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Braves awaken to scale Iron Mountain

Burt Angeli/The Daily News Gladstone’s Kaitlyn Hardwick defends Iron Mountain’s Brianna Hoffman in Thursday’s game.

By Burt Angeli

Iron Mountain Daily News

IRON MOUNTAIN — A second-quarter surge propelled Gladstone past Iron Mountain 50-42 in non-conference girls basketball Thursday.

The Braves (6-14) erased a seven-point deficit with 14 unanswered points to close out the first half.

“We didn’t get off the bus,” Gladstone Eric Lundin said of the slow start. “They were kind of zoned out in the beginning.

“We didn’t move the ball. We had to create the tempo a little bit better.”

Coach Ginger Moore’s Mountaineers (5-15) built a 13-8 lead after the first quarter. But things went downhill from there.

Riley Poupore, Iron Mountain’s leading scorer on the season, put up seven points Thursday before leaving early in the second quarter with a game-ending leg injury.

The Mountaineers pulled out to a 19-12 advantage with four minutes left in the second quarter after Saylor Swartout hit a bucket and pair of free throws and Reighan Johnson moved inside for a basket.

Leigha Woelffer ignited Gladstone’s 14-0 blitz with a triple. Taelor Zeise also hit a three-pointer in the run that put the Braves up 26-19 at halftime.

Playing their third game in four days, the Braves led 30-27 with 4:34 left in the third quarter.

“I thought we played hard,” Lundin said of what he called a “grind-out” game. “We got a lot done defensively.

“We didn’t shoot that well but that’s a credit to their defense. Ginger prepares them well.”

The Mountaineers went scoreless for more than four minutes in the second quarter and another minute in the third until Brianna Hoffman drained a three-pointer.

Two Marissa Schilling free throws early in the fourth quarter cut Gladstone’s lead to 40-35. But the Braves then reeled off seven straight points — five from Taylor Hunter — to check the Mountaineers.

Taylor Hunter’s 18 points and five steals led Gladstone. Woelffer had 12 points and six assists. Alyssa Polley had 11 points.

Schilling and Saylor Swartout each scored eight points to lead the Mountaineers.

Iron Mountain made 24 turnovers in the game and Gladstone had 17.

Both teams begin district tournament play Wednesday. The Mountaineers and Class C District 95 host West Iron County will meet at 7 p.m. The Braves will travel to Kingsford or Menominee for a Class B District 64 semifinal.

Gladstone lost to Kingsford by nine points earlier this week. Lundin also noted an overtime setback to Menominee.

“Both of those teams we know we can play with,” Lundin said. “We just have to play well.”

Gladstone’s junior varsity, led by Taylor Trudeau’s 15 points and Jenna Tardiff’s 11, defeated Iron Mountain 38-26. Mackenzie Swanson had seven for the Mountaineers.

Gladstone 8 18 14 10 — 50

Iron Mountain 13 6 14 9 — 42

Gladstone: Polley 11, Zeise 3, Hardwick 4, Hunter 18, Woelffer 12, Martinez 2. FT: 9-15. F: 9; 3-point field goals: Polley 3, Zeise 1, Woelffer 1.

Iron Mountain: Ellis 4, Swartout 8, Hoffman 5, Schilling 8, Poupore 7, Johnson 6, Thomann 4. FT: 10-12. F: 16; 3-point field goals: Ellis 1, Hoffman 1.

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