003 and 2010. "It's really great to be down here." Anything the girls still need to work on heading into Thursday? "Cut down on our turnovers," Coach Botruff said. WATCH BRAVES-CHIEFS VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS (by Andy Cretens) CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's MacKenzie Shepeck score on a putback. CLICK HERE  to watch a Cheboygan player fall down; Abby Ballard gets a layup. CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's Whitney Wells get a steal and hoop. CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's Jammie Botruff nail a three-pointer.  CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's Courtney Nevala nail a three-pointer.                         Gladstone's Courtney Nevala (10) is guarded by Cheboygan's Jessica Beaudien during Tuesday night's regional semifinal game in Gaylord.  (Andy Anderson photo)

A DISTRICT TITLE AT LAST!                      The Braves pose with their district championship trophy. (Andy Anderson photo)  Braves Top Menominee To Win First Title Since 1993 MENOMINEE---The Gladstone High School girls basketball program has had a number of close calls over the years, but the district championship has eluded the Braves program since Bill Clinton was in the White House. It was 1993 when the Braves last made their trip to the regionals, but history will repeat itself next week after Gladstone beat the Menominee Maroons, 47-32, at the Menominee High School Gym. They say that it is hard to beat a team three times in a season. But the Braves did it to three different teams this week, completing season sweeps of the Kingsford Flivvers, Escanaba Eskymos, and now, the Maroons. "I think the girls were a little bit tired," Gladstone Coach Karl Dollhopf said. "Their legs started getting to them. We're not used to playing three games in one week and expending that type of energy. It was great to have the depth to bring girls in. The girls do enough to win. Tonight wasn't pretty, but when they needed to make plays, they make plays." It didn't matter to the girls how pretty the win looked. For them, especially the seniors, it was about as sweet as it gets. "It's great for my senior year to get something accomplished, because it's been since 1993, you know?" senior MacKenzie Shepeck said. "I was just born in that year (1993)!" senior Ashlee Anderson said. "I feel great. Couldn't be better. I'm excited. I love it." Gladstone's defense was the difference again, allowing the Maroons to score just three points in the first quarter and only four points in the fourth quarter. <<< Jammie Botruff has the ball up high against the Maroons' zone defense. But to Menominee's credit, the home team managed to stay close throughout the game, as the Braves could not get into an offensive rhythm. "We had a hard time getting the ball where we wanted to," Dollhopf said. "And I think we looked too hard. But it worked out." "I think we came out slow, but then we picked it up," Anderson said. "We figured as much," Shepeck added. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy. You can't just come in and expect that you're going to win. It's always going to be a battle. But I'm excited." Gladstone led, 12-3, after the first quarter, but Menominee's Kari Karkkainen got loose for three hoops in the second quarter and the Maroons were within 20-15. But Jammie Botruff nailed a long three, then Katie Becker got a steal and a hoop, to regain Gladstone's ten-point lead. (You can hear the radio replays of those two Braves hoops, plus earlier hoops from Botruff and Becker, by clicking the 'BRAVES WIN DISTRICT!' button on the left side of this page) The Braves were never able to put the Maroons away, as the lead stayed between six and eleven points throughout the second half. But, as Dollhopf noted, the girls made the plays when they needed to in the final quarter. It was the defense that held the Maroons off of the scoreboard, and Botruff hit six straight free throws (and quieting a rude Maroon student section). "I'm real happy, and real proud of the girls and their effort," Dollhopf said. Botruff had 15 points, Becker 12, and Shepeck 10 for the Braves. The Maroons were led by Karkkainen's 12 points and Jenna Rasner added 10. WATCH BRAVES-MAROONS VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to see MacKenzie Shepeck score on an out-of-bounds play. CLICK HERE  to see Shepeck score another bank-shot from in close. CLICK HERE  to see Menominee's Kari Karkkinen score; Jammie Botruff hit a three-pointer; and Katie Becker get a steal and a driving lay-up. CLICK HERE  to see Erin Boddy convert a turnover into a basket. CLICK HERE  to see the Braves get their medals and championship trophy!

