It was the showdown of top-ranked UP basketball teams tonight as the Ishpeming Hematites traveled to Iron Mountain to take on the number one ranked Mountaineers. Ishpeming kept things close until the final whistle but lost 77-80. Audio from tonight’s game can be found at wrup.com.
The Ishpeming Hematites tonight shot 61% from the field in the first half yet found themselves trailing 33-26 at halftime. Offensive rebounds were key for the top-ranked Mountaineers who took 31 first half shots compared to Ishpeming’s eighteen . The Hematites did a great job of protecting the basketball, only turning the ball over 4 times through 2 quarters. They held Iron Mountain to just 38% shooting but weren’t able to defensibly rebound the ball. Gavin Sundberg scored seven first half points with two rebounds while Hart Holmgren was the Hematites leading scorer with eleven points.
Ishpeming continued their hot shooting in the third quarter bringing their field goal percentage up to 71% while bringing the game as close as two points, 53-51 headed into the fourth quarter. The Hematites were finally able to come down with some defensive rebounding, limiting Iron Mountains shot total in the quarter.
Tonight’s action reached a climatic finish with both teams trading jabs at one another with the score even heading into the final minute of regulation. Ishpeming led by as many as 5 points before Iron Mountain went on a 7-0 run to take a 72-71 lead with fifty-nine seconds remaining. That would be the closest Ishpeming would get in the final minute as turnovers and lights out free-throw shooting for the Mountaineers sank the Hematites, 80-77.
The Ishpeming Hematites are back on the road Monday Feb. 5 in L’anse to take on the Purple Hornets. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:15 with pregame coverage starting at 7 o’clock. Listen live on 98.3 WRUP and streaming online at wrup.com.
Listen to tonight’s exhilarating game audio here:
