GWINN — If the Gwinn boys basketball team was looking for a statement victory at the halfway point of the season, it found one Wednesday night.

The Modeltowners battled Houghton in a back-and-forth affair before finally outlasting the Gremlins 77-76 in double overtime. Tucker Taylor led Gwinn with 38 points and 17 rebounds, while Austin Forbes finished with 30. Houghton’s George Butvilas led all scorers with 40 points.

“That’s a big win for us,” Modeltowners head coach Jim Finkbeiner said. “Houghton came in third in U.P. polls (released this week) and I know they played a tough schedule. We only get to see them once and they have a couple big scorers and they live up to the headlines.

“I haven’t seen a kid have 40 points in a while and (Brad) Sirard had 25. I don’t think either team had a bigger lead than four or six points. It was pretty even scoring and it was fun to watch.”

Houghton led the Modeltowners 17-15 after the first quarter, but the Modeltowners bounced back in the second, outscoring the Gremlins 15-9 to take a 30-26 into the half.

In the third quarter, though, Houghton snatched the lead back, and the Gremlins went into the fourth with a 44-40 advantage. The teams traded blows throughout the fourth quarter and Gwinn held a slim lead late, but Sirard knocked down a triple in the closing seconds to tie the game at 61-61 and force it into overtime.

Gwinn also won the JV game 40-15. The Modeltowners host Iron Mountain Friday.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Writer Ryan Stieg. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.