Brimley at St. Ignace – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 9, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the BleacherDenizenMobile has made the trip from last night’s game in Mt. Pleasant to St. Ignace High School, where the hometown Saints will be competing with the Brimley Bays in a girls basketball game. Brimley enters the game with a 2-3 record while St. Ignace is at 1-4

Your Bleacher Denizen is usually in Lansing, but many years, he comes to the Upper Peninsula to cover some games. This year, I will be going to Ewen to watch two of the top Upper Peninsula girls’ basketball teams, Ewen-Trout Creek and Baraga on Tuesday. However, I’m here in St. Ignace tonight and eager to see these teams compete!

Brimley Coach Matthew Bathey told me that his team likes to press and shoots a lot of three point shots. The Bays stress shooting in their practices. He mentioned Calie Tremblay as a team leader who is also a big scorer.

St. Ignace Coach Dorene Ingalls helped me with this information about her Saint players. Sophomore Katie Halberg is a versatile defender who can play in the post or on the perimeter. She can also score either in the post or from the three point line. Avery Visnaw is a four year varsity starter and senior leader who plays quick, relentless defense. She runs the point where she is a solid passer and ball handler. When she drives into the lane, she has an accurate floater for scoring.

Addie Winberg is a strong post player who is an effective rebounder and can score in the paint. On offense, she also is a good passer who can keep the ball moving around the perimeter. Margo Belonga is an athletic freshman guard who leaps and rebounds well for a guard. She is a tough perimeter defender. Tayah Shepard is a senior post player who defends the post and rebounds well. She is also able to step out and hit the three point shot.

Hannah Gady is a good perimeter defender who runs the floor well and can hit the three point shot. Emily Werkheiser and Vee Kingsbury are energetic perimeter defenders who help a lot in the Saints’ press.

While we wait for the game to begin, I hope you will enjoy this video of “Four In The Morning” from my You Tube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwKDbxp-uuE

I was at the gym in time to see the JV game. Brimley’s JVs got out to a 14-4 lead after one quarter and led 28-9 at halftime. The Bays controlled the game the rest of the way and won the game by the final score of 49-13.

Kennah Kovacs had 7 points to lead the St. Ignace JVs. Gracia St. Andrew and Lilly Harrigan each scored 3 points.

Hunter Hopper led the Brimley JVs with 12 points. Hayden Hopper joined her in double figures with 11 points. Norah Smart contributed 7 points. Marie Willis and Emery Hill each added 6 points. Lenna Jones tossed in 3 points. Rylie Sheppard and Adrianna Tremblay each tallied 2 points.

The St. Ignace Pep Band entertained the crowd before the game. They did a fine job on “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga and “YMCA” by the Village People! It’s fun watching students get to perform spirited songs for a big audience.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the hopefully open eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to hoop in the days of yore. It seems that the Bleacher Denizen was never able to learn that his coach and teammates only appreciate scoring when it is done in the correct basket. The Bleacher Denizen loved the applause he would get when he scored in the wrong basket at away games and misinterpreted how it affected his team’s winning.

When the coach was not able to get the Bleacher Denizen to break this unfortunate habit, your Bleacher Denizen saw his playing time taken by more traditional (but less creative) teammates who only shot at the same basket everyone on the team did. Alas, life is not always fair.

Brimley wins the opening tap. Avery Visnaw gets her hand on the ball, but the Bays recover. Avery Visnaw gets her hand on the ball again, but the Bays recover again. Katie Halberg steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a fast break layup and fouls on the rebound. Avery Visnaw steals the ball from the Bays and is fouled in the process.

Brimley plays tough defense and keeps St. Ignace from inbounding the ball in the required five seconds. Brimley throws a pass out of bounds. Makenna Cameron knocks the ball away from St. Ignace and Lily Carrick picks it up for Brimley. Brimley misses a fast break layup. Calie Tremblay steals the ball for the Bays. Vee Kingsbury steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace turns the ball over.

Tayah Shepard knocks a Bay pass out of bounds; Brimley retains possession. Brimley is whistled for a traveling violation. Addie Winberg passes to Katie Halberg, who is fouled on a layup. Katie Halberg hits one of her two free throws to give her Saints the first point of the game with 5:21 remaining in the opening quarter.

