By Journal Sports Staff

ISHPEMING — Senior guard Gavin Sundberg scored nine of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as Ishpeming pulled away late for a 65-54 victory over L’Anse in a high school boys basketball game played Thursday night.

In a game being made up from Feb. 4, Sundberg helped his Hematites pull away in the final eight minutes after entering the fourth with a tenuous 50-47 advantage.

Ishpeming, which finished the regular season at 6-12, broke a seven-game losing streak with the result. L’Anse is 10-8 with a final regular-season game left at home against Jeffers tonight.

The Hematites opened up a 21-15 lead after one quarter, but the Purple Hornets wouldn’t go away, trailing just 33-31 at halftime and still within three after three quarters.

With Sundberg sinking three 3-pointers, junior teammate Jacob Kugler added 13 points to the winning cause.

Senior Louie Bogda paced L’Anse with 19, while fellow senior Reese Waara had 16, including four triples.

Ishpeming also won the JV game 49-38.

In a nontraditional-format district hosted by Manistique, the Hematites open MHSAA Division 3 tournament play at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the winner of Monday’s game between Gwinn and Bark River-Harris.

A win that night would put the Hematites in the district championship game at 7 p.m. next Friday at Negaunee, Westwood or Manistique.

L’Anse plays in a nontraditional district hosted by West Iron County. The Hornets open at Norway at 8 p.m. EST Monday. A win sends them home to face Calumet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, and another win gets them to the district title contest at WIC, Iron Mountain or Ironwood at 8 p.m. EST next Friday.

Republic-Michigamme 53, Baraga 28

At Republic, the Hawks kept Baraga winless at 0-19 with a big offensive outburst to start the second half.

Leading 21-6 at halftime, R-M (4-13) scored 19 points in the third quarter to open up a 40-20 advantage.

Sophomore Eli Luokkala, who scored a game-high 20 points, led the charge by scoring nine points in the third quarter and making 5 of 5 free throws in the second half.

Junior teammate Kolin Conklin added 17 points, 11 coming after halftime.

Sophomore Presley Rasanen led the Vikings with 12 points, including three 3-pointers, while sophomore Steele Jondreau and senior William Jondreau accounted for the rest of their team’s scoring with eight points apiece.

R-M also won the JV game 38-24.

The Hawks close out the regular season with a nonconference game at Mid Peninsula tonight, then join in MHSAA Division 4 tournament play next week in a nontraditional district hosted by Forest Park.

R-M hosts North Dickinson at 6 p.m. Monday, and with a win would play at Forest Park at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday. A second win would return the Hawks home for the district finale against North Central, Carney-Nadeau or Stephenson next Friday.

Baraga doesn’t open at a Division 4 district hosted by Chassell until 7 p.m. Wednesday, when it plays Hancock at the Chassell gym. A win puts the Vikings in the district championship at 7 p.m. next Friday at Chassell, Dollar Bay or Lake Linden-Hubbell.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.