Braves Finish Strong In Victory Over Iron Mountain

GLADSTONE---Finish Strong. That's been the motto for the Gladstone High School girls basketball team all season long, going back to their six weeks of pre-season workouts with a member of the Michigan National Guard.

And the girls followed that motto Thursday night against Iron Mountain.

Gladstone closed out the regular season with a 63-57 win over Iron Mountain, closing the game on an 11-2 run. Ashley Edwardsen led the way on Senior Night with 24 points.

"It was definitely a fight," Edwardsen said. "We knew coming out at halftime that it wasn't going to be easy even though we had a big lead (37-23). We had to stay tough and play good defense. We just made sure we had that weak-side help."

This game was a game of runs. Iron Mountain led, 14-9, after the first quarter, but the Braves had an incredible second quarter in which everything went right. They outscored the Mountaineers, 28-9, with Edwardsen getting ten of the points, including six on back-to-back three-pointers. Sophomore Taylor Hunter worked inside and scored six points.

But Gladstone's 37-23 halftime lead did not hold up, because the Mountaineers went inside during the third quarter. Taking advantage of their size advantage on the baseline, Iron Mountain outscored the Braves, 22-9, in the quarter, to close to within 46-45 after three quarters. Katie Brule was especially touch, scoring eight points in the quarter.

"We just had to grind it out," Braves junior Tasi Martinez said. "Definitely needed a lot of help-side defense. There were a lot of ups and downs, but we definitely pushed through. We finished strong, and that's what helped us get our win."

"We knew they were going to be tough on the interior," Gladstone Coach Karl Dollhopf said. "They were. We just found enough to grind it out. Going into halftime was a nice 14-point lead, but we knew that they weren't dead yet and they would make a run at us."

In the fourth quarter, Sarah Bogaudo scored two straight baskets for the Mountaineers, putting the visitors on top, 55-52, with 2:32 left in the game. But the Braves ramped up the defense, and the Mountaineers struggled at the free throw line down the stretch.

The free throw line is actually where the Braves won it. Gladstone made 12 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter, with Edwardsen getting four foul shots, Leigha Woelffer three, and Caitlyn Leisner and Martinez two apiece. For the game, Gladstone made 28 of 37 foul shots, with Woelffer going to the line 22 times, making 15 of them.

"In the last couple minutes, we had some people make some free throws and make some big plays," Dollhopf said. "I'm awful proud of the girls."

Besdes Edwardsen's 24 points, Woelffer had 17, and Hunter added eight. Iron Mountain got 13 points from Kate Bugni, twelve points each from Riley Poupore and Brule, and eleven points from Bogaudo. Iron Mountain finishes the season with a 12-8 record.

Gladstone finishes its regular season with an 11-8 mark, and they won two tough games this week against Dickinson County teams. The girls will travel to Houghton for the district tournament opener next Wednesday night (March 3).

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to hear interviews with Ashley Edwardsen, Tasi Martinez, and Coach Karl Dollhopf. Also, click the video thumbnails to see highlights filmed by Nate Bellville.