St. Ignace plays tough defense and prevents Brimley from inbounding the ball in the required five seconds, so they take possession. Khloe Dumas steals the ball for Brimley. Lily Carrick drives and hits a layup to give Brimley a 2-1 lead.

St. Ignace misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Hannah Gady pulls down the offensive rebound for the Saints. The Saints miss a driving layup. Brimley is assessed with an over and back violation. St. Ignace misses a driving layup. Addie Winberg pulls down the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Addie Winberg hits a putback to give St. Ignace a 3-2 lead.

Brimley misfires on a triple try from the side. St. Ignace misses a layup. Addie Winberg makes a putback for the Saints. Katie Halberg steals the ball for the Saints. Margo Belonga inbounds the ball to Avery Visnaw, who is fouled on a six foot banked shot from the side and hits two free throws to give St. Ignace a 7-2 lead with 3:07 remaining in the opening quarter.

Calie Tremblay passes to Kamara Bator, who hits a layup for Brimley. Kamara Bator steals a St. Ignace pass. Katie Halberg knocks a Bay pass out of bounds; Brimley retains possession. Brimley misses a layup. Lily Carrick and Khloe Dumas double team a Saint ball handler and steal the ball. Katie Halberg gets her hand on the ball, but the Bays recover. Brimley misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Bays get another opportunity. Calie Tremblay hits a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane to trim the Saint lead to 7-6.

Margo Belonga is fouled and hits one of her two free throws for St. Ignace. Brimley misses a driving layup. Calie Tremblay gets the offensive rebound for the Bays. Tayah Shepard steals the ball for the Saints. Lily Carrick steals the ball for the Bays. Katie Halberg steals the ball for the Saints. The Bleacher Denizen wonders if he should be reporting this blatant public theft to the authorities. St. Ignace ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s angst, but misses an eight foot banked shot off the dribble from the side.

Katie Halberg continues the crime spree and steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a six foot shot from the side of the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Brimley gets the ball. Addie Winberg steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a driving layup. Margo Belonga gets the offensive rebound, but the first quarter buzzer seeks attention and blares to end the quarter before St. Ignace can shoot.

After one quarter, St. Ignace has a 7-6 lead.

St. Ignace inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Saints misfire on a triple try from the side. Margo Belonga hits a putback for the Saints. Tayah Shepard gets her hand on the ball and Brimley loses it out of bounds. Calie Tremblay knocks the ball out of bounds; the Saints retain possession. Avery Visnaw is fouled on a ten foot floater and hits one of her two free throws to give St. Ignace a 10-6 lead with 7:09 to play in the second quarter.

Katie Halberg steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Katie Halberg knocks a Bay pass out of bounds; Brimley retains possession. Addie Winberg steals the ball for the Saints. Lily Carrick steals the ball for the Bays and hits a fast break layup. Kamara Bator steals a Saint pass. Brimley travels with the ball. (Basketball cliches can be interesting. Somehow, I don’t believe that traveling “without the ball” would be terribly newsworthy in a basketball report.) Khloe Dumas ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s musings, steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Brimley to tie the game at 10-10.

St. Ignace misses a driving layup and fouls on the rebound. Brimley misses a threeball from the side. Makenna Cameron is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to give her Bays an 11-10 lead with 5:13 remaining in the second quarter.

Calie Tremblay steals the ball for the Bays. Brimley commits an over and back violation. Katie Halberg hits a threeball from the top of the key to give her Saints a two point lead. Brimley misses a threeball from the wing. A St. Ignace player is caught with the ball while falling out of bounds and flings the ball into the action. Makenna Cameron steals the loose ball for the Bays. Avery Visnaw knocks the ball away from the Bays and Addie Winberg picks it up for the Saints.

St. Ignace commits an offensive foul. Katie Halberg blocks a Brimley layup. The Bays recover the loose ball, but miss a triple try from the wing. St. Ignace misses a driving layup. Emily Werkheiser gets her hand on the ball, but the Bays recover. Makenna Cameron is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to trim the St. Ignace lead to 13-12 with 3:00 remaining in the first half.

