50-point second half lifts Red Devils past Butternut

IRONWOOD - After scoring just 23 points in the first half, reaching a five-year high on the scoreboard by game's end was about the last thing Ironwood expected Friday night.

But a 50-point second half made that a reality.

The Devils beat Butternut 73-54, their best offensive output since scoring 75 against Mercer on Dec. 7, 2012.

Ironwood was up 23-15 at the half before building a 20-point lead in the second half of the Indianhead Conference matchup, getting to the basket at will. Butternut cut it to single digits, but the Devils survived and ended up outscoring the visitors 50-39 in the second half.

While Butternut was led by the McCorison sisters, Ironwood was spurred by McKenzie and Makenzie.

Freshman McKenzie Boyd scored 15 of her team-high 19 points in the first half. Senior Makenzie Marshall had 12 of her 15 points in the second half. Marshall also had 11 steals and four assists.

Boyd had a big debut for the Devils last week, but Marshall was sidelined with a recurring knee injury. Ironwood coach Kari Jacquart was unsure how she'd come out, but Marshall was a difference maker all night for the Devils.

"She played through it and she really stepped up," Jacquart said. "She played most of the game and she attacked well. A lot of times she looks to pass first and she was really aggressive."

As was Boyd in the second half.

"She really came out aggressive," Jacquart said. "Her and Marshall, you look at the scoring in the second half, they really stepped up. It's nice to see that out of Makenzie now finally being a senior to step up like that and know that she can score, not just deferring to the older people."

Ironwood quickly built the second-half lead to 20 points as Marshall and Boyd got to the basket at will, mostly in transition, oftentimes after a steal. The score went from 23-15 to 50-30.

The Midgets had to do something to stop Ironwood's very easy path to the basket.

"They were getting us over the top and we made some adjustments to come back," Butternut coach Matt Roeder said. "We pulled off our press, which I'm not thrilled about doing, but we pulled it off to make sure we could cover the basket first and that kind of cleared things up over the top."

Butternut turned the tide, cutting the deficit to single digits, 56-47, with over 6 minutes to go. While Ironwood didn't get easy baskets again, it did score on three offensive rebounds with strong play inside, building the lead back near 20.

Taylor Mylly had 18 points for Ironwood. While Boyd and Marshall had big second halves, Mylly was pivotal in the first half, making three 3s and scoring 12 points.

"I really like our balance - 19, 15 and 18. It means we're sharing the ball well," Jacquart said. "I liked how, especially in the second half how we attacked the basket. I really liked the way we attacked. Balance shows me we're sharing the ball well."

Gabby McCorison had 25 points for Butternut and Gwen McCorison had 14. Butternut was missing two starters due to injury.

"The McCorison sisters are great players," Jacquart said. "We had a hard time guarding them at times."

Ironwood (2-0, 2-0) goes to Washburn Tuesday for a makeup game.

Butternut - Taylor Bortz 3, Emma Herbst 5, Gabby McCorison 25, Gwen McCorison 14, Riannon Kolar 7. FTs: 13-21. Fouls: 10. Fouled out: None. 3-pointers: Gwen McCorison, Kolar 1.

Ironwood - Lauren Gauthier 5, McKenzie Boyd 19, Haley Halvorsen 8, Makenzie Marshall 15, Taylor Mylly 18, Lexi Hagstrom 2, Shawna Jackson 6. FTs: 5-7. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: None. 3-pointers: Mylly 3, Boyd 1.

Butternut 15 54

Ironwood 23 73