The Mountaineers (19-0) will face Flint Beecher (15-1) at 2 p.m. Central time Saturday.

Iron Mountain senior Foster Wonders led all scorers with 34 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, as the physical game was nip-and-tuck throughout.

“I think today was a heck of a game. Both teams played really hard,” veteran Mountaineers head coach Harvey “Bucky” Johnson said.

“Schoolcraft is well coached and they were well prepared. We got outrebounded today and give them credit for that, but we did rebound the ball better in the second half. I am very happy with our free throw shooting in the overtime,” Johnson added.

Foster Wonders (00) elevates for a shot over Schoolcraft’s Bryce VanderWiere (42) as Jonathon Abel (12) and Ty Rykse (33) follow the play.

Schoolcraft came out in a zone defense that was very effective. The Eagles had several players with height and size, which enabled them to match the physicality of the Mountaineers.

“They’re all big guys,” Wonders said. “They made it hard for us to do anything. Even their guards were physical and played bigger than they actually are.”

Schoolcraft also had an additional defender sagging over to help defend Wonders each time he got the ball. Iron Mountain was in its customary man-to-man defense.

“Schoolcraft is definitely the most physical team we’ve played this season,” Iron Mountain senior Bryce Pietrantonio said. “I think we battled really well and Jurgen (Kleiman) stepped up in the end and got two big blocks for us when we needed them.”

The Mountaineers, offensively, played their style in the first quarter, working the ball around the perimeter, trying to find seams in the Eagles’ defense. Iron Mountain took a four-point advantage into the second stanza.

Foster Wonders reacts after making a shot, with teammates Bryce Pietrantonio and Ricky Brown in back. The Mountaineers will face Flint Beecher in the finals at 2 p.m. Central time Saturday.

Tyler DeGroote of Schoolcraft scored on the opening possession of the second quarter. As the quarter wore on, the Eagles defense got stronger, and that continued through the second half.

There were 12 lead changes in the game, which was tied four times, for a total of 2:43.

The Eagles took their first lead with 3:18 remaining in the first half on a layup by Bryce VanderWiere, whose double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds led Schoolcraft.

The Eagles finished with three players scoring in double figures while outscoring Iron Mountain in the paint, 26-20

However, it was the Mountaineers who regained the lead 16 seconds before halftime when Wonders drained a three-pointer. Iron Mountain led 18-17 at the intermission.

Schoolcraft took a 28-24 lead at the 3:44 mark of the third quarter as the 6-foot-7 VanderWiere slipped into the paint and sank a layup.

The Eagles did push the tempo of their offense at times in the third, taking a lead of six points at the end of the quarter.

In the beginning moments of the final quarter, Schoolcraft extended its lead to eight points — their largest. The Eagles led for 13:41 of the contest, while the Mountaineers led for 19:21.

Iron Mountain continued to fight back and retook the lead 40-38 when Wonders nailed a trey with 2:10 remaining. On their next three possessions, Schoolcraft failed to convert.

After breaking the Eagles’ press, Pietrantonio drew double coverage and bounced a pass to Kleiman near the basket to give IM a 42-38 lead late in the fourth quarter.

After a missed Kleiman free throw, the teams traded turnovers. Throughout the game, Iron Mountain held a significant margin in points off turnovers — 15 to only four for the Eagles.

With 27 seconds remaining in regulation, Jonathan Able of Schoolcraft tied the game at 42 with a layup, giving the Mountaineers one more opportunity to win in regulation. After a timeout, Iron Mountain was pressured on the perimeter by the Eagles defense, with two defenders draped on Wonders.

Kleiman got open for a baseline jump shot but failed to convert, sending the game into overtime.

Due to COVID-19 protocols, the MHSAA requires a coin flip be conducted by the head referee to determine who gets the basketball first. The Mountaineers won that coin toss.

Twelve seconds into overtime, a Kleiman layup — after another sharp pass from Pietrantonio — gave the Mountaineers a lead they would never relinquish. In fact, IM’s largest lead of the contest was seven points at the 2:03 mark of overtime.

After hitting just one of five free throws in regulation, the Mountaineers shot 8-12 in overtime. Caleb Evosevich-Hynes was 4-6 from the charity stripe in the overtime, as he totaled seven points for the game.

Wonders was 3-4 from the free throw line in the overtime period.

“I am very proud of our kids. We had a great season,” Eagles head coach Randy Small said. “Looking back now, I think we missed too many bunnies (layups) later in the game and that didn’t help.”

Small, who fought back his emotions during the post-game news conference, said his team did a great job of matching Iron Mountain’s physicality.

“Other than giving up a couple of shots late in the game, in the overtime, we made them work for all of their points, Wonders as well,” Small said. “The game went either way. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way.”

The Eagles, who play in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, finished the season 19-2 with the loss.

Iron Mtn 11 7 6 18 12 — 54

Schoolcraft 7 10 13 12 8 — 50

IRON MTN: Evosevich-Hynes 7, Brown 7, Wonders 34, Kleiman 6; FT: 9-17; F: 16; Fouled Out: None; 3-point FG: Evosevich-Hynes, Brown 2, Wonders 4; Rebounds 30, Wonders 8; FG Shooting: 19-47.

SCHOOLCRAFT: Able 2, DeGroote 6, S. Rykse 14, T. Rykse 11, B. VanderWiere, 15, Puhalski 2; FT: 8-11; F: 14; Fouled Out: None; 3-point FG: T. Rykse 2; Rebounds: 36, VanderWiere 10; FG Shooting: 20-53.