Calie Tremblay pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bays. Tayah Shepard forces Brimley into a traveling violation. Kamara Bator steals the ball for the Bays. Addie Winberg knocks the ball away from the Bays, but Brimley recovers. Emily Werkheiser steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a fast break layup. A Brimley pass into the lane goes out of bounds.

St. Ignace misfires on a threeball from the corner. Margo Belonga steals the ball from the Bay right after they rebound it and hits a layup for the Saints. Brimley turns the ball over. Makenna Cameron steals the ball for the Bays. Lily Carrick hits a fast break layup for Brimley and is fouled. She misses her free throw. With 1:26 remaining in the second quarter, St. Ignace holds a 15-14 lead.

St. Ignace fumbles a pass out of bounds. Tayah Shepard knocks the ball away from Brimley and Avery Visnaw picks it up for St. Ignace. The Saints miss a layup. Calie Tremblay drives from the side and hits a twelve foot shot shot to give Brimley the lead. St. Ignace misses a driving six for shot in the lane. Brimley misses a rushed twenty-five footer from the wing as the halftime buzzer declares that it is time for a break.

Brimley has a 16-15 lead at halftime. Your Bleacher Denizen predicts that Brimley will also lead 16-15 at the start of the third quarter.

Lily Carrick leads the Brimley scoring at halftime with 6 points and Calie Tremblay has 4 points.

Addie Winberg, Margo Belonga and Katie Halberg each have 4 points for St. Ignace.

During halftime, I hope you will enjoy these videos from my You Tube Channel.

“A Man Like Me” is an original song about an office worker with Walter Mitty fantasies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

“Bring It On Home to Me” is a blues standard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flgzousiL9g

As the third quarter opens, your Bleacher Denizen smugly notes that the score is indeed 16-15 at the beginning of the third quarter. He begins twisting himself into a pretzel shape trying to pat himself on the back, but some observant fans sitting near him stop him before he strains himself too much to take notes for the second half.

St. Ignace has the ball to open quarter number three. The Saints miss a layup. Avery Visnaw hits a putback to retake the lead for the Saints. Brimley misses a layup. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Brimley misses a layup. Brimley misses a layup. Khloe Dumas pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bays. Avery Visnaw knocks a Bay pass out of bounds; Brimley retains possession. Lily Carrick passes to Makenna Cameron, who banks in a threeball from the wing to give Brimley a 19-17 lead.

(I’m sure I heard her call “BANK!!”)

Calie Tremblay steals the ball for the Bays. Brimley misses a three point shot from the side. Avery Visnaw is fouled on a driving layup. She hits one of her two free throws to pull St. Ignace to within one point. The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and Brimley takes possession. Calie Tremblay passes to Kamara Bator, who hits a layup to give Brimley a 21-18 lead.

Sophia Bathey steals the ball for the Bays. Avery Visnaw steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Margo Belonga hits a putback for the Saints. Brimley misses a layup. Lily Carrick knocks the ball away from the Saints and Kamara Bator picks it up from the Bays. Brimley misses a fifteen footer from the side. Khloe Dumas picks up the offensive rebound for the Bays. Brimley misses a threeball from the top of the key. Tayah Shepard hits an eight foot shot in the lane to give her Saints a 22-21 lead.

Brimley misses a three pointer from the wing. St. Ignace misses a three pointer from the side. Margo Belonga gets the offensive rebound for the Saints. Tayah Shepard throws in a threeball from the side to give St. Ignace a 25-21 lead.

Brimley misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Lily Carrick grabs the offensive rebound for the Bays. Brimley misses a three point shot from the side. Lily Carrick steals the ball for the Bays. Margo Belonga ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow consults her Magic 8 Ball and decides to award the ball to the Bays. Brimley misses a layup. Calie Tremblay hits a putback for the Bays to trim the Saint lead to 25-23.

St. Ignace misses a layup. Addie Winberg grabs the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side and fouls on the rebound. Calie Tremblay drives from the side and hits a layup. She is fouled on the play and misses her free throw, but Brimley has tied the game at 25-25 with 1:20 remaining in quarter number three.

