Ishpeming's Mariah Austin (2) faces pressure from St. Ignace defenders Emmalee Hart (5) and Hallie Marshall (12) in Thursday's Class C regional championship game at Escanaba. (Mike Mattson/The Daily Press)

ESCANABA — It never hurts to have a cushion to work with going into the second half of any basketball game

The St. Ignace girls were fortunate enough to have a 21-point halftime advantage as they held on for a 70-56 triumph over the Ishpeming Hematites in a Class C regional final.

This marked the ninth consecutive regional championship for the Saints (23-1) who meet Maple City Glen Lake (22-2) in a state quarterfinal contest Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Gaylord. Ishpeming finished 20-4.

St. Ignace led 37-16 at halftime, but the Hematites didn’t just go away.

Ishpeming opened the third quarter with a 15-5 run, trimming its deficit with 42-31.

“We were lucky to have that lead at the half, otherwise it would have been a tighter game,” said senior forward Linnee Gustafson, who led the Saints with 18 points and 15 rebounds. “I knew our team was a little flustered and could see the concern in the coaches’ eyes, but they were still down by 11. I think that helped us keep our heads on straight. We’re lucky we won. We wanted a second shot at them (Glen Lake). We’re hoping for a different outcome this time.””

The Saints, who fell to Glen Lake in last year’s quarterfinals, finished the third stanza with 11-1 run Thursday.

They built their lead to 52-32 on a free throw by Gustafson with 15 seconds left in third.

Ishpeming opened the fourth frame with an 8-2 run, climbing within 53-40 on a pair of free throws by Johns with five minutes, 35 seconds left to play.

St. Ignace again responded, pushing its lead to 60-40 on a pair of gifters by junior forward Emily Coveyou with 4:17 remaining.

The Hematites made one more run, trimming their deficit to 64-54 on a free throw by senior guard Katie Loman.

By then there were only 60 seconds remaining and the Saints finished by going 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

“Our girls never quit,” said Ishpeming coach Ryan Reichel. “They haven’t given up all year. I thought St. Ignace was phenomenal. Their (full-court pressure) defense was like going into a beehive. I thought both teams showed little bit of nerves. Our girls kept battling, but just couldn’t get over that hump. Credit goes to the St. Ignace girls. They bent, but didn’t break.”

The Saints grabbed 19-9 lead on a jumper from the left corner by freshman guard Hallie Marshall late in the opening frame and extended it to 37-16 on a layup by senior forward Keshia Davis 50 seconds before the intermisson.

“Ishpeming came out on fire in the third quarter,” said Saints’ coach Dorene Ingalls. “We knew they had good shooters, but didn’t lock down on them enough. We had different kids step up at different times. I’m proud of the way they came out and played with energy.”

Coveyou finished with 17 points. Marshall hit 14 and freshman guard Emmalee Hart had 11.

“Our freshman guards scored 25 points and we needed that,” Ingalls said. “We lost sight of two (Austin) and 10 (Johns). You can’t do that because they’re too good of players. We had a couple plays that didn’t go our way, but the girls adjusted and still made a basket. I’m proud of their effort.”

Austin drained four 3-point shots and led the Hematites with 25 points. Johns sank five trifectas and finished with 21.

“Mariah came to play and Madigan did a great job down the stretch,” Reichel said. “Our season went about as planned. We wanted one more win, but it just didn’t work out.”

The Saints committed 20 turnovers and the Hematites had 17, including just four in the second half.

St. Ignace 19 18 15 18 — 70

Ishpeming 9 7 16 24 — 56

ST. IGNACE (70): Shepard 2, E. Hart 11, Coveyou 17, Marshall 12, Gustafson 18, Davis 8. FT: 17-24. F: 12. 3PT: Marshall 2, E. Hart.

ISHPEMING (56): Austin 25, Loman 1, Asgaard 2, Johns 21, Bertucci 4, Sjoholm 3. FT: 5-9. F: 22 (Johns fouled out). 3PT: Johns 5, Austin 4.