Panthers repeat as district champions

By JASON JUNO

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Ironwood --- There are more complaints than compliments now that the MHSAA has dipped its toes into seeding the district basketball tournaments.

Higher seeds don't automatically get home games - they should. Only the top two teams are seeded - why aren't the rest of the district teams? Those are the most common complaints and maybe they'll be addressed someday.

But for all its faults, Michigan's limited seeding method often does the one thing it's designed to do, save the best teams and the best game, for championship night.

Top-seed Ewen-Trout Creek and No. 2 Ironwood certainly looked like the top teams in District 97, and they gave the big crowd at Ironwood's John Krznarich Gym the best game of the season locally Friday night.

A sluggish first half was replaced by a second half where every big shot was matched by another big shot. The Panthers pulled away late for a 52-42 win and their second straight district title.

"It was fun to see two talented teams gong at each other like this in March," Ironwood coach Jesse Mackey said. "Both teams were trading some really tough baskets for minutes straight in that second half - bodies diving across the floor for loose balls, the crowd was deafening."

E-TC coach Jacky Besonen was happy how her young team handled it.

"This is a tough place to play," she said. "They have great fan support. It was awesome. I'm very proud of them to have back-to-back district championships and to play in this tough atmosphere is excellent."

The first half proved excruciating - to watch and for each team to score. The Panthers didn't score until there were six seconds left in the first quarter. Yet they were only down 4-2. They led 13-11 at halftime.

"They kept grinding when it got a little ugly there at the beginning," Besonen said. "Because they (the Devils) were just playing stiff D and we weren't getting much. They beared down and kept working hard."

Everything changed in the second half.

The teams combined for 34 points in the third quarter, eight more than the entire first half. Despite that, neither team led by more than four.

Jaelyn Novascone made one field goal in the first half, but she scored 12 points in the third quarter.

E-TC always had an answer. Emma Besonen made three 3s in that quarter. When their big, Irelynd McGeshick, picked up her fourth foul with 1:54 left in the third, E-TC didn't fade, they made up that four-point deficit and went into the fourth tied at 29.

"We wanted to go on a run to end that third quarter when Irelynd was on the bench with foul trouble, but E-TC kept hitting shots," Mackey said. "We couldn't shake them."

It set up a heck of a fourth quarter.

The teams traded blows again, but E-TC managed to never trail. Bree and Emma Besonen started the scoring for a 34-29 lead, but Ironwood tied it. MaKayla Basel and Hannah Freguson hit much-needed shots as the Ironwood defense focused on E-TC's main scorers. Novascone's 3 made it a one-point game once again.

It was 42-39 when Besonen laid it in and McGeshick completed an and-1 to give E-TC some breathing room at 47-39.

As back and forth as it was, the Panthers were able to find a way to stay close in the third quarter and never fall behind in the fourth quarter with the gym getting louder and louder with every big shot Ironwood made.

"I just felt it was really important we were able to match them in that second half," coach Besonen said. "They'd hit a big shot, we'd come down and hit a big shot. I don't feel like it got away from us because we were able to keep matching what they were putting up, which was important. I think that was really important for our confidence."

There's no telling what Ironwood could have done with a little bit of a lead in the fourth - and the momentum to go with it.

"I'm so proud of these girls," Mackey said. "They battled tonight, especially defensively. They wanted it, they were confident from tip-off. We just ran out of gas at the end. E-TC hit a couple more big shots. We lost our momentum, had to foul to get them to the line and get the ball back. The final score doesn't indicate how close that game truly was."

Novascone and Emma Besonen both came alive in the second half. Novascone scored 20 of her game-high 22 after halftime, hitting two 3s and getting to the foul line. Besonen scored 17 of her game-high 23 in the second half and made five 3s.

"Novascone was impressive inside and outside tonight," Mackey said. "There was a stretch there where it felt like she couldn't be stopped. Credit our girls getting her the ball, they knew she was the hot hand."

Besonen finished 5 of 7 from 3.

"Emma really had to work hard to get those shots," coach Besonen said. "She was coming fast off those screens. She didn't get a lot of window, but she was able to get it up there quickly. And lucky for us they were going in."

Emma said "It was pretty tough, but the screeners were really good and they were going under, so I was able to get some open shots."

Bree Besonen finished with 12 points for the Panthers and McGeshick tallied 15 boards despite being held off the scoreboard for much of the night.

"They did not give her open looks," coach Besonen said. "They did a good job on her."

Besonen was impressed with Ironwood's defense, how they packed the lane on McGeshick and face-guarded both of her daughters. Emma found a way to score anyway and the Panthers found a way to win a great ballgame.

"It feels really good," said Emma, a sophomore who has two district titles. "I knew we could do it."

Bree Delich had 10 points for Ironwood.

Ironwood finished the season at 17-7.

E-TC improved to 19-5.

E-TC --- Bree Besonen 12, Leona Schutz 2, Emma Besonen 23, MaKayla Basel 5, Irelynd McGeshick 5, Hannah Ferguson 5. FTs: 7-9. Fouls: 11. Fouled out: None. 3-pointers: E. Besonen 5, B. Besonen 2.

Ironwood --- Hanna Vaughn 2, Bree Delich 10, Jaelyn Novascone 22, Lainey Rubatt 8. FTs: 3-8. Fouls: 13. Fouled out: Vaughn. 3-pointers: Novascone 2, Rubatt 2, Delich 1.

E-TC 2 13 29 52

Ironwood 4 11 29 42