DEC 18, 2023

SEAN CHASE

Daily News Sports Editor

NORWAY — As the crowd piled into the gym at Norway High School on Friday, it seemed everyone knew Iron Mountain junior Oskar Kangas was on the cusp of history.

It took until the fourth quarter, but those in attendance watched as Kangas rose up from the left corner and drilled a 3-point shot to join the Mountaineers 1,000 point club.

“I started out kind of slow, I was getting kind of worried,” Kangas said. “But in the end, I knew as long as we won then I would be happy. I shot that corner three and I saw it kind of rattle a little bit. I was like, this might be my last opportunity, so I was praying, hoping it goes in. I saw it fall and it was a big sigh of relief.

“I’m just thankful for the team, without them none of this would have been possible.”

For Iron Mountain coach Harvey “Bucky” Johnson, given the circumstances, it couldn’t have gone better.

“When you coach kids that live it, and Oskar certainly lives it, it’s just a milestone,” Johnson said. “Down in Norway, a rivalry, it couldn’t really have played out much better. He had to work hard for it. So, I’m sure Norway knew that and they didn’t want to let it happen. Oskar kind of made it happen. … He joins a pretty prestigious group.”

In the end, Iron Mountain defeated the Norway boys varsity basketball team 58-42 on the road.

“It was a tough game,” Harvey “Bucky” Johnson said. “Norway came ready to play. We had a bad stretch in the first half and give Norway credit, they’ve got some athletes over there. They were getting to the loose balls and out scrapping us a little bit.

“But we held them to 17 points, which is good. Still, I think we could have done a little better offensively.”

For Norway, the game plan was all about stopping Oskar Kangas.

“We wanted to body him, early and often,” Knights coach Jeff Gallino said. “I thought Cole Baij did a fantastic job on him. Unfortunately, in the later quarters, I think we ran out of gas.”

Kangas opened the game with a steal and two hand jam, however those were the only points he would score in the first two quarters.

After falling behind by 12 points in the first quarter, the Knights began to fight back.

Alex Ortman and Mason Trudeau connected on layups. Then Ian Popp buried a 3-pointer and the energy in Norway was palpable.

Trudeau added a layup off an assist from Cole Baij and Norway ended the first half down 18-13.

The Knights scored four points in the second quarter and the Mountaineers extended their lead to eight points.

“In the second half, I thought the kids really answered the bell,” Johnson said. “Oskar had a tough night, but we told him at halftime, ‘We’re going to keep attacking.’ He made some tough shots in there and they had a pretty good game plan. Reese came alive, hitting some shots in the second half.”

Ortman drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to open the third quarter. But, Reese Kangas started an 11-point Iron Mountain run with back-to-back 3-point shots.

At the end of the third quarter, Reese Kangas had 14 points while Oskar’s total had climbed to 10.

“Reese, he lives the game,” Johnson said. “He’s all about basketball. I give him credit, he’s the older brother (to Oskar) and just plays his role and you can see what he can do once he gets going.”

For Oskar Kangas, it is a good feeling to see his older brother succeed.

“It feels good, because I know a lot of teams are keying in on me, so when he can get open and he can get shots it’s better for the team,” Kangas said.

Ortman kept attacking in the fourth quarter and added 11 points. But it was too little too late as the Mountaineers secured the win.

“Our effort was tremendous tonight,” Gallino said. “We missed too many layups and our offense was kind of stagnant at times. … This is a good test for us, we had a good test with Escanaba and then a good test with Iron Mountain. It’s only going to make us better.”

Oskar Kangas finished the game with 19 points. He also had 11 rebounds, one assist and a block.

The Mountaineers also received contributions from Reese Kangas (17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist), Gerald Sampoll Torres (8 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal), Ian Martilla (3 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist), Matthew Colavecchi (4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal), Evan Copley (7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals) and Kayden Sheldon (1 rebound).

Ortman finished with 22 points. He also added 10 rebounds and an assist.

The Knights also received contributions from Popp (3 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block), Bryce Adams (7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist), Baij (4 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists), Anthony Pineda (2 rebounds) and Trudeau (4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal).

Iron Mountain is in Ishpeming today at 6:15 p.m. while the Knights welcome Niagara to town at 6:30 p.m.