Whenever a good basketball team loses a game in which it failed to play up to its standards, the best thing that can happen is another contest as soon as possible.
This was the case for the Munising boys last week. On the day after Christmas, the Mustangs — who were coming off their first loss of the season six days earlier to Forest Park — traveled to Ishpeming Township in Marquette County to take on the Westwood Patriots in a non-conference matchup.
It didn’t go well for Munising, as Westwood posted a 13-point win. (See the story at right.)
The very next night, however, the Mustangs were back in the same area facing the host Ishpeming Hematites. Munising was determined to end 2024 on a high note.
“Before the game, we talked in the locker room and said we had to put things into fifth gear,” Munising senior Carson Kienitz said. “Especially after two losses in a row, we had to come out here and leave everything on the floor. I think we did that. We gave it our all. We got on the boards, and we fought for every loose ball.”
The result was what the Mustangs were looking for: a commanding 73-60 non-conference victory in which they led by nine points at the half and by 20 in the final two minutes.
“I thought we played hard tonight,” Mustangs coach Terry Kienitz said. “We really gave it everything. And that was what we preached today. We had a twogame losing skid, so we wanted to stop the bleeding. And you know, it’s just effort. I felt like we were getting outplayed [in the losses]. Tonight, we battled.”
Munising built a 15-11 advantage in the first quarter, paced by senior Jack Dusseault’s six points. He and Kienitz each scored six more in the second, and senior Trevor Nolan led the way with 11 in the quarter.
In the third, it was Kienitz’s turn to take the lead as he poured in 10 points. Then, in the final frame, Nolan again had the hot hand with nine points — mostly on drives to the hoop — on his way to a game-high 30.
Kienitz finished with 19, Dusseault scored 14 and junior Nolan Connaughton added nine.
“I think that’s what makes this team so tough,” Terry Kienitz said. “You can’t focus on just one of us. … They had some early foul trouble, and they had to switch some guys, so we just kind of played the matchups. We worked on finding the best matchups.”
Having ended 2024 on a winning note, the Mustangs play today at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Munising girls face Brimley at noon, and the boys take on Brimley at 2 p.m.
“We’ve been looking forward to this,” Nolan said. “I’m very grateful to our coaches and school for making this possible.”
