Girls Basketball: Butternut edges Ironwood

The Butternut girls basketball team earned a hard-fought road victory Tuesday night, edging Ironwood 46-44 after withstanding a late Red Devils push.

The Midgets came out firing, jumping to an early 10-1. . Ironwood responded in the second, knocking down three three-pointers to cut into the deficit. Butternut answered with triples from Gianna Nahring and Khloe Radlinger to maintain control. The Midgets carried a 24-20 lead into halftime.

The 2nd half turned into a back-and-forth battle. Ironwood briefly grabbed the lead, but each surge was met with a Butternut response, and the Midgets held a slim 35-33 advantage mid-way through the 2nd half.

Late in the game, Caitlynn Bebeau connected on her second three-pointer of the night to push Butternut ahead 46-41. Ironwood closed the gap in the final moments, but the Midgets came up with a key defensive stop in the closing seconds to secure the two-point win.

Nahring led Butternut with a standout performance, scoring 21 points while adding six rebounds and four assists. Brooklynn Treml recorded a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Bebeau finished with six points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Ironwood was led by Ruotsala, who knocked down four three-pointers on her way to 21 points. Novascone added 20 points for the Red Devils.

With the win, Butternut improves to 12-6 overall. The Midgets remain on the road for upcoming conference games at Washburn on Friday, at Mellen on Monday, at Bayfield on Tuesday, and at Drummond on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Seeding selection is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 15. Butternut will close out the regular season at Three Lakes on Feb. 17 before returning home to face Hurley on Feb. 19.