Ironwomen bag first win

It was a long time coming.Nearly two years to be exact.Last Saturday, the Vermilion Ironwomen ended a losing streak that dated back to the 2003-2004 season and 41 games with a 68-58 home victory over Central Lakes.That outing, coupled with a hard-fought 69-62 loss to Mesabi Tuesday night, has Vermilion hoping and expecting that the wait for another win won’t be anywhere near as long.The community college basketball team outscored the Raiders 41-26 in the second half and put everything together en route to the victory.Kendra Eckstrom, a transfer from Southwest Minnesota State who just became eligible after the holidays, led four Ironwomen in double figures with 21 points.The victory, coupled with the near upset of Mesabi, has Vermilion Head Coach Ray Podominick optimistic about the rest of the season.“Especially early in the conference season, to win a home game that we thought we could win is a good start,” said Podominick. “Our goal is to get into the top four in the division and qualify for the state tournament.”Sophomore Kelsey Edwards had 14 points while teammates Gena Jerich and Amber Monio chipped in with 11 points each for VCC.“The girls are starting to play together and our biggest improvement has been on defense,” said Podominick. “We added another player (Eckstrom) at semester break and the girls are getting used to playing with each other.”Chris Venema added seven points for the Ironwomen and point guard Jarvette Murray finished with four.Mesabi 69, Ironwomen 62The visiting Norse jumped out to a 12-point lead at 25-13 but they could never put Vermilion away.By halftime, the lead was down to four points at 27-23.And even though Mesabi opened up a 10-point lead in the second stanza, Vermilion battled back.A three-pointer by Monio cut the gap to 64-60 with a minute to play, but Mesabi iced the game at the line.“They made their free throws,” said Podominick. “They went 15-for-18 from the line.”Eckstrom had a monster game for the Ironwomen, pouring in a game-high 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.Monio hit five triples and wound up with 17 points. Edwards had seven points and 11 rebounds, while Jerich contributed six points and 10 rebounds.Ashley St. Arnold scored 20 points to lead three Mesabi players in double figures.Vermilion takes on Northland today (1 p.m.) in an attempt to get back to the .500 mark in division play. A road trip to Hibbing follows on Wednesday.