Todd Rose | Daily Press Gladstone's Claire van Ginhoven (1) leaps for a layup as Abby Racine (11) and Rylee Harris (4) of Ishpeming defend Tuesday night in Gladstone.

GLADSTONE — It was a successful, home lid lifter for the Gladstone Braves Tuesday as they defeated the Ishpeming Hematites 47-39 to open their season in Gladstone.

“The most important part … is just playing,” said Braves head coach Andy Cretens. “We’re out here playing, and I’m just excited for the girls that they had this opportunity because they deserve it more than anything.”

Even with the delays, once it came time to play, the Braves brought the excitement said Cretens.

“It was cool to see that fire and energy in them again because there’s been a lot of down days,” he said.

The game had a slow start as both Gladstone and Ishpeming struggled to find a rhythm in the opening quarter.

Alaina Trudeau was fouled and went to the line just under a minute in.

She netted one of two free throws to give the Braves the 1-0 lead. Megan Crow and Claire van Ginhoven each put up shots for two apiece to make it 5-0 a minute later.

Olivia Corp scored the first two points for the Hematites 2:39 into the game. She notched another one moments later after being fouled to make the score 5-3.

At the end of the first, the Braves held the lead 8-5 following a Van Ginhoven three. Jenna Maki scored two, and Rebakah Loman notched a free throw for Ishpeming.

Through the second quarter, Gladstone maintained a one-point advantage to make it 16-15 at the half.

Crow got the scoring started for Gladstone in the second half with two shots from down low. On top of that, she stepped up as a leader in more ways than just her playing, said Cretens.

“We’ve been trying to get her to step up and be a vocal leader more,” he said. “If you know her characteristics and personality, it’s to be passive. But she really stepped up today in a verbal way.

“Her verbal communication today was huge. We needed it in certain moments. Before I could say something, she’d jump in and say something, which is huge. That was a big part of today’s win.”

Gladstone held Ishpeming to eight points in the third as they increased their advantage to 31-23. Ishpeming increased their scoring in the fourth with 16 points but it wasn’t enough to catch the Braves.

While stats may not reflect it, Jamisyn Bergeron played a major defensive role in the Braves’ winning performance. Wherever the ball was, it seemed, Bergeron was there to cause a turnover or simply get in the Hematites’ hair and disrupt their flow.

“Coming into it, we didn’t know what she was going to be able to do for us,” said Cretens. “Defensively, she just makes things happen. That’s something I talked about in the locker room (after the game). She may not have a single stat in the book, but she completely changed the game for us.

“I think she’s going to play a lot larger role in our success this year than we originally anticipated. She just brings a ton of energy.”

Hematites head coach, Ryan Reichel, was also impressed with Bergeron’s performance.

“The little number three (Bergeron) … did a phenomenal job defending our girls,” said Reichel. “(She) really disrupted our comfort zone.”

Leading the way in scoring for Ishpeming was freshman Jenna Maki with 12 points. She also had the tough task of guarding Megan Crow.

“She went from playing eighth-grade basketball to going against Megan Crow,” Reichel said. “That’s like going from middle school to guarding an NBA player.”

Even with the loss, Reichel is taking away the positives from the game and looking for ways to improve his team.

“I thought when we got in the half-court sets we did a good job getting some decent looks,” he said. “We have to have more quality shots. We were chucking up too many junky threes. We need quality instead of quantity at this point.”

Claire van Ginhoven led the Braves in scoring with 16 points. Megan Crow had 12 while Alaina Trudeau had 11.

Gladstone takes a short break before returning to action against rival Escanaba next Monday while Ishpeming takes on Negaunee Friday.

Ishpeming 6 9 8 16 — 39

Gladstone 8 8 15 16 — 47

Ishpeming — Maki 12, Harris 5, Nyman 5, DeLoughary 5, Loman 5, Corp 3, Longtine 2, Racine 2; F: 16; FT 4-8; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Maki, Nyman.

Gladstone — van Ginhoven 16, Crow 12, Trudeau 11, Larson 5, Hanson 3; F: 13; FT: 7-12; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: van Ginhoven 2, Larson, Trudeau.