For the Gazette/Paul Peterson Hancock's Marina Kero wrestles the ball away from a Jeffers player during Friday night's game. The Bulldogs scored a 35-28 win.

HANCOCK — It was by no means a thing of beauty, but the Hancock Bulldogs girls basketball team was happy to get a 35-28 victory over the Jeffers Jets Friday evening at home.

Hancock coach Dan Pertile felt his team showed some good things in carving out the verdict.

“I thought we played pretty decent defense against Jeffers, especially in the second,” said Pertile, who is in his second term as a coach at Hancock. “Jeffers always seems to have good shooters and we did a good job on that tonight.”

Jets skipper Joe Romano, whose team was playing just its fifth game of the season, felt the rust is coming out.

“Heck, we played one game in a month,” Romano said. “We really don’t know what we’re capable of yet. And this is a good Hancock team.”

The Bulldogs, who are now 4-6 on the season, have had their share of problems getting going.

“We had D’Andra Kero out with a concussion for a month,” Pertile said, “and Taylor Sebbas was out of town for a couple of weeks. Those are two of our main players.”

The Crimson and Gold grabbed a 9-6 lead after a slow first quarter and were up by a 24-16 at the half, getting some solid play from Kirsten Dennis.

The Bulldogs opened up a 30-17 lead after three quarters by limiting the Jets to a single free throw in the the stanza.

A pair of three-point baskets by Gracia Asiala enabled the Range Crew to get a little closer in the final quarter.

“I have been encouraging her (Asiala) to shoot from out there because she can make them,” Romano said.

Besides the dozen points and nine rebounds from the steady Sebbas, the winners got 10 points and five steals from Dennis.

Asiala led the 2-3 Jets with six points and seven rebounds.

Hancock will meet Iron Mountain on the road next Tuesday. On the same night, Jeffers goes to Chassell.

Jeffers      6    11   1   11 – 28

Hancock   9    15   6    5 –  35

JEFFERS — B. Heinonen 3, Hillstrom 3, Hill 2, Asiala 6. Nordstrom 3, Johnson 5, M. Heinonen 4, Lorenzetti 2. FT: 6-9; Rebounds: 21 (Asiala 7); Fouls: 16; Fouled out: None; 3-point FG: Asiala 2, Hillstrom 1, Nordstrom 1.

HANCOCK — Sturos 1, Sebbas 12, Dennis 10, M. Kero 6, D. Kero 4; D. Heinonen 2. FT: 7-9; Rebounds: 25 (Sebbas 9); Fouls: 11; Fouled out: None; 3-point FG: Dennis 1.