BRAVES ROLL AGAIN                  Left photo: Gladstone's Jammie Botruff goes up for a shot as Escanaba's Olivia Nash defends. Above photo: Whitney Wells (12) and Trista Barron (20) tie each other up during an earlier game. (Eric Thompson photos) Botruff Pours In 30 Points As Braves Top Eskymos GLADSTONE---The Battle of Delta County Part Three went the same way the first two went. But this time, it went to the Gladstone Braves with an exclamation point. The Braves rolled to their sixth straight victory Wednesday night, overpowering the Escanaba Eskymos, 56-37, in the District semifinals at the Gladstone High School Gym. "Things didn't go as planned in the first half," Braves Coach Karl Dollhopf said. "We didn't give them as much pressure as we thought we could have, we got into foul trouble and (Olivia) Nash got loose a couple of times. But we battled through it, and our team depth was the difference." "Esky always gives us a good game," Braves junior Jenna Leisner said. "They always come out strong, win or lose. It's fun playing against them." Jammie Botruff was unstoppable both behind the three-point line, and inside the paint. She scored a game-high 30 points, including the first seven points of the second half that turned a close game into a 12-point contest. Escanaba junior Olivia Nash tried to match Botruff point-for-point. Nash scored 25 points as she continued her season-long dominance of the baseline. Nash also made 10 of her 11 free throws as she worked the offensive glass all night long to get more offensive chances. Olivia Nash (40) has the ball underneath as Ashlee Anderson (44) tries to catch her during an earlier game. (Eric Thompson photo)>>> "If you notice our stats, you'll see that she has more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds," Eskymo Coach Kelly O'Connell said. "That's how hard she works on the glass. She's had a lot of double-doubles this year, and that's because of her work ethic." Dollhopf was impressed, again, with Nash's play. "She is incredible as far as getting to the offensive glass," Dollhopf said. "She really, really puts a lot of pressure on you to box out and play good defense. She can score from deep, she can take a long rebound, good speed, good ballhandling. She is a special player." Unfortunately for the Eskymos, none of the other girls could get into an offensive rhythm besides Nash. No other Eskymo player scored more than three points in the contest. Gladstone didn't get too much besides Botruff's 30, either, but MacKenzie Shepeck and Whitney Wells both scored six. Gladstone led, 11-8, after the first quarter, and the Braves had a 24-19 lead at halftime. But things turned in the third quarter as Botruff scored seven points in the first two minutes of the quarter to make it a 31-21 game. "She had those three fouls and I was kind of hestitant about starting her again (to begin the second half)," Dollhopf said. "But, man, she is so active, and she wants it so bad, that's it's hard to pull her back. The last thing I wanted was for her to get her fourth. But we weren't two minutes in and she had seven points. So, I was like 'that was a good decision." "I didn't want to get a cheap one for my fourth, but I knew I still had to box out," Botruff said. "So, my defense wasn't my best." <<<Jammie Botruff goes up for a shot as Alexis Whitney (44) defends during an earlier game. (Eric Thompson photo)  Botruff continued to pound her way inside, and she made seven free throws in the third quarter alone. Botruff made 13 of 17 free throw attempts overall. Gladstone gradually built its lead throughout the second half, and the Braves outscored the Eskymos, 32-18, during that time. The earlier meetings between these two teams were both decided in the final couple of minutes of the game. But the Gladstone team is playing so well right now (described as a "clinic" by O'Connell) that it will take an awfully good team to beat the Braves right now. "We've made it past two (playoff) games now," Botruff said. "I've never made it past the first one before in my life. So, we came out strong. We wanted to be peaking for districts. We've just come on at the right time. If our defense stays strong, we should be good." "I just keep telling the kids, 'one step at a time, do what you have to do and put yourself in a position'," Dollhopf said. "You know? Don't try to get fancy. Don't try to be a hero. Let's just do what got us here." For Escanaba (11-10), it was the most successful season since 2004. "It means a lot to us," O'Connell said. "I set a goal this year because it's been a while since we had a winning season, and we knew it was going to be a tough schedule. I am extremely happy for our program." The Braves (15-7) travel to Menominee to play in the district championship game Friday night. Dollhopf was happy to hear about Menominee's 36-35 win over Sault Ste. Marie, but not because he's overlooking the Maroons. It's just a much shorter road trip! MacKenzie Shepeck (32) goes up for a shot against the Eskymos. Eric Thompson photo>> "Ya, I'm excited about the bus ride," Dollhopf said. "That's big. I really love the Menominee gym. We played well there last time (a 45-25 win on Feb. 3). I have a lot of good memories of that gym. It's going to be fun." (You can hear radio replays of baskets by Whitney Wells, Courtney Nevala, Katie Becker, Jammie Botruff, and by Escanaba's Mallory Zimmerman, by clicking the "GLADSTONE 56 ESCANABA 37' button on the left side of this page) WATCH ESKYMOS vs BRAVES VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's Jammie Botruff score a driving lay-up. CLICK HERE  to see Escanaba's Olivia Nash score a put-back basket. CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's Katie Becker sink a three-pointer. CLICK HERE  to see Gladstone's Erin Boddy sink a three-pointer. CLICK HERE  to see Escanaba's Brianna Grimm make a long two-point jumper. Pictured: Mallory Zimmerman has the ball during an earlier Esky-Gladstone game.                     