“Iron” VCC squad falls to Mesabi

by Tom Coombe
Vermilion’s “Iron Five,” nearly came away with a win.
Ahead through three quarters, the Ironwomen ran out of gas in the final stanza Wednesday, as visiting Mesabi rallied for a 64-54 community college basketball victory.
The Lady Norse trailed after three quarters but outscored Vermilion 19-7 in the final quarter to pull out the Northern Division contest.
Vermilion, which fell to 0-7 for the winter, had the bare minimum of five available players as Shawna Butler, Alexis Hughes, Lauren Huchel, Alanna Sjoberg and Terri Sutton logged the entire 40 minutes without a break.
That may have taken its toll late in the contest as VCC’s shooting percentage fell from 38 percent in the opening half to just 19 in the second.
Vermilion went only seven-for-37 from the field in the second half, including one-for-14 from three-point distance.
Mesabi’s Haley Hansen led the winners with a double-double including 20 points and 14 rebounds. Hanna Sandberg added 13 points while Madisen Overbye finished with eight points, 14 rebounds and seven assists.
Sutton, a sophomore, paced the Ironwomen with 21 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
Butler had a 15-points, 11-rebound evening and Hughes also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Huchel scored seven points with 12 rebounds.
The Ironwomen are idle until Wednesday, when they host Central Lakes at 5:30 p.m. in a division battle.