Gladstone, MI – January 24, 2017 – The Ishpeming Hematites boys basketball team got off to a slow start Tuesday night in Gladstone en route to a 69-48 loss at the hands of the host Braves.
The Gladstone Braves came out ready to play, and stifled the Hematites on the defensive end. The Hematites couldn’t get much going offensively and dug themselves an early hole. The Braves got out to a 5-0 run on a Reece Castor bucket and Rudy Peterson 3-pointer. Hart Holmgren got things going for the Hematites with a basket to make the score 5-2, but the Gladstone full-court press was just too much. Gladstone outscored the Hematites 19-8 in the 1st quarter.
The 2nd quarter started out much better offensively. Hart Holmgren hit 2 consecutive 3-pointers to cut the Hematites deficit to just 6. Another Holmgren 3, his third of the quarter, cut the lead to 7 near the end of the quarter. Gladstone’s Reece Castor hit a pair of free throws to extend the Brave’s lead to 9 as the teams entered halftime.
The beginning of the 3rd quarter was a back-breaker for the Hematites. Much like the beginning of the game, Ishpeming couldn’t get anything going offensively. Gladstone scored the first 9 points of the 2nd half, 6 of which came from junior forward, Brad Spindler. A Hart Holmgren 3-pointer cut the Brave’s lead to 14 in the latter-half of the quarter, but it was the last time the Hematites would be that close. Gladstone went on an 11-0 run to extend their lead to 25. At the start of the 4th quarter, the Hematites trailed by 29.
Ishpeming put in a good defensive performance in the final quarter, holding the Braves to just 7 points. But the hole proved to be too much. The Hematites ended up dropping in this one, 69-48.
The Hematites look to get back on the winning track when they take on the Houghton Gremlins on Tuesday, January 31st. We’ll have all the action for you on 98.3 WRUP and streaming live on WRUP.com.
LISTEN – FULL GAME – Ishpeming Hematites defeated by Gladstone Braves 69-48