Lady Hematites are reloaded for another big year

ISHPEMING — The Lady Hematites are bringing back one of the most talented senior groups in the entire U.P. and they’ve already seen how good they can be together, getting a big win over previously undefeated Munising in the district semi–finals.

“Any time you have a little success, it breeds more success and I think the girls tasted a lot of it last year. We won some close games and that helps us learn a lot about ourselves when it comes to crunch time of basketball games. Hopefully it still breeds success into the 2017-2018 season,” head coach Ryan Reichel said.

“It was a great experience for them because they got to step up and play their game, and I was there to support them so that was good, too. I think we just need to start talking to each other a little bit more, letting each other know what we’re doing and how we can help each other out,” said guard Madigan Johns.

Four of the six seniors have been playing meaningful minutes since their sophomore year, and all of that experience will come in handy in a very competitive year for U.P. girls basketball.

“Conference record and regular season record isn’t really going to dictate who is the best. It’s going to be the playoffs that are going to show when it comes down to it. I like what I see with out team and I like what I see with other teams. It’s going to be fun basketball and this is why the MPC is the best girls basketball conference in the U.P.,” Reichel said.

The Lady Hematites will host Bark River–Harris next Tuesday for their season opener.