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Runsat’s 20 not enough for Mountaineers

Justin St. Ours/Escanaba Daily Press Photo Iron Mountain’s Annslee Runsat (22) blocks a shot from Gladstone’s Alaina Trudeau Thursday as Iron Mountain’s Andie Ellis (front left) defends and Ellison Powell (behind center), Maddie Sardina (24) and Gladstone’s Megan Crow (42) look on at Gladstone.

GLADSTONE — It was Senior Night for the last Gladstone girls basketball game of the regular season, and it was those seniors that carried the Braves through the first half.

But it was a whole team effort in the third quarter that put the Braves beyond reach of a depleted Iron Mountain, as they went on for a 59-45 victory in Mid-Peninsula Conference action Thursday night.

The Braves (7-13, 6-6 M-PC) led 10-4 after the first quarter but couldn’t create any separation in the second as they led just 27-21 at halftime.

“During the first half, Maddie Ahlgren and Andie Balenger absolutely brought it and flew around with a ton of energy,” Braves coach Andy Cretens said. “We challenged the other girls and said that (they were) letting those two down. They’re creating havoc out there, and everyone else is just kind of jogging around. So we challenged them to step up, and they did.”

Just a few seconds into the third, Ahlgren snatched the ball and laid one in on a breakaway to kick off a 7-0 run in the first minute.

“I think (Gladstone) came out in the third quarter with a lot of energy, and they pressed us,” Mountaineers coach Katelynn Grenier said. “I think that was the big difference in the game. They didn’t press us at all in the first half, and we handled it fine.”

The Mountaineers’ Tori Sorenson scored on a layup with 6:39 remaining in the quarter to make it 34-23, but they wouldn’t get any closer.

“The girls played well, and they kept plugging along,” Grenier said. “I only had four girls this morning, and one of those was sick. I had to pull up a freshman today, so I just told them to go out there and do what they could.

“So, I thought for the circumstances we were in, we played well. Gladstone’s a good team, and I knew after the first half that, that wasn’t the way they were going to come back out.”

After Sorenson’s layup, the Braves went on an 11-0 run to stretch their lead to 46-24 with two minutes left in the third quarter. They led 49-28 at the end of the frame and then coasted in the fourth.

“We needed that second half, and we’re excited to move forward,” Cretens said. “We’re excited to get in some good practices, and we’re really excited to take a trip to Menominee Monday.

“It was just a frustrating thing (tonight). We’re trying to create some energy and momentum on the way to playoffs, and it was frustrating that we didn’t bring it from the start. We had to get on them first to get it started. (If) we do that on Monday (against Menominee in a Division 2 district opener), it’ll be the last game of our season for sure.”

Ahlgren led the Braves with 20 points, and Megan Crow followed with 19.

The Mountaineers (2-18, 1-11 M-PC) were led by Annslee Runsat with a double-double of 20 points and 16 rebounds.

“Annslee Runsat had a really good game for us,” Grenier said. “It was huge. Tori Sorenson rebounded the ball really well, and I think Emma Ellis — the freshman I pulled up — did really well. She handled the pressure very well for the situation she was in. Overall, I think everyone played pretty well.”

Gladstone visits Menominee Monday for its district opener. Iron Mountain, which won the JV game, drew a first-round bye and faces the winner of Norway and Calumet Wednesday in its Division 3 district opener.

Iron Mountain 4 17 7 17 — 45

Gladstone 10 17 22 10 — 59

Iron Mountain: Runsat 20, Powell 9, Sardina 8, Sorenson 5, Ellis 3. F: 13; Fouled out: none; FT: 15-19; 3-point field goal: Ellis.

Gladstone: Ahlgren 20, Crow 19, Balenger 7, LaFave 7, Trudeau 4, Larson 2. F: 16; Fouled out: Griebel; FT: 9-12; 3-point field goals: Ahlgren 3, Balenger 1.

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