Kingsford senior Gavin Trevillian (10) attempts a layup on Tuesday in Mountaineer Gym. (Terry Raiche photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — For the past couple of years, the Iron Mountain boys varsity basketball team has dominated Kingsford, no matter where the game has been played.

On Tuesday, the Flivvers (14-3, 5-1) turned the tables on the Mountaineers (16-3, 8-1). Senior Gavin Grondin led the No. 3-ranked Kingsford attack with 26 points as No. 2-ranked Iron Mountain fell 57-53 in Mountaineer Gym.

“I feel great,” Grondin said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve beaten them. It’s the last time I’m going to play in this gym and I’m really happy with how we played. We got the job done.”

Although the win was Flivvers head coach Ben Olsen’s first over Iron Mountain, it wasn’t his first in Mountaineer Gym. That came as the head coach of the Gwinn girls basketball team.

“My first ever varsity basketball win was in this gym,” Olsen said. “We’ve been through so much. The Norway buzzer beater, the overtime loss to Iron Mountain, a tough loss to Marquette, where we just felt if we played a little more disciplined, that we were going to be on the right side of these.

“I felt like we played really disciplined basketball. There were some shots in the fourth quarter that I didn’t love, but if one of those goes in, it opens the game up. I think the kids responded to the message and they did a fantastic job.”

For Iron Mountain, this loss doesn’t change its goals.

“Well, seeing we’ve beaten them 18 out of the last 21 times we’ve played them, and I mean that respectfully, they were hungry for this one,” Mountaineers head coach Harvey “Bucky” Johnson said. “And they got us.”

“Give Grondin credit, he’s a really good player. He’s a tough player and he’s one of the best in the U.P. Nothing to be ashamed of with the effort, Kingsford is a good team. Now, we’re moving on to the tournament and we’re going to shore things up.”

In front of a capacity crowd, Iron Mountain opened up an 8-2 lead to start the first quarter. Then Olsen sent in sophomore Jett Buckley.

“We knew that they were going to stay home with Grondin on the high-ball screen,” Olsen said. “In practice, we said, ‘If they go underneath that, Jett, you’re going to pull.'”

He buried two 3-pointers to help Kingsford stay within reach of the Mountaineers.

“Jett Buckley really shouldered the load for us in the first quarter,” Olsen said. “He had eight points early on. Buckley kept us afloat so Gavin could get going.

“He’s a sophomore and he’s kind of the new kid on the block for us. But he comes in and can do some really good stuff.”

After eight minutes, Iron Mountain led 14-13.

The Mountaineers held Grondin to three points in the frame, but that didn’t last long.

“I don’t say really anything to him,” Olsen said. “He comes over to me and says what he thinks will work and what he wants. And then, we listen to what he has to say. Gavin Grondin is Gavin Grondin, you can pencil him in for 25.”

Grondin made a 3-pointer to end the first quarter and he used that to spark a 14-point second.

“I just got better looks and once one went in I felt it,” Grondin said. “Then another one went in and that led to a chain of them. I was feeling good. Shoutout to my teammates for getting me the ball and giving me good looks.”

The Flivvers outscored Iron Mountain, 18-9 in the second quarter.

“We had a stretch there in the second quarter where Grondin got hot and that was a big difference in the game,” Johnson said.

In the first game against the Mountaineers, Kingsford was missing senior Morgan Sleik. He was on the court Tuesday and led the Flivvers with six points in the third quarter.

“Having Morgan Sleik back was huge,” Olsen said. “Last time, we had five guards out there. When you have 6-foot-6 against 6-foot, that’s huge. Kudos to Iron Mountain, they all made big shots. When we were about to put it away, (Evan) Copley makes a corner three. (Brayden) Kassin makes a tough three and (Oskar) Kangas makes a three with Sleik in his face.

“The thing about Iron Mountain, for years now, is they’re so tough to put away. We were fortunate enough tonight to finally get that monkey off our back and put them away.”

After three quarters, Kingsford led 41-39.

Holding a narrow advantage, the Flivvers opened up a six-point margin in the opening minutes of the fourth. However, the Mountaineers weren’t going down without a fight.

“Give my guys credit, we battled back in the fourth, but I don’t think we could get over the hump,” Johnson said.

A 3-pointer from Copley cut the score to 51-48 with two minutes to play and things turned into a free-throw contest.

With 37 seconds left, Grondin found himself in a familiar position — at the free throw line. Last year, in Iron Mountain, he missed the game winning shots. Tuesday, he didn’t let that get to him.

“A little bit, especially from last year when we were here, I missed those two to win the game,” Grondin said. “That hurt. So everyday after practice, I’m there shooting free throws. All I was thinking at the line was putting the ball in the bucket.”

Kingsford’s Jack Kriegl went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds to seal the game.

Although wins like this are big for momentum, they can also lead to a letdown.

“We’ve already experienced that letdown with Norway and the feeling that comes with that,” Olsen said. “We’ve got a veteran group of kids that knows what happened in that game and I don’t think they’re going to let that happen going forward.”

Grondin’s 26 points was a game high.

The Flivvers also received contributions from Owen Olkkonen (3 points), Kriegl (8 points), Gavin Trevillian (2 points), Sleik (10 points) and Buckley (8 points).

