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Mancelona burst out of the gates, as Duerksen scored seven early points.Ê Strong rebounding and an extremely effective zone defense by the Ironmen put a clamp on Forest AreaÕs motives.

However, The Warriors' Tyler Denike and company worked their way back and ended the quarter with a 14-13 lead.

In the second quarter Mancelona forged a small lead, as Tony Derrer provided a spark while Jeremy Howard became a dominant figure.

Howard's three-pointers shot a dagger in the WarriorsÕ defense at clutch times, but they stayed in the game with consistent production from Denike and a strong presence down low from Greg Kinney.Ê The strong quarter gave Mancelona the halftime lead at 31-27.

The Ironmen picked up right where they left off, as Howard traipsed right down the court and dropped in a dime from long range to give the team a seven point lead.Ê However, Denike responded with a three-pointer of his own to pull his comrades back within four.Ê After a generally back and fourth finish to the quarter, MancelonaÕs Steve Sheridan knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to give his team a 47-39 lead after three.

Down by nine, the Warriors came out strong in the fourth quarter, bursting out to an 8-2 run to get within three points of the lead.Ê But Duerksen responded for the Ironmen with a nice jumper that gave them back a five point lead with 2:45 left in the game.

Forest Area would not go down without a fight, however, as Zach Roys fought down low for two points and brought the team back to within three points.Ê One successful Mancelona free throw attempt later, the Ironmen found themselves up by four with one minute, fifty seconds left.Ê Desperately, the Warriors attempted to score some quick, easy buckets, but could find no room in Mancelona's ever lethal zone defense.Ê With less than a minute left, the Warriors began resorting to intentional fouls to get the ball back.Ê The tactic backfired, though, when Forest Area violated a new rule that stated a player must reach for the ball when intentionally fouling, and they were charged with a technical foul.Ê The free throws and possession gave the Ironmen all they needed to wrap up an impressive road conference victory, with the final score, 57-51. "We played with intensity," said Mancelona coach Rick Duerksen. "Forest Area is very athletic and we struggled guarding them man to man. The duo of Duerksen and Howard controlled the boards and played well offensively."

Howard paced the Ironmen with 16 points and seven boards, while Duerksen followed close behind with 15 points and 10 boards, another double double. Derrer scored seven points and grabbed five boards.

Mancelona 50, Ellsworth 60

The rematch of last week's entertaining game between the Ellsworth Lancers and Mancelona Ironmen proved to be a training ground for revenge for Ellsworth. After dropping the first game in a devastating overtime session, it was the LancersÕ turn to inflict pain, this time in the form of a 60-50 victory at home.

The Ironmen came out looking healthy and kept the game close, but the second quarter sent shockwaves through Ironmen land as The Lancers utilized the precision shooting of Jarod Steenwyk to pull away.

Numerous opportunities to come back sprouted up for Mancelona, but they were unable to capitalize when it counted.

"We would close it within five or six points, then we would make a mental mistake and it would be back up to 10," said Ironmen head coach Rick Duerksen. "Jarod Steenwyk hurt us on the outside. We werenÕt getting quick enough rotation in our move to stop him."

Steenwyk led the way for Ellsworth with 21 points. Dustin Flory had 15 points, and Jared Danbert added 12. The Ironmen were led by Jeremy Howard, who scored 14 points and had nine rebounds, while Adam Duerksen notched 12 points with eight rebounds.