The Hornets (6-1, 3-1), who trailed 28-21 at the half, fell behind 36-24 in the quarter and things didn't look too good.
MANCELONA — The Pellston boys basketball team has already proven this season that it can come back and win tough Ski Valley matchups.
The Hornets were able to do that again on Tuesday, fighting back from a 12-point third-quarter deficit to earn a 57-46 victory at Mancelona in a key conference matchup.
The Hornets (6-1, 3-1), who trailed 28-21 at the half, fell behind 36-24 in the quarter and things didn't look too good.
"We looked like a team that hadn't played since Dec. 21," said Pellston coach Larry Cassidy. "Just a lot of unforced turnovers, guys traveling, guys getting three-second calls, guys stepping out of bounds. Those were just signs that we hadn't played a game in two-and-a-half weeks or more. Their big kids attacked us in the first half."
But just as they did at Forest Area earlier this season, the Hornets used their team defense to help get them back in the game. After being down 12, the Hornets closed the quarter with a 13-3 run to trail by only two heading into the fourth.
"The big difference was in the third quarter, when we started attacking the rim," Cassidy said. "Blake (Cassidy) had two possessions in a row where he had an And-1, and we started pushing back at them. We made a couple of adjustments defensively to not let their big guys get the ball as easily as they did in the first half. We started to use our length in our zone, started to get some easy steals."
The Hornets used strong free throw shooting — knocking down 12-of-13 shots — to outscore the Ironmen 20-7 in the quarter and get the win.
"We made free throws tonight," Cassidy said. "We're kind of Jekyll and Hyde with those, but tonight they all went in."
Tanner Byard led the Hornets with 27 points, while Blake Cassidy had 20 and Jordan Williams chipped in with 10.
Pellston will host Central Lake in a Ski Valley clash on Thursday.