Gwinn’s Reid Hill goes for a jump shot while the Hematites’ Breck Bell, left, and Jayce Kipling try to defend during their MHSAA Division 3 district tournament basketball game played Monday at the Modeltowners’ gym. (Journal photo by Kat Torreano)

GWINN — In a game where defense ruled for most of the night, there was half a quarter where the shining sun of offense burned brightly.

Then it was back to clamp-down defense again.

In the end, though, it was a four-win Gwinn team that never trailed and registered a 61-53 win at home over Ishpeming to open the MHSAA Division 3 district tournament on Monday.

The Modeltowners lost twice to the Hematites during the regular season, including a 70-63 decision on Feb. 26.

On this night, though, Gwinn (5-16) took command right from the get-go and never fell behind as the game was tied three times, the last at 27-27 early in the second half.

Twice James Harnick put the home team back ahead with a bucket, the final time as part of the offensive barrage for both teams that lasted less than four minutes early in the third quarter.

Harnick finished with a game-high 25 points, scoring 19 of those in the second half.

“I knew I had to step up my scoring in the second half,” he said. “I only had like six points at halftime and I’m supposed to be our team’s offensive leader.”

With Ishpeming (8-12) trailing 25-21 at halftime, the Hematites’ Griffin Argall nailed a 3-pointer from the left baseline with 6:50 left in the third. Gwinn’s Reid Hill answered with a long 2 from his own left baseline 45 seconds later before Argall made another triple, this time high on the left side that tied the score.

That’s when Harnick untied it with back-to-back 3s from the same spot on the left baseline about 35 seconds apart that made it 33-27 Gwinn.

The teams traded 2-point baskets for a few more minutes before the barrage wound down when Gwinn’s Mastin Love and Ishpeming’s Jayce Kipling each made 1 of 2 free throws to leave the Modeltowners ahead 38-34 with 3:36 to go in the third.

“We knew we had to stop (Ishpeming’s Jacob) Kugler,” Harnick said. “He was second team all-conference and they do a lot of things through him.”

Kugler finished with 10 points as Breck Bell led Ishpeming scorers with 19 and Argall had 12. Hill added 14 points for Gwinn.

“Bell hurt us with his driving ability,” GHS coach Jim Finkbeiner said of Bell’s numerous slashing moves to the basket. “We kept changing guys trying to defend him, looking for the right combination.

“Finally, David Duvall stepped in and was able to slow him down enough that he had to start distributing the ball.”

Finkbeiner agreed that it was a lot easier playing with the lead than being forced to catch up as the Modeltowners have often had to do this season.

“I don’t worry too much about what the other team is doing,” the coach said. “Having the lead allows us to do some things that we want to do instead of some other things we may not be as good at.

“We just need to do what we need to do.”

Ishpeming coach George Niemi lamented his team’s cold shooting night.

“We picked the wrong night not to shoot the ball well,” he said. “Free throws made quite a bit of the difference.”

The Hematites made just 8 of 19 from the line — 42 percent — to 18 of 23 for Gwinn, or 78 percent.

“We couldn’t quite get over that hump,” Niemi said about his team never taking the lead. “They got it up to 10 points at one point, but our guys never quit. They could’ve hung their heads but they stayed with it and we had a chance right to the end.”

The Modeltowners took their biggest lead of 48-38 less than a minute into the fourth quarter when Harnick converted a steal into a layup and was fouled.

While he missed the subsequent free throw that would’ve made it a traditional three-point play, he did induce Kugler to commit his fourth foul. Kugler eventually fouled out with about a minute and a half left.

Ishpeming hung in the game, though, getting as close as 53-49 with just under two minutes to go when Argall sank a pair of free throws.

As the clock wound down to about a minute remaining, the Hematites were forced to foul, but Harnick and Caleb Anderson each went 4 for 4 at the line in the final 65 seconds to preserve their team’s win.

“Late in the game, I knew they would have to come after us,” Finkbeiner said. “We just wanted to have the ball in our best free throw shooters’ hands, and that’s Caleb and James.”

The Modeltowners remain home to host 19-2 Negaunee at 7 p.m. Wednesday. With district host Bark River-Harris losing Monday, that insures that the Gwinn-Negaunee winner will host the district championship game on Friday.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.