Gwinn, MI – January 17th, 2019 – Coming off an amazing high after defeating the Marquette Redmen, the Ishpeming Hematites boys basketball team had to face another tough opponent in the Gwinn Modeltowners. Gwinn had defeated the Hematites earlier in the season by a single basket, and Ishpeming was on the hunt for revenge. All the excitement was covered as usual by Tyler and Bob, only on 98.3 WRUP and online at WRUP.com.
Gwinn was able to take the opening tip-off, but the Ishpeming Hematites put a quick stop to the Modeltowners’ first drive. Just one minute into the quarter, the Hematites took their first lead of the game off of a jump shot from the left side with a score of 2-0. With 3:40 left in the first, Ishpeming had a narrow 6-5 lead, however the Modeltowners were called for their first foul of the game, allowing Gavin Sundberg to extend the Hematites’ lead to 8-5. Time quickly fell off the clock, and the Modeltowners had retaken the lead with two minutes left. After they secured their lead, Gwinn started to run away with the score, and they held a five-point lead going into the second.
First Quarter Score
Ishpeming Hematites: 11
Gwinn Modeltowners: 16
The Ishpeming Hematites had some ground to make up against the Modeltowners in order to retake the lead in the game. Fouls started to pile up for the Hematites, and there was some audible displeasure with the refs from Ishpeming’s fans in the gym. With just under five minutes left in the first half, the Hematites and Modeltowners traded the lead back and forth, erasing any advantage either team appeared to have. Gwinn called a timeout with 4:18 left in the first, and it looked as thought hey sensed their momentum slowing to a crawl. “Talk about controlling play from the Hematites there, as they kept control of the ball for a LONG time,” mentioned Tyler as the final minutes of the first half approached, “and they were even able to call a timeout to maintain possession!” Scoring slowed significantly in the final bit of the second quarter, and both teams looked hesitant to try and take an advantage before halftime for fear of making a costly mistake.
First Half Score
Ishpeming Hematites: 24
Gwinn Modeltowners: 24
Similar to starting a brand new game, the Ishpeming Hematites and the Gwinn Modeltowners were all tied up with only two quarters left to play. Neither team looked to hold a significant advantage, but Gwinn was able to stay just barely in front of Ishpeming for much of the third. Under the halfway mark of the quarter, Darius Yohe hit the floor hard but quickly recovered to bring Ishpeming to within a single point of the Modeltowners. The teams remained separated by a single point for the last minute of play in the third, and both teams seemed content to settle the game in the fourth.
Third Quarter Score
Ishpeming Hematites: 37
Gwinn Modeltowners: 40
A Modeltowners player made an amazing off-balance shot at the very end of the third to take the advantage before the third buzzer, but the Ishpeming Hematites evened the score at 40-40 just seconds into the fourth. Ishpeming and Gwinn traded the lead back and forth again multiple times as the seconds fell off the clock, but the Hematites found themselves with a 53-47 lead with just 2:30 left in the game. Gwinn was doing anything they could to get possession of the ball in the final minutes, but just like at the end of the first half, Ishpeming was able to keep the ball moving and burn time off the clock. With :15 seconds left in the game, Gwinn trailed by four points but got control of the ball and called a timeout, allowing them to plan their final two shots. The Modeltowners gave it their all, but couldn’t overtake the Ishpeming Hematites for the win.
Final Game Score
Ishpeming Hematites: 56
Gwinn Modeltowners: 53