Kangas scored 12 points for the Mountaineers.

“Not only did he make some baskets, he passed the ball to wide open guys for shots,” Johnson said. “They were pretty much double teaming him. There were a lot of eyes on him.”

Iron Mountain also received contributions from Gerald Sampoll-Torres (11 points), Ian Marttila (8 points), Copley (13 points) and Kassin (9 points).

Kingsford faces off with Peshtigo in Flivver Gym today, while the Mountaineers return to the court on Monday in Hancock.

“We know this is the start to our playoff run,” Grondin said. “We’ve got a tough couple of games coming up. It’ll be a really good test before the playoffs.”

TROJANS 66, KNIGHTS 44

NORWAY — In the battle between the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked teams in Division 4, a sophomore turned the tide.

On Tuesday, Forest Park (18-1, 7-0) traveled to Norway (14-5, 4-2), and Vic Giuliani took over. He scored 30 points and propelled the Trojans to a 66-44 Skyline Central Conference win.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore scored 13 points in the first quarter for Forest Park. They held the Knights to 11 points in the frame and took a 21-11 lead into the second.

The Trojans connected on four 3-pointers in the next eight minutes. Senior Gabe Quevedo made two, while Dax Huuki and Aidyn Waldo each hit one. The lead ballooned to 43-26 at halftime.

Both teams recorded 13 points in the third quarter, but Forest Park separated itself again in the fourth, scoring 10 points in the final frame to secure the SCC win.

Vic Giuliani’s 30 points led all scorers in the contest.

The Trojans also received contributions from Izaiah Tarter (2 points), Quevedo (10 points), Huuki (6 points), Matthew Showers (2 points), Waldo (5 points) and Kevin Giuliani (12 points).

Norway received offensive contributions from AJ Gallino (13 points), Bryce Adams (7 points), Cole Baij (9 points), Anthony Pineda (8 points), Mason Trudeau (5 points) and Elliott Kraemer (2 points).

The Knights welcome North Central to town on Friday while Forest Park heads to Bark River.

NORDICS 78, JETS 42

FELCH TOWNSHIP — With the postseason right around the corner, the No. 4-ranked North Dickinson boys varsity basketball team is peaking at the right time.

On Tuesday, the Nordics (13-5, 3-3) welcomed North Central (8-10, 2-3) to the Carl F. Lemin Gymnasium for a Skyline Central Conference-Small School clash.

The Jets tried to keep pace with North Dickinson, but the Nordics breezed to a 78-42 win.

North Dickinson leaned on junior Ty King in the first quarter.

He racked up 15 points while senior Mason Anderson added seven and the Nordics led 28-6 after eight minutes. Senior Lane Gorzinski scored all six of the Jets’ points in the frame.

North Central’s offense posted six points in the second. The Nordics’ offense slowed down, tallying 13 points. Junior Brady Jungwirth led the way with six points. The Jets trailed 41-12 at halftime.

North Dickinson exploded in the third quarter, racking up 22 points. Six Nordics scored in the frame, while Richard Haney’s five points led them.

Entering the fourth quarter, North Dickinson led 63-24. The gap was too great for North Central to close, and it ended up losing.

King led all scorers in the contest with 18 points.

The Nordics also received contributions from Lucas Steinbrecher (4 points), Trenton Kramer (10 points), Jungwirth (6 points), Colton Roberts (2 points), Anderson (11 points), Spencer Kramer (8 points), Maurici Mora (3 points), David Madigan (3 points), Haney (7 points), Jason Graham (2 points) and Mason Florenski (4 points).

The Jets received offensive contributions from Alex Pipkorn (3 points), Ben Stage (4 points), Jordan Walters (3 points), Kaden Malone (3 points), Aidyn Burton (4 points), Gorzinski (15 points), Abram Eichhorn (8 points) and Nathan Pipkorn (2 points).

North Central is in Norway on Friday while the Nordics head to Carney.

BADGERS 66, RANGERS 34

NIAGARA, Wis. — After taking care of business against its rival, the Niagara boys varsity basketball team was back in action on Tuesday.

The Badgers (14-5, 10-3) faced Wausaukee (6-14, 1-11) in a Marinette & Oconto Conference clash, and they won 66-34 over the Rangers.

Niagara was on fire in the first half. Senior Cameron Schiefelbein led the way with 16 points in the frame. Gavin Neuens added eight points while Brayden Bartels added six and the Badgers took a 43-20 advantage into halftime.

Niagara turned up the defensive pressure in the second half and the pace slowed down. Schiefelbein and Neuens each scored six points, while Alex Tripp and Bartels each pitched in three.

The Badgers held Wausaukee to 14 points in the final half and easily secured the victory.

Schiefelbein led all scorers in the contest with 22 points. He has tallied 54 points in the past two games.

Niagara also received contributions from Tripp (8 points), Neuens (14 points), Dazavian Hannah (2 points), Dante Stachowicz (4 points), Easton Holmes (2 points), Bartels (9 points), Christian Anderson (3 points) and Noah Wheeler (2 points).

The Badgers are in Suring, Wis. on Friday.