Katie Halberg drives and hits a layup six seconds later. She is fouled on the shot and hits a free throw to give St. Ignace a three point lead. Khloe Dumas drives and dishes the ball to Sophia Bathey, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to cut the St. Ignace lead to 28-27 with 1:10 remaining.

Katie Halberg passes to Tayah Shepard, who gives the ball back to her. Katie Halberg hits a layup for St. Ignace. Brimley misses a layup. Katie Halberg drives and hits a layup for St. Ignace. The Bays loses a pass out of bounds. The Saints commit an offensive foul. Brimley misses a threeball from the side. St. Ignace misses a heave as the buzzer announces that it is time for quarter number three to end.

With three quarters in the books, St. Ignace has a 32-27 lead.

St. Ignace inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. Khloe Dumas steals the ball for Brimley. Lily Carrick passes the ball to Sophia Bathey, who hits a fifteen foot shot from the side for the Bays. St. Ignace misses a layup. Brimley misses a three point shot from the side. Avery Visnaw is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to give St. Ignace a 33-29 lead with 6:42 left on the clock.

Avery Visnaw pulls down the offensive rebound from the missed free throw. St. Ignace travels while making a post move. Brimley is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Makenna Cameron draws a charging foul from the Saints. The St. Ignace press forces Brimley to lose a pass out of bounds. St. Ignace misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Emily Werkheiser steals the ball and hits a fast break layup. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 5:37 remaining in the game, St. Ignace has a 35-29 lead.

Tayah Shepard taps the offensive rebound for the Saints to Addie Winberg. Calie Tremblay steals the ball for Brimley. Calie Tremblay hits a layup for Brimley. Tayah Shepard passes to Avery Visnaw, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws for St. Ignace. Calie Tremblay is fouled on a driving eight foot banked shot from the side and hits one of her two free throws to shave the Saint lead to 36-32 with 4:45 to go.

St. Ignace throws a pass out of bounds. Brimley misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Sophia Bathey snares the offensive rebound for the Bays. Brimley is assessed with a traveling violation. St. Ignace misses a driving layup. Brimley misses a threeball from the corner. Lily Carrick gets the offensive rebound for the Bays. Tayah Shepard steals a Bay pass. St. Ignace misses a threeball from the side. Avery Visnaw is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to give her Saints a 38-32 lead with 2:54 left in the game.

Calie Tremblay drives and hits a layup for Brimley. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Tayah Shepard chases down the long offensive rebound for the Saints. Avery Visnaw drives and hits an eight foot floater for St. Ignace. Brimley misses a layup. Lily Carrick pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bays. She passes to Calie Tremblay, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to shave the Saint lead to 40-35 with 1:10 remaining.

Katie Halberg hits a driving layup for the Saints. Addie Winberg knocks a Bay pass into the lane out of bounds to prevent a layup. Brimley retains possession. Khloe Dumas is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to cut the St. Ignace lead to 42-36 with 35.1 seconds to go.

The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow flips her lucky quarter and decides to award the ball to Brimley. Tayah Shepard blocks a Brimley eight foot shot in the lane and controls the ball. St. Ignace is fouled with 28.9 seconds left, but misses two free throws. Margo Belonga snags the important offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace is called for traveling. Brimley misses a driving layup. Katie Halberg is fouled and hits two free throws to give St. Ignace a 44-36 lead with 13.8 seconds remaining.

Katie Halberg steals the ball. She hits a layup just before the final buzzer.

St. Ignace wins this intense battle by the final score of 46-36.

Calie Tremblay led the Brimley scoring with 14 points. Lily Carrick contributed 6 points. Makenna Cameron tossed in 5 points. Kamara Bator and Sophia Bathey each added 4 points. Khloe Dumas scored 3 points.

Katie Halberg led the St. Ignace scoring with 17 points. Avery Visnaw joined her teammate in double figures with 12 points. Margo Belonga contributed 6 points. Tayah Shepard pitched in with 5 points. Addie Winberg put in 4 points. Emily Werkheiser tallied 2 points.