Negaunee’s Trent Bell, right, battles several Norway defenders for a rebound on Monday during a Mid-Peninsula Conference game in Norway. (Iron Mountain Daily News photo by Adam Niemi)

NORWAY — Free-throw shooting padded a late lead as Negaunee defeated Norway 68-54 on Monday to keep the Miners’ hopes alive for at least sharing a piece of the Mid-Peninsula Conference boys basketball title.

The Miners (15-4) benefited from making 15 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter. Trent Bell was 6 of 6 and Dre Tuominen was good on 8 of 10.

“That’s where you win games, that’s where you close out games,” Negaunee coach Dan Waterman said. “I was proud of the way my kids played defense and rebounded in the second half.”

Tuominen and Bell scored 22 and 18 points, respectively. Each also grabbed 12 of Negaunee’s 33 rebounds.

Norway’s Connor Ortman scored a game-high 28 points, with high-arc shots often over the outstretched hand of the 6-foot-7 Bell.

“It was like a punch to the gut every time Ortman put one in,” Waterman said.

The loss also meant Norway (17-2, 9-2) missed an opportunity to clinch at least a share of the conference title. The Knights and Miners are tied with Iron Mountain with two conference losses as the teams have one game left.

Negaunee hosts Iron Mountain today, while Norway plays at Ishpeming on Thursday.

“It’s a three-horse race and everybody’s got big games,” Waterman said. “Nothing’s settled yet and we just talked in the locker room that tonight was Step 1 but Step 2 is tomorrow and it’s just as important.”

A win at Ishpeming would still clinch a share of the conference title with either Iron Mountain or Negaunee. A Norway loss would make tonight’s victor the outright champion.

“It’s still there for the taking, we just have to go to Ishpeming and have a solid game and then don’t worry about who wins tomorrow,” Norway coach Ben Leiker said.

The Miners pushed a 10-0 run midway in the third quarter after the teams fought to a 28-28 halftime tie. The Knights clawed back to with four, but Negaunee’s stout free-throw shooting in the bonus stiff-armed a Norway comeback.

The Knights shot just 1 for 2 on free throws.

“We weren’t able to contain them. Bell had way too many offensive rebounds,” Leiker said. “We couldn’t get defensive rebounds in the second half at all. I thought we settled for the 3-point shot too much.

“We only got to the foul line two attempts the whole game. We hadn’t done that yet this year. Normally we have more attempts than our opponent.”

Norway made 7 of 26 on 3s.

Negaunee also won the JV game, 35-34.