Houghton guard Luke Hill (3) looks for a teammate to pass to during a District 2 District 33 semifinal game against Negaunee at the Houghton Gym. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The first time the Houghton Gremlins boys basketball team faced the Negaunee Miners, it was in Negaunee, with the Gremlins extracting a one-point victory that saw them put up 48 points in the first half and then hold on to win.

The Miners learned a lot from that game, like how to slow Houghton down in the second half. They then earned key wins over Ishpeming and Menominee in a stretch run that saw them also face Gladstone, Marquette, and Iron Mountain. Wednesday, all those lessons learned came to fruition in a 67-43 win over the Gremlins at the Houghton High School Gym in a Division 2 District 33 semifinal.

“First time we played them, we gave up 48 points in the first half, and I took the blame for that,” said Miners coach Brad Nelson. “Got a little bit too cute defensively with schemes and things like that. Second half, we held him to 17. So it’s kind of how the first half went tonight, protect the 3-point line, know where the shooters are, and keep a hand in the face at all times.

“I thought we executed almost to perfection.”

Nelson was absolutely spot on with his assessment. The Miners jumped out to a 17-11 lead after eight minutes and then pushed that advantage to 28-13 by halftime.

Oh, and then kept Houghton’s high-scoring senior guard Luke Hill to no points through the first 16 minutes of play.

“They face-guarded him, so they guarded him really tight,” said Gremlins coach Jared Lawson. “We looked on film, and we were trying to set screens for him, but we knew that really wasn’t going to be successful. So, we were trying to do a really pass-heavy offense, cut move, cut move, cut move. For the most part, everyone else was getting their looks.

“We made an emphasis. Usually, we could hit Luke in the post, and we did get a couple looks for him in the first half, but again, you got to give credit to Negaunee. We knew they play excellent defense. That’s what their coach does a really good job of coaching them on.”

As good as Negaunee’s defense was, Lawson also felt that his team really struggled on their home floor throughout the game.

“I also thought we were going to have some really good offense,” he said. “This is going to be a broken record, but just a bad shooting night. I think it’s Negaunee’s defense, and then just a bad shooting night.”

While he was busy holding Hill to just four points on the the night, the Miners’ sophomore guard Kyle Waterman also chipped in a big way offensively, as he racked up 16 points. Senior forward Brady Mager also added 16 as the Gremlins set their focus on the typically high-scoring senior guard Jordan Guenette, who was held to just seven.

“It’s just all around, we have guys,” Nelson said. “if they’re going to take Jordy away, Jordy’s been our leader in scoring all year, but we have guys that are athletes, and against the zone, you’re going to have different opportunities to score. That’s what we found tonight, and that’s what we’re going to need going forward, for sure.”

With the win, the Miners are going to face Kingsford on Friday, at 6 p.m., in Kingsford for the chance to advance to the regional tournament.

Negaunee hit eight 3-pointers in the game, the first three coming in the first quarter, one from Mager and two others from junior guard Easton Guenette. Guenette hit another in the second quarter before Houghton finally shut him down.

At the same time, the Gremlins, who normally connect on multiple 3-pointers in games, did not make a single one until the fourth quarter, when senior guard Lane Laux finally connected on two of the three Houghton had all night. Laux finished with a game-high 17 points.

“We picked the one night to have our worst shooting,” said Lawson. “It was like the worst time to pick it. I’ve never seen these guys, especially the four that put in just an unbelievable amount of time. We didn’t hit a three. In the third quarter, I think, was our first three. That’s unbelievable. Give credit to Negaunee, because they do play excellent defense, but it wasn’t like our defense was bad. We just couldn’t buy a bucket. They only had 11 points here in the second quarter, but they just, the way they play, they bleed you out.”

Lawson was proud of the way his team performed all season, despite the way it ended.

“It’s very frustrating, because we felt good,” he said. “We knew it was a 50/50 shot coming in, and for us in Division 2, that’s the best shot we’ve had since I’ve been coaching here. It’s just, to get good opportunities like that, and we felt good coming in, there’s no doubt about it. The kids put a lot of time in.

“We had a good game plan. I thought that game plan Terence (Nolan) had those two threes rattle in and out. That changes the complexity of the game. Just because our zone was rattling them a little bit. But again, you have to make your shots. You don’t make them, you have a great team like Negaunee on the other side, great coach. They know how to just bleed out the game.”

The Gremlins finished their season 17-6 for the best record since 2009-10, when they went 17-5.