NORWAY — Norway outlasted Ishpeming 44-42 in a battle of Mid-Peninsula Conference girls basketball unbeatens Thursday.

Jordan Kraemer’s bucket with 56 seconds left in the game proved to be the difference. The reigning Mid-Peninsula Conference Player of the Year scored 19 points in the first half but just four in the second.

“They played her a little bit tougher and she played more out on top,” said Norway Coach Carli Kelly. “They were watching her pretty close.”

Kraemer scored 12 points in the first quarter and triggered Norway’s suffocating full-court defense. The Knights (7-0, 4-0) held an 18-10 lead entering the second quarter and built a double-digit advantage.

“That is a very good team,” Ishpeming Coach Ryan Reichel said. “If she’s (Kraemer) not the player of the year (again) it would be just crazy. She’s just a phenomenal talent.

“We were prepared for her . But you can’t turn the ball over and give her eight lay-ups in the first quarter. We made some adjustments.”

Britt Grayvold and Teidra Fuson each added eight points for Norway, which took a 31-27 lead into the second half.

“I was happy with our quick start,” Kelly said. “We knew we would need that because Ishpeming is a tough team and very athletic, long, lanky and quick. It would have been hard to play catch-up with them.”

Madigan Johns, who led the Hematites with 13 points, converted two free throws with 2:15 left in the game to create a 42-42 deadlock.

“We practiced all week and we were ready for it,” Reichel said of Norway’s full-court pressure. “When you get in the game the brain gets faster than the body and things start happening. Once we calmed down things worked out for us.”

Big steals from Grayvold and Fuson in the final minutes also lifted the Knights. Grayvold’s theft at 5:56 put Norway on top 42-38.

“In the fourth quarter we had a couple of those frantic possessions and we traveled,” Reichel said. “We had more turnovers than we’ve had all year. But that was a credit to Norway and the way they’re coached.”

Chloe Sjoholm scored Ishpeming’s only basket in the game’s final six minutes, closing the gap to 42-40 at the 4:10 mark.

“We can come back from really good teams and make a game out of it,” Reichel said. “But we have to close out better. This is our first close game of the season.”

Both teams continue MPC play Tuesday, with Norway hosting Iron Mountain and Ishpeming entertaining Gwinn.

“She has a high-quality team and I think we can contend at the same level,” Reichel said. “Moving forward this will make us better in the long haul.”

Ishpeming defeated Norway in the junior varsity game.