Guards wear down Devils in battle of division leaders

WASHBURN, Wis. - Up-tempo Washburn exposed Ironwood's lack of depth, handing the Red Devils their first loss of the season, 64-45, Tuesday night.

The battle of Indianhead Conference leaders was as good as advertised for the first three quarters. Ironwood took the early lead, Washburn pulled ahead midway through the second quarter and was able to pull away in a fourth quarter they started with just a seven-point advantage.

That was due in large part because the Castle Guards ran the Red Devils ragged. They press and they run the fast break. Ironwood hasn't been a very deep team this season, but losing Matt Dary, who had an accelerated heart rate in practice Monday, hurt even more.

"We stressed that all week; that's the style we play," Washburn coach Duane Gasperini said. "We tried to make their big guys move up and down the court as much as possible and I thought we did a good job of taking advantage of that. We got a few one-on-one situations. When they set up their defense, they're tough to score against. We were trying to push the ball to get the best shot before they set up."

Ironwood's starting five gets most of the minutes.

"We ran out of gas, simple as that," Ironwood coach Pete Lewinski said. "I thought we handled the press fine, but a 32-minute press, that's going to wear anybody down. I thought our guys gave effort tonight. We worked hard, but tonight, they were a better team."

Fans from both communities made for a March-like atmosphere with legions of Ironwood fans making the hour-plus trip.

"I'm glad we played this game, tough environment against a tough team," Lewinski said. "We wanted a game like this for the simple reason, sometimes we have to get knocked down a notch, too. Sure you want to win this game, but this in not the worst thing, this loss. It'll help us refocus, get back to work on Thursday, prepare for Friday's game and for rivalry week.

"Hopefully this'll help us down the road come tournament time and as we go through the East."

In the first quarter, it looked like they could go home happy as the Devils jumped out to an 18-11 lead. The period ended about as poorly for Ironwood as it could, though. Washburn's Cody Tomlinson scored inside, Ironwood's Denver Sharrow made a 3 but was called for a travel. Tomlinson, a Division II recruit, drained a 3 at the buzzer to pull Washburn within 18-16.

"That was a big momentum boost," Gasperini said. "I think our kids were really fired about that. They got their confidence back, a little bit of their swagger. That's what he does, he makes big shots. He's a good player and he just makes big shots."

Washburn took half of the second quarter to take the lead, on an Ian Anderson 3-pointer with 4:34 left. That put the Guards ahead 23-22, a lead they never gave up. A 9-2 run to end the first half made it 34-26 at the half.

For a change, the Devils ended a quarter, the third, on a high note, with Luke Hewitt beating the buzzer to pull Ironwood within 42-35 heading into the fourth.

Denver Sharrow scored inside to make a five-point game right off the bat in the fourth and get Ironwood's big crowd really going.

The Devils stayed within seven for a short time, but the Castle Guards slowly pulled away. Washburn led 48-41 and finished the game outscoring Ironwood 16-4.

Ironwood didn't shoot well, 17 of 51 (33 percent). Plus, they had multiple 3s rim out when the game was still close.

DiGiorgio led Ironwood with 19 points and Denver Sharrow had 10. DiGiorgio also had 18 boards.Tomlinson paced Washburn with 22 points.

The atmosphere was one to remember Tuesday night.

"We needed to play this game win or lose because it gets you tournament ready," Gasperini said. "There's big crowds. We may not see Ironwood in tournament play, but they have the type of team you're going to see in the tournament. It was a lot of fun."

Ironwood (13-1) hosts Mercer Friday.

Ironwood - Denver Sharrow 10, Luke Hewitt 8, Colin Clausen 4, Jake DiGiorgio 19, Jared Sobolewski  4. FTs: 6-10. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: None. 3-pointers: Sharrow 2, DiGiorgo 2, Hewitt 1.

Washburn - Mac Reykdal 11, Ian Anderson 5, Sam Carrier 2, Brant Shick 14, Connor Bouchard 10, Cody Tomlinson 22. FTs: 15-22. Fouls: 12. Fouled out: None. 3-pointers: Tomlinson 1, Anderson 1, Reykdal 1.

Ironwood            18           26           35           45

Washburn           16           34           42           64