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Ironmen rally, hold on to first

The Vermilion Ironmen found a way to shake off a sluggish first half Wednesday night.With a share of the division lead on the line, the community college basketball team rallied from a six-point halftime deficit and won 87-73 at Hibbing.The Ironmen, who got a team-high 24 points from sophomore Gavin Erickson, won their second straight contest, improved to 4-1 in the division and kept pace with Rainy River in the seven-team race.They did it by stepping up their defensive intensity, forcing a series of turnovers and going on a 22-6 run to open the second half“We create off our defense,” said Vermilion Head Coach Paul McDonald. “We got some deflections and steals and got some opportunities.Four players scored in double figures for Vermilion while center Emory Williams finished with nine points while seeing limited duty due to foul trouble.Williams, a 6-4 freshman from Minneapolis, was on the court for most of the second-half surge and had three baskets during that time frame.Erickson nailed four three-pointers, but Vermilion’s biggest triples came from sophomore Joe Mews.After Hibbing cut the gap to 74-67 with under four minutes to play, Mews hit back-to-back ‘treys’ to seal the win. He added another in the last minute for good measure, finishing with 14 ponts.Anthony Anderson, VCC’s leading scorer this season, was held four points below his average and finished with 19 points, but he had eight steals and sank six key second-half free throws.Vermilion’s balance helped overcome a big night from Hibbing’s Tony White.The Northern Division’s top scorer, a 25-year-old freshman, poured in 36 points.White had an especially impressive first half, when he scored on drives to the hoop, post moves down low and jumpers off the glass.Hibbing came back from an early eight-point deficit and controlled the last eight minutes of the first half, taking a 42-36 lead by the break.Teran Griffin added 15 points for the Cardinals.Mews wound up with 14 points for the Ironmen and Frank Bradley netted 10 points.Ironmen 69, Northland 57Vermilion came out on top in a defensive struggle last Saturday.The visiting Pioneers gave VCC some problems, but Anderson’s 26 points were enough for the Ironmen.Erickson, a second-year player from Esko, had another in a series of solid offensive performances with four three-pointers and 15 points.Williams had 11 points and Mews contributed six.Vermilion led 36-28 at halftime.• Anderson is third in the division in scoring (23.6 points per game) and tops all Northern Division players in three-point shooting (46 percent), assists (6.2 per game) and steals (4.0 per game). He’s also fourth in overall field goal percentage (52 percent) and fifth in free throw shooting (77 percent).Williams is first in field goal percentage (62) and third in rebounds (9.8 per game).• The Ironmen host Itasca today (3 p.m., Vermilion Gymnasium) and a showdown looms Wednesday at Virginia when they take on rival Mesabi (8 p.m.). The Norsemen handed VCC its only division defeat.Ironmen rally, hold on to first

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