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Mancelona was up by nine points in the second half before Onaway started hitting from 3-point range and gradually cut into the Ironmen's lead.

With the Ironmen's lead down to three points with less than 10 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, Onaway got possession of the ball out of bounds with a chance to tie it or shave it to one.

Adam Duerksen clinched the game for the Ironmen, stealing the inbounds pass and driving in for a layup at the buzzer.

"It was a close game all the way," said Mancelona head coach Rick Duerksen. "Onaway is a good ball club."

Mancelona shot 22-of-59 from the floor on the night, or 37.3 percent, in raising its record to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the conference.

Onaway sent a message early in the game that it was going to be a tough nut to crack, taking a 15-10 first-quarter lead.

Mancelona couldn't get on track in the second quarter, either,Êand found itself down by 11 points, 35-24 at the half.

The Ironmen regrouped at the break, however, and finished the third quarter with a 42-37 advantage.

But no lead was safe in this game, and Onaway came storming back to throw a scare into the Ironmen in the fourth period.

Tony Derrer scored 14 points to lead the Ironmen, hauled down 10 rebounds and had 5 blocked shots. Steven Sheridan added 11 points.

Greg Blanco finished with 12 points, 4 assists and 4 steals. Duerksen contributed 12 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals.

"We went long spurts in the first half without scoring," coach Duerksen said. "Our defense was pretty sound.

"Then we started executing a little better, getting a little better movement in the second half. That gave us the opportunity to score more points."

Mancelona faced Forest Area in a key Ski Valley matchup Tuesday night. The Warriors were 3-1 in the league and 5-2 overall coming into the game.

Gaylord St. Mary pays a visit to the Ironmen's house Thursday night.