Hunter sparks Gladstone girls
Girls basketball
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By Burt Angeli
Daily News Sports Writer
IRON MOUNTAIN -- Gladstone beat Iron Mountain on the scoreboard and effort department Thursday.
The Braves, triggered by a 14-0 run in the second quarter, spilled the Mountaineers 57-34 in Mid-Peninsula Conference girls basketball Thursday.
Gladstone improved to 3-3 overall and 2-2 MPC while IM dropped to 0-5 and 0-2.
"We got off to a little slow start and I think we had some bus legs," said Coach Andy Cretens, his Braves trailing 10-8 early in the second quarter. "Every one of my girls, once we got it clicking, played hard and did something good. That's something to be proud of."
Taylor Hunter scored seven of her game-high 20 points -- five at the free-throw line -- in the second quarter run that catapulted Gladstone to a 23-10 advantage.
Sophomore Reagan Lundholm's bucket with 1:49 left in the half checked the Gladstone spree.
"It didn't look like we wanted to play basketball at all out there," said IM Coach Katelynn Johnson. "We came out with no effort, no aggression. We were in a daze.
"I'm disappointed, definitely."
Iron Mountain faced a 14-point deficit at halftime and started the third quarter with one of its 19 turnovers that led to a basket.
"We didn't play solid defense," Johnson said. "We did not execute our offense."
Gladstone, coming off a big win over another Dickinson County team in Kingsford, rolled 12-4 in the first six minutes of third quarter.
"We came off a good win on Tuesday and I told them it happens a lot in basketball where you can lay an egg after a big game like we had against Kingsford," Cretens said. "This team is young and learning how to deal with some adversity. When things aren't going our way we allow things to snowball at times and tonight we did a better job of getting back to what we do and playing within ourselves."
Taylor Trudeau and sophomore Andie Balenger each added eight points for the Braves. Saylor Swartout topped the Mountaineers with 11 points.
Johnson did credit Lundholm and Reighan Johnson for their play off the bench. Hannah Ellis (5-9) and Johnson (5-8) had to deal with 6-foot-3 freshman Megan Crow, who scored six points.
"Reagan Lundholm hustled and Reighan Johnson did a pretty good job on that big girl," coach Johnson said. "Hanna Ellis did a great on Crow. I give her kudos for that. It's a tough match-up right there."
Gladstone travels to Westwood on Tuesday. Iron Mountain will looks for its first win in 2018, visiting Negaunee on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
Johnson didn't pull a marathon film session Thursday to assess her Mountaineers. First she will focus on her graduation this weekend from Northern Michigan University.
"We have a lot to work on over Christmas break," Johnson said.
Iron Mountain's junior varsity, led by 32 points from Chloe Bianco and Symone Hunter, downed Gladstone 57-42.
Gladstone 8 20 17 10 -- 57
Iron Mountain 8 6 6 14 -- 34
Iron Mountain -- Poupore 9, Bal 2, Swartout 11, Ellis 4, Stoner 2, Lundholm 6. FT: 3-4. F: 15. 3-point FG: Poupore, Swartout 2.
Gladstone -- Trudeau 8, Balenger 8, Ahlgren 4, Zeise 2, Hardwick 7, Hunter 20, Spaulding 2, Crow 6. FT: 11-15. F: 10. 3-point G: Trudeau, Hardwick.