HANCOCK — If the West Iron County Wykons were expecting an easy game Tuesday night in Hancock, they came away a little surprised.

The Wykons (7-3) held on, however, for a 72-56 win.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect tonight,” WIC coach Dave Schive said. “(The Bulldogs) play fast and they play hard for their coach. That shows me that he’s doing a good job and that he’s got some good kids. That will pay off for him down the road.”

Hancock coach Matt Strong said his team battled the much taller Wykons all the way.

“That’s one of the things I like about these kids,” he said. “They don’t back down against anyone.”

West Iron, boasting a front line of 6-foot-7, 6-5 and 6-4, dominated on the glass with a 41-24 margin.

The inside work of Justin Nelson wore down the Bulldogs. He finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds.

“The 6-7 kid was tough to slow down,” Strong said of Nelson. “There is only so much you can do against that kind of size.”

Hancock gave the Wykons a taste of 3-point shooting, especially in a 20-20 first quarter deadlock. Elