Matt McCarthy/The Daily News IRON MOUNTAIN’S TONY Feira (40) and Jake Dumais (42) swarm West Iron County’s Justin Nelson (42) during the first half of Monday night’s West PAC contest.

IRON MOUNTAIN — Iron Mountain’s Foster Wonders and Marcus Johnson led all scorers with 31 and 24 points, respectively, as the Mountaineers cruised past West Iron County, 82-41, in West PAC Conference action to improve to 17-0.

Atypical of recent Iron Mountain contests, this game was just a four-point spread after the first quarter. But Iron Mountain limited the Wykons to five points in the second quarter to take command.

The Mountaineers recorded 19 steals in the game, with Wonders and Johnson accounting for five each.

“The first quarter of tonight’s game was far different than the last time we played them,” Iron Mountain head coach Harvey “Bucky” Johnson said. “We didn’t play so well defensively in the quarter tonight, but credit to them for how well they played.”

Bryce Pietrantonio chipped in 10 points off the bench for the Mountaineers. Coach Johnson noted the great performance by the Iron Mountain junior.

“Our half-court defense was good tonight, not so much our full court defense,” Johnson said. “Our rebounding got better as the game went along. We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we’re used to, but give them some credit for that, they’re long and athletic.”

Peyton Williams led the Wykons with 17 points, while center Justin Nelson added 11 points before leaving the game with a sprained ankle. Wykons head coach Dan Schive said after the game that Nelson would be OK.

“I don’t mind giving up 23 point in the first quarter, when we score 19,” Schive said. “Then we scored five points in the second quarter and that’s when it got away from us. Another difference was when they made adjustments. We needed to make adjustments, and I didn’t get the boys to do that, which I take responsibility for. I have to get them to respond quicker to the in-game changes I happen to make.”

The Wykons were never in the game on Feb. 4 when Iron Mountain dominated for an 84-24 win at the Charles Greenlund Gymnasium in Stambaugh.

“Had we come here and got destroyed like we did at home, it would have been interesting to try to keep the boys enthusiastic, and give them some hope for down the line in case we end up facing them again in the districts,” Schive said. “I’m glad we played better against them tonight.”

In the end, it was the Mountaineers’ night, as they remain undefeated. The Mountaineers again this week were named the unanimous No. 1 ranked team in the UPSSA Division 1-3 boys basketball poll. Iron Mountain also remains ranked No. 2 in the Michigan Associated Press Poll, narrowly behind Flint Beecher for the top spot in Division 3.

Iron Mountain remains home Thursday, facing Houghton in another West PAC conference matchup.

“Tonight was a good victory,” Johnson said. “I want to give our guys some credit for buckling down after the first quarter and getting the win.”

West Iron (9-8) returns home Friday to wrap up its home and West PAC schedule, as Hancock comes to town.

Behind 12 points from freshman Joey Colavecchi, Iron Mountain defeated the Wykons 68-26 in the JV game.

West Iron 19 5 11 6 — 41

Iron Mountain 23 16 20 23 — 82

WEST IRON COUNTY: Thomson 2, Williams 17, B. Nelson 6, Ballinger 3, Dobson 1, Anderson 1, J. Nelson 11. FT: 5-11. F: 21. 3-point FG: Williams (3), Ballinger. Rebounds: 30. Fouled Out: Thomson. Technical Foul: B. Nelson.

IRON MOUNTAIN: Pietrantonio 10, Visintainer 3, Evosevich-Hynes 4, D. Basanese 5. Wonders 31, Johnson 24, Feira 2, Rolon-Delgado 3. FT: 25-30. F: 17. 3-point FG: Visintainer, Wonders (4). Fouled Out: Jake Dumais. Rebounds: 39 (Wonders 9). FG shooting: 25-77. Technical Foul: M. Johnson.