Iron Mountain hoopster Emma Ellis (10) drives in for a layup against the defensive efforts of Manistique’s Macy Green (3) during Thursday night’s West Pac/Mid-Peninsula contest at Mountaineer Gym. Ellis helped power the host Mountaineers to their second win of the season with a team-best 18 points on the night. (Terry Raiche photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — With a somewhat depleted Manistique team as the opponent, the Iron Mountain Mountaineers girls varsity basketball team set out to work on its offensive execution Thursday night.

That focus worked out splendidly as the Mountaineers looked sharp and polished and scored 22 points more than their season average as they handled the Emeralds 64-40 in a West Pac/Mid-Peninsula contest at Mountaineer Gym.

Emma Ellis led the balanced IM attack with 18 points. Emily Copley scored 13, Anja Kleiman added nine, Ellison Powell chipped in with eight and Macy Linsenbigler recorded seven.

“I was really happy with how we moved the ball around,” Coach Ellis said. “That was our big goal coming into tonight. Manistique, their roster kind of looked like ours at the beginning of the season with all their injuries and everything, so I wanted to use tonight to really work on our motion offenses and work the ball around and take easy shots and the girls did just that.”

The Mountaineers (2-12) led nearly the whole way, but it was two runs that led to the comfortable win. IM used an 11-2 spurt in the second quarter to pull out to a 33-18 lead at halftime and then threw the haymaker in the third quarter with a 15-0 charge that led to a 52-24 lead with 1:03 to play in the period.

Front and center in both stretches was Emma Ellis, who sank four triples in the game and looked very comfortable doing so.

“This is the best I’ve felt on the court (this year),” the senior guard said. “I think we played really well together; we were moving the ball around a lot, and I think that was the smoothest we’ve ever played together as a team.”

Ellis hit her first 3-pointer late in the first quarter to help her team take a 15-9 edge. She then sank a triple and two free throws in the second quarter and her 3-pointer, layup and two steals in the third quarter sparked the definitive sequence.

“Emma really stepped up tonight and led the team,” Coach Ellis said of her daughter. “She really stepped up on defense, got steals and handled the ball well. She had a couple of assists, she rebounded the ball well, she was super aggressive on the boards and that kind of opened things up.”

Linsenbigler, a sophomore, sank a 3-pointer and a layup off her offensive rebound and Kleiman picked off a pass and transitioned for another lay-in when the Mountaineers built a 50-24 lead.

Copley added a triple of her own in the fourth quarter and continued to show a noticeable uptick in her play and her confidence in recent games.

Her coach offered one reason why the junior forward has started to come into her own.

“A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a huge improvement and I asked her where the spark came from,” Ellis said. “And she said she was watching a film and she just noticed what she could improve on. She was really digging into herself and wanting to improve.

“I don’t think a lot of players realize how beneficial watching film is, but Emily Copley is one who does, and she really puts in the time.”

With two victories in their last four games, the Mountaineers are enjoying themselves more these days.

“They’re getting along great at practice,” Coach Ellis said. “There’s no goofing around or horseplay, but there’s a lot of laughing. So they’re enjoying the game, the seniors are taking the lead and I think that’s what is beginning to show on the court.”

The Mountaineers get an opportunity to string wins together for the first time this season when they travel to Westwood on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Iron Mountain defeated the Patriots (3-11) 60-52 on Jan. 25.

FLIVVERS 63, LADY TROJANS 23

CRYSTAL FALLS — One of the strengths of the Kingsford Flivvers this season is their speed and quickness. Coach Jon Lorenzoni has an ideal squad to press most opponents in the halfcourt and the fullcourt.

The Flivvers used their uptempo defense Thursday night to overwhelm Forest Park 63-23 in a nonconference game at Eddie Chambers Gymnasium.

“Forest Park is very young and I thought our pressure got to them,” Lorenzoni said.

Just as they did against the Lady Trojans (3-12) in the first matchup this season, a 45-31 victory, the Flivvers used their defense to spark their offense. Kingsford took a 12-4 lead after the first quarter and then blew the game open in the second quarter by outscoring Forest Park 28-5 to head into the halftime break with a 40-9 cushion.

Mia Counter led the Flivvers with 17 points, Alaina Kowalski scored 12 and Laura Bracket added 10. All eight Flivvers who played scored.

“Mia Counter was absolutely awesome tonight,” Lorenzoni said.

Elsie Williams paced Forest Park with eight points, while Jessie Loehr added five.

The victory stopped a stretch in which Kingsford (8-7) had lost six of its last seven games.

“It was a much-needed win,” Lorenzoni said.

Kingsford’s next opponent is Division 1-3 top-ranked Escanaba (13-0) in a game set for Tuesday, Feb. 7 in Escanaba. Forest Park will host North Dickinson (4-10).

BRONCOS 45, NORDICS 22

HARRIS — Bark River-Harris junior Nina Bower knocked down seven 3-pointers on her way to 24 points to lead the Broncos past North Dickinson 45-22 in a Skyline Central Conference contest Thursday at Bark-River Harris High School.

Bower splashed five triples in the decisive third quarter when the Broncos (10-5) increased their lead from 20-9 at halftime to 41-13 at the end of three quarters.

Nordics’ coach Kirk Mattson said his team was hampered by BR-H’s style of play.

“It was a physical game and we did not compete physically in the first half,” Mattson said of his Nordics, which had won two straight heading into the game. “A couple of our players got into some foul trouble early in the first half and that did not help.

“Our defense was good, only giving up 20 points in the first half, considering how well Bark River shot the ball.”

Micah Lindholm topped North Dickinson (4-10) with 11 points. Jessica Harwath and Raina Ledzian finished with four points each.

The Nordics take to the court next in a makeup game against Forest Park (3-12) on Monday in Crystal Falls.