Todd Rose | Daily Press Gladstone’s Skylor Cayer (50) shoots over Ishpeming ’s Jayce Kipling (1) Tuesday in Gladstone.

GLADSTONE — A buzzer beater attempt by Gladstone’s John Roman came up just short Tuesday night as the Ishpeming Hematites won 46-44 over the Gladstone Braves in Gladstone in both teams’ season-opening game.

“It’s great (to start off with a win). I’m so happy for the kids,” said Ishpeming coach Christopher Magnuson. “I have everyone back from last year and we endured a long year with COVID and not knowing what’s going on. … I’m just so proud for the kids because they endured a rough season last year. Now it’s like, this is what it takes to win. This is the formula to win. This is the effort to win and good things happen when you do all that.”

To get the win, Ishpeming rallied from 12 points down with 3:30 left in the game. A three-point shot from Alex Sundberg brought the Hematites within single-digit range of the Braves with 3:19 to go.

The pivotal point in the game came with 2:49 remaining when Gladstone’s Caden Downey committed his fifth foul of the night and was sent to the bench.

With minimal varsity level experience on the floor for the Braves, Ishpeming took advantage and rolled to outscore the Braves 16-5 in the final 2:49 of play to score the comeback win 46-44.

The go-ahead shot — a three-pointer — came from the hands of Ishpeming’s Griffin Argall with 1:30 left to play.

Magnuson noted a change in energy from the Hematites in the closing minutes of the game as one of the keys to the win.

“We increased our energy level,” he said. “We went to a full-court press to try to get the energy going, try creating some chap points, some garbage points, and feed off that energy and move forward from that.

“We executed really well and flew around and made plays. Our hands were in the lane and that kind of energized us. We kind of caught momentum and it was kind of fun to watch, actually.”

Jayce Kipling led the Hematites in points with 16 while Parker Gauthier also hit double digits with 10.

With the senior Downey out of the game with just shy of three minutes remaining, Braves coach Collin Imell knew his team was in for a challenge.

“We were up 10 with three minutes to go and our senior with the most experience — the only experience, really — fouls out of the game and we had five guys in there with three minutes to go with no varsity minutes, not one, for the rest of the game,” Imell said. “I think that’s kind of what killed us. Not making headsy plays, not being in that moment before and unfortunately, we had to learn the hard way.”

Imell noted the performance of the Braves’ sophomores — Kaden Gibbs (five points), Elliot Vitito (15 points, team leader) and Drake Johnson (six points) — as a bright spot for the night, though the whole team had valuable time in the game.

“I think the sophomores played really well,” he said. “I think everybody played good minutes, I really do. I can’t say one person for sure (was the best) because I think we have a true team that we can go seven, eight or nine deep. Especially once we get a later in the season and a little bit more experience. But, I think that is going to be our Achilles’ heel is experience this year.”

The Braves remain home for their next game against the Negaunee Miners in Gladstone Dec. 14, while the Hematites host rival Westwood Friday.

Ishpeming 7 11 7 21 — 46

Gladstone 11 10 8 15 — 44

Ishpeming — Kipling 16, Gauthier 10, Sundberg 8, Argall 8, Matson 4; FT:14-24; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Sundberg 2, Kipling, Argall.

Gladstone — Vitito 15, Downey 8, Roman 6, Johnson 6, Gibbs 5, Howard 2, Cayer 2; FT: 6-9; Fouled out: Downey; 3-point field goals — Vitito 3, Roman 2, Downey.