Copper Kings girls basketball head coach Matt Laho knew what his team was getting into when they took the floor against No. 4 Marquette on Wednesday night.

Last night it was a different story as they came prepared, and it paid off as they won 62-47.

They had played the Redettes two weeks earlier in a non-conference match up in Marquette and lost 55-42.

“When we played them at their place, we knew we could compete,” Laho said. “Our plan was to move the ball around and control the shots, and it worked.”

The Redettes (9-3) shot themselves out to a 6-2 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but it didn’t stay that way for long.

A three-pointer posted by Calumet’s (8-3) Mary Beth Halonen tied the score at 10 at the 2:24 mark. However Marquette would come up on top to end the first period 14-12.

Laho and his crew knew there was a big size difference between themselves and the Redettes. However they played around it with precise patience.Forced to the perimeter, the scrappy guards of Calumet chose the three ball as their weapon of choice.

Calumet started the second quarter with three of them. First it was Halonen who put the Copper Kings on top with hers. It was her third of the evening. Sophomore Alexis Strom then drilled one and Ellie Djerf followed to make the score 21- 18.

At the 1:12 mark the Copper Kings had their biggest lead of the night at 10 points 31-21.

“We are usually an team that likes to get inside and drive,” Laho said. “When we could not do that, the girls knew that they could shoot the three.”

Down 31-24 at the mid-way point, Redettes coach Ben Smith knew his team would have to come out strong in the third and make up some ground. His hopes were short lived as his girls opened the second half with four turnovers which Calumet converted on. A couple of missed passes and a steal put the score at 39-24 in Calumet’s favor.

The Redettes shooting also went flat. It took them 2:30 into the third for them to simply post two points.

“Calumet’s scrappiness got to us,” Smith said. “You can’t lose the ball like we did and expect to make that up.”

After three quarters of play, the Copper Kings led by 14 and kept that lead for much of the fourth as they strolled in to a 62-47 victory. The Copper Kings had four girls in double figures. They included leading scorers Halonen with 21 and Djerf with 18. Marquette’s Maria Millado led her team with 15 points.

The Copper Kings will travel to face the Hancock Bulldogs on Monday.

Marquette 14 10 10 13 — 47

Calumet 12 19 17 14 — 62

MARQUETTE (47): Warchock 2, Ketzenberger 3, Millado 15, Puskala 2, Michelin 13, Carter 4, Kelly 2. 3-point FG: 1 (Michelin). F: 13 FT: 12-21.

CALUMET (62): Loukus 11, Djerf 18, Halonen 21, Giachino 2, Strom 10. 3-point FG: 6 (Halonen 3, Loukus 1, Djerf 2) F: 14 FT: 11-21.