Ishpeming Holds Off Spirited Gladstone Comeback

GLADSTONE---Ozzy Corp scored 28 points and three other Ishpeming players scored in double figures as the Hematites beat the Gladstone Braves, 74-72, in a highly-entertaiming boys basketball game Monday evening in Gladstone.

Freshman Reece Castor scored 22 points and junior Joe Gibbs scored 17 for the Braves.

Corp, a 6-foot-5 All-State senior, had his way with the Braves in the paint and on the post. He scored ten of his 28 points in the second quarter, and ten more in the third quarter.

Jaren Kipling had 15 points, Hart Holmgren 14, and Thomas Finegan 10 for Ishpeming, who were playing just their second game of the season.

Gladstone fell behind, 10-2, in the first three minutes of the game, prompting an annoyed Braves Coach Clayton Castor to use a time out.

"As a coach, I've got to do something better to get us off to a little quicker start," Castor said. "We're four games in, and I think all four games, we've gone down by eight-to-ten points. We'll reevaluate, get back in practice, and start working hard again tomorrow."

The Braves responded, as Hunter Botruff nailed a couple of three-pointers and Joe Gibbs hit an "old-fashioned" three-pointer: a basket, foul, and free throw.

Hematites Ozzy Corp scores on deflection.

The game was tied at 17-17 after one quarter, and it was still tied at 38-38 at the halftime break. Gladstone made seven three-point baskets in the half to counter the inside scoring from Corp and Holmgren. Finegan also scored six points in the half.

It stayed a close, up-and-down contest until the final minute of the third quarter. The Hematites led, 52-51, before the Braves had a rough sequense of events. Kipling had a steal, a basket, another steal, and a three at the buzzer. All of a sudden, it was 61-51.

That set off Coach Castor, who let his team know that it wasn't performing up to par.

"The end of the quarter couldn't get there quick enough," Coach Castor said. "At the end of the third quarter, I challenged the team. I challenged our heart and their desire. Obviously, they responded. It just fell a little short."

"That was tough," Braves junior Tanner Brown said. "Coach was trying to motivate us. I think it helped alot. We just weren't ever able to come out on top. They (Ishpeming players) worked their butts off, and they came out on top."

The teams traded baskets and free throws for most of the fourth quarter, and Ishpeming led, 73-65, with a minute left in the game. That's when Reece Castor stepped up. He scored a basket and a foul shot with 28.9 seconds left to cut ot to 73-68, then the Braves forced a turnover and Castor was fouled again. He made two more foul shots.

Braves Reece Castor basket and foul late in game.

With the score 73-70, the Hematites tried to get fouled, and it looked like Derek Mahoski was in front of the Ishpeming bench. But no foul was called, and the ball popped free.

The Braves got it to Castor, who was fouled, and made two more free throws.

That cut it to 73-72. The Braves fouled Kipling with 4.5 seconds to play. He mde the first free throw, but missed the second one. Gladstone got the rebound, pushed it up the floor, and Botruff's winning three-pointer was an airball. Ishpeming held on.

"Hunter, that wasn't a game-losing shot there," Coach Castor said. "There's a hundred different things that we couldn've did in that game to change the outcome. Usually, if we score 70 points, we're going to come on the good side of things. But our defense, it wass stagnant tonight. We'll get them in the gym and do a lot better job."

The game was a tough one for the kids to play in.

"It was crazy the whole game," Brown said. "I mean, there was never a break. It was always an attack. The game never slowed down. What a great game to play in."

Besides Castor's 22 and Gibbs' 17 points, Botruff had 11 points and Casey Wolf chipped in seven points. Gladstone lost for the first time this season after three victories.

Gladstone won the junior varsity game, 46-37.

Gladstone hosts Mid Peninsula in a non-coference game on Thursday. Game time is 7:15. It will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos taken by Nate Bellville, and to hear radio interviews and replays.