Ishpeming, MI – February 26th, 2022 – The Ishpeming Hematites boys basketball beat the Gwinn Modeltowners at home 44-32. What was a close game, the Hematites were able to pull away in the games final 4 minutes for the win. Tyler Young and Bob Nadeau had the call live on 98.3 WRUP!
1Q: Ishpeming wins the opening tip off for the first opportunity given to the Hematites. Jayce Kipling drives the ball in but loses the ball for turnover. Gwinn get the scoring started when they made one free throw from a shooting foul taking the lead, 1-0. A defensive battled ensued as neither team would score in the games first 3 minutes. AJ Prosser puts the Hematites on the board and take the lead by making a jump shot off the back glass. Preston Gauthier gets his scoring sheet going by getting an offensive rebound and drawing a shooting foul, making 1/2 free throws on the play.
Prosser makes a nice move at the top of the key, allowing him to drive to the basket for a floater extending the Hematite lead to 3 with two minutes to go in the first quarter. Kipling makes his first points of the game when he drained 2 free throws off a shooting foul. Overall, the first quarter was a low scoring affair as both teams had sloppy offensive play coupled with solid defensive play. The Hematites look to get their offense started in the second quarter.
End of 1st: Ishpeming 7, Gwinn 4
2Q: Gwinn gets the first points of the second quarter by driving into traffic to make a contested layup, cutting the Hematite lead down to 7-6. A back and forth battle would begin between the teams. The Modeltowners take the lead when Prosser misses a shot under the basket, taking the ball down the court to shoot a shot off the glass. Gauthier makes a shot to retake the lead, making it 9-8. Gwinn immediately responds with a 3-pointer to take their lead to 2 points. The Modeltowners adds to the lead when Carl Peterson takes a fast break ball down to the basket for an easy layup, Gwinn leading 13-8 with 3 minutes to go in the second quarter.
The Ishpeming Hematites would end the first half on a high note after a couple of made free throws and a tough floater to make the score 15-12 into the half. The game continued to be a tough low scoring affair as they combined for 27 points in 16 minutes of play. Prosser had 10 boards going into the half time break.
End of 2nd: Ishpeming 15, Gwinn 12
3Q: Hematite Kipling takes the ball off the inbound pass and drives down in the lane for a made jump shot to get the second half started and trimming the Modeltowner lead to one point. After a made Modeltowner field goal, Ryan Maki answers for the Hematites with a dribble and jump shot. Kipling gives the Hematites the lead on the next offensive possession by getting his own missed shot and put back for an 18-17 lead. Gwinn’s Conner Dupras hits a clutch 3-pointer to stifle any momentum the Hematites were accruing.
With under 2 minutes to play in the third period, Kipling dribbles around the top of the key and fires off a 3-pointer, making it 21-20 Hematites. After a few possessions, Ishpeming’s Gauthier hit a big 3-pointer to give the Hematites their biggest lead of the night at 4 points. With 24 seconds to go, the Hematites drive into the lane and get blocked by Gwinn, taking the ball back for a buzzer beater put back shot and cutting the Hematite lead down to one.
End of 3rd: Ishpeming 25, Gwinn 24
4Q: Ishpeming starts off with the ball and take advantage of some miscommunication by the Modeltowners , Griffin Argall driving into the lane for a nice jump shot and first points of the game. Kipling also keeps the offensive momentum going by driving into the paint and making a shot. Gwinn’s night looked to be in peril after Maki receives the ball at the corner, making the open 3 pointer and giving the Hematites a five point lead with 5 minutes to go. Ishpeming with clear momentum force Gwinn’s coach to call a full timeout to get his players back on the same page.
Immediately after the timeout however, Prosser makes consecutive field goals to extend the Ishpeming lead to 36-27. Ishpeming could not miss in the game final 3 minutes, making it impossible for Gwinn to mount a comeback. Prosser took over at the end of the game on both sides of the ball making tough shots and grabbing crucial rebounds. Ishpeming would end the game with ease and close the low scoring affair at 44-32.
End of Game: Ishpeming 44, Gwinn 32
Next Game: The Ishpeming Hematites will host West Iron County Tuesday, March 1st with a scheduled tip off time at 7:15PM. The call will be made live on 98.3 WRUP!
LISTEN TO THE FULL BROADCAST: ISHPEMING HEMATITES VS GWINN MODELTOWNERS