Negaunee’s Jordan Guenette looks to pass during the first half of a high school boys game played against Iron Mountain at Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium in Negaunee on Tuesday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

NEGAUNEE — Senior Oskar Kangas led Iron Mountain to at least a share of the West PAC boys basketball Iron Division title with a 60-43 victory at Negaunee on Tuesday night.

Playing at Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium, the game was also the Miners’ Parents Night as Negaunee lost its third straight to slip to 13-8 while the Mountaineers improved to 18-3.

“I thought we played great after the start of the game,” IM head coach Bucky Johnson said. “Then Oskar, obviously, had a heck of a game and he’s a heck of a player.”

Kangas, who is the two-time reigning All-Upper Peninsula Divisions 1-3 Player of the Year, had 22 points by halftime and finished the night with 38.

“But this was a championship game,” Johnson said. “People might not know that, but this was for the conference and these kids got the message and they took care of business.”

Negaunee head coach Brad Nelson knew exactly where his team’s problems were situated.

“We were careless with the basketball. I don’t know how many turnovers we had, probably had close to 30, and against a team like Iron Mountain that’s probably not going to end well,” he said. “There were spurts, you know, 30 to 20 at halftime. We lost the first quarter, and definitely lost the third quarter, and that kind of cost us the game. But you can’t turn the ball over like we did.”

The game started slowly, with neither team able to find a rhythm in the opening minutes. The Miners struck first, as Holden Meyer put NHS on the board with a 2-0 lead, but IM responded quickly.

Kangas led the way, scoring a layup to give his team a 4-2 advantage. From there, the Mountaineers began to find their stride, with Gerald Sampoll Torres contributing several key buckets to extend the lead.

By the time Negaunee called a timeout with 1:42 left in the first quarter, IM established an 8-2 lead, with the score staying there at quarter’s end.

Both teams got their offenses untracked in the second period. Negaunee responded with 3-pointers from Jordan Guenette and Brady Mager, trimming the Mountaineers’ lead. But Kangas kept the pressure on, scoring a mix of layups, a 3-pointer, and an and-one to not only break the 20-point barrier himself at halftime, but push his team’s lead to 30-20.

The Miners’ Kyle Waterman opened the third quarter with an and-one to trim the deficit to seven points, but IM quickly rebuilt that lead. Kangas, who had been on fire all night, added a 3-pointer and another layup to bring his total to 33 points after three periods.

Meanwhile, the Mountaineers’ defense tightened as Negaunee struggled with turnovers, allowing the Mountaineers to really take control. By the end of the third, IM held a commanding 51-27 lead.

Despite some late flashes from the home squad, including a run of layups by Mager, IM sealed the game in the final quarter. Evan Copley added a free throw to the Mountaineers’ lead, and Kangas capped off his performance with a slam dunk, putting the finishing touch on the 17-point win.

Along with Kangas’ 38 points, Torres contributed several key assists and points, while Copley and Aiden Ellis were solid contributors on both offense and defense.

Both coaches are looking ahead to next week’s MHSAA district tournaments with the regular season wrapping up this week.

“We just want to lock in and play hard, attack accordingly and just get prepared for the district tournament,” Johnson said.

Negaunee will play in the Upper Peninsula-wide Division 2 district, traveling to Houghton for a district semifinal at 6 p.m. Wednesday. On the other side of the bracket, Escanaba plays at next-door neighbor Gladstone on Monday for the right to play at Kingsford on Wednesday evening.

The district championship game, which will be hosted by Kingsford, Escanaba or Gladstone, is set for next Friday night.

IM is in a Division 3 district where it is effectively the host as it will play at home as long as the Mountaineers keep winning. IM awaits Monday’s winner between Gwinn and Bark River-Harris to play on Wednesday, with the Friday championship game to pair up the survivor from the other side of the bracket.

On that side, Manistique plays at Menominee on Monday, with the winner traveling to Munising at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.