Escanaba's Olivia Nash goes up for a shot as MacKenzie Shepeck (32) and the entire Gladstone team tries to stop her. (Eric Thompson photo. Visit his web site here )

DEFENSE RULES THE NIGHT  Kingsford's Carlee Benzie (11) cuts to the basket but is covered by Katie Becker (14) and Jammie Botruff (20). (Cody Frazer photos) Braves Stifle Flivvers; Host Eskymos Next GLADSTONE---The Gladstone Braves used an aggressive defense and balanced scoring to beat the Kingsford Flivvers, 74-42, in the girls basketball district opener Monday night at the Gladstone High School. Eleven of the twelve Braves players scored in the game, led by Jammie Botruff's 19 points. The offense was nice, but the real story was the Gladstone defense, which forced numerous Flivver turnovers. "I think the defensive pressure made a difference and started to open up things for us," Gladstone Coach Karl Dollhopf said. "It's a long season when you're shooting that many three's, and I think that Abby Ballard and Whitney Wells and some of our guard play really wore them out." The girls agreed with their coach's assessment of the game. "I think pushing the ball up the floor helped, because we were just running them down, wearing them out," Braves junior Courtney Nevala said. "And then defensively, our full-court defense was just pressuring the ball." "Usually, we start slow and pick it up in the second half," Braves senior Abby Ballard said. "But I really think that we came out strong in the first half this time and we just pushed it. It paid off in the end." In the first quarter, Botruff was tough for the Flivvers to stop. She scored eleven points in the quarter, routinely carving out her spot under the basket, and along the baseline. Ballard scored three straight baskets in that quarter as well, helping the Braves take a 22-14 lead. For Ballard, being an offensive scoring leader was a bit of a surprise. She ended up scoring 13 points in about three quarters of playing time. "Thirteen points is the most I've ever scored in my whole life," Ballard said with a big smile. "There was a lot of teamwork on the court, and I found the posts to be open a lot, so it was good to get them (teammates) the ball, and get them some easy baskets underneath." "It's really hard to put a value on the energy that she (Ballard) provides," Dollhopf said. "How many points does her 'energy' produce? She's out in front and she's working so hard, the other girls start watching that. She gets her hands up, she gets touches, and then they throw the ball a little higher." Gladstone opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run, as Katie Becker hit a three-point basket, Ashlee Anderson scored a bank-shot from in close, and Botruff hit another lay-up. That gave the Braves a 29-14 lead, and Kingsford Coach Mike Cross called another time out. It didn't help. Kingsford's Catherine Benzie (13) tries to shoot but is stopped by MacKenzie Shepeck (32) > Ballard nailed a three...yes, Ballard-the-defensive-specialist....and Botruff scored two more baskets. It was 40-25 Braves at halftime, and the outcome was not in doubt. When the Braves outscored Kingsford, 16-6, to start the second half (MacKenzie Shepeck had three of those baskets), it was 56-31 and the only question was the final score of the game. "We spent a lot of time talking about teamwork," Dollhopf said. "We said 'Hey, look. We don't care who scores, if we share the basketball, it can be a lot of fun'. The girls did a great job tonight sharing the basketball." Besides Botruff's 19 points and Ballard's 13, Anderson added 11 points and Shepeck contributed nine. Catherine Benzie led the Flivvers with 14 points, and Libby DeClark added ten points in a losing effort. (You can hear replays of baskets by Ballard, Anderson, and Botruff by clicking the 'BRAVES 74 FLIVVERS 42' button on the left side of this page) So, were the girls nervous now that the post-season has arrived? "I was more excited than nervous," Nevala said. "I knew that we had beat them both games is the regular season, so we had a good chance." Gladstone (14-7) hosts Escanaba on Wednesday in the semifinal round. "We're not going to do anything different (against Escanaba)," Dollhopf said. "If we can't win by doing what we're doing, then we don't deserve to win. I like how we're playing right now. It's all about playing hard, playing together, and playing smart." "It should be a good game," Nevala added. "Hopefully, there will be a lot of people here. I'm excited." Game time is 7:00. It will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com. WATCH BRAVES- FLIVVERS VIDEOS CLICK HERE  to see MacKenzie Shepeck get a basket and a foul. CLICK HERE  to see Courtney Nevala score.