MANCELONA - The Mancelona Ironmen held off a late rally to earn a 50-49 win over Bellaire on Tuesday night in a matchup of the last two unbeaten teams in Ski Valley Conference play.
The Ironmen jumped out to a 19-10 lead after one quarter of play, and then led 32-25 heading into halftime.
Mancelona would carry 43-37 lead into the fourth quarter, where the Eagles would close the gap, but ultimately could not pull out the win.
Ivan Kuzmanoski led a balanced Mancelona attack with 15 points. Bellaire’s Jayden Hanson led all scorers with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Mancelona (9-2, 7-0 Ski Valley Conference) now sits alone atop the Ski Valley standings. Their next game is out of conference, at home against Ellsworth on Thursday. Bellaire (7-3, 6-1 SVC) will look to bounce back on the road at Onaway on Friday night.
