Northstars rally past Devils for rivalry win

By JASON JUNO

sports@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood — Christmas came early for Hurley.

The week before the big holiday, the Northstars won all three of their games, and perhaps more importantly, found a style to run with, literally.

After a tough loss to Drummond the week before, the Northstars have found what works. Their pressure and faster pace of play overall helped wear down hot-shooting Ironwood for a 51-44 come-from-behind win over their archrivals. That’s after it helped them past a popular choice to contend in the Northern Lights Conference, Bayfield, earlier in the week.

“We maybe found our style,” Hurley coach Mike Swartz said. “This is the most I’ve played up and down ever, but we got athletes.”

Ironwood appeared, in the first half, to be in line for its second straight win over the Northstars. The Devils got the home holiday crowd into it with five first-half 3s and a lead that grew as large as 10 points a couple of times in the first half.

The Devils went cold in the second half, though, and couldn’t match Hurley’s offensive success getting to the basket.

“This one stings a little bit obviously because it’s Hurley and these guys really, really wanted this one,” Ironwood coach Adam Mackey said. “We’re going to have to have this as extra motivation and fuel going forward.”

It was the Devils who frustrated the Northstars, at first.

Axton Ruotsala’s third 3 of the half put the Devils up 22-12.

“Credit Ironwood for incredible shooting in the first half, it was just like you gotta be kidding me,” Swartz said.

A triple by Nick Miskovich put them up 10 again, 27-17.

Hurley scored the final four points of the half to close within six. But what a tough 16 minutes. Swartz said Jeremiah Wallis was a bit frustrated. Wallis had just shut down one of the top players in the Northern Lights Conference, Quintin Bresette of Bayfield earlier in the week; Ruotsala, an All-U.P. selection last year, proved to be an even bigger challenge, scoring despite his best efforts.

Swartz told Wallis he was playing great because he was.

“Our game plan was to run him off the 3-point line and make him go to the basket. I said he’ll pull from deep, I guess we gotta say waaay deep next time,” Swartz said.

That work paid off in the second half. The Northstars started on a 12-6 run to tie the game at 33. It was game on from there. Neither team led by more than four until Wallis converted a steal and layup to make it 48-42. Ironwood didn’t go away, but they didn’t make it any closer and Hurley picked up a satisfying win over a good team.

Ruotsala didn’t make a field goal in the second half — he only took two — and the Devils only made two 3s over the final 16 minutes.

“We got it up and down a little bit,” Swartz said. “I thought our pressure finally started getting them to take quicker shots and got the game a little more sped up. Ironwood’s solid; I mean, gosh, they were so good at dictating everything in the first half. We tried to throw some bodies, guard the length of the floor and we didn’t see a lot of results, we didn’t get a lot of turnovers, but I think we wore them down.”

Hurley got to the rim, Ironwood didn’t, and that was the difference, Mackey said.

“I think our inability to score inside, that’s what hurt us the most,” he said. “We lived and died by that 3 tonight. We were living in the first half, we made a bunch of them. Second half, we got tired legs, we weren’t making as many. It’s one of those things, if you’re going to shoot a lot of 3s like we did tonight, hopefully you make enough of them and we didn’t tonight.”

The made shots masked a tough offensive night overall.

“Maybe we gotta change a few things the way we’re looking to attack. We were just stagnant for most of the night,” Mackey said. “First half we were able to make shots and that worked in our favor. Second half, obviously not.”

Miskovich led the Devils with 15 points and Ruotsala had 10.

Wyatt Hall finished with 21 for the Northstars — ”what a night for him,” Swartz said — and Logan Schilling had 14.

“That’s what’s great about this team, we’ve got guys that can fill it up. You can’t really focus on one or two,” he said. “You’re seeing Schilling come off the bench and be a force, that’s huge.”

Hurley (4-2) hosts Bessemer on Jan. 3. Ironwood (4-1) hosts L’Anse on Jan. 7.

Hurley — Devin Soltis 2, Ty Hall 3, Jeremiah Wallis 8, Wyatt Hatt 21, Jack Rowe 3, Logan Schilling 14. FTs: 13-22. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: None. 3-pointers: Wallis 1, Hall 1.

Ironwood — Evan Oja 2, Axton Ruotsala 10, Brendan McCullough 4, Nick Miskovich 15, Alec Huotari 2, Robert Roberts III 2, Landon Buerger 9. FTs: 3-6. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: McCullough. 3-pointers: Ruotsala 3, Miskovich 3, Buerger 1.

Hurley 9 21 38 51

Ironwood 17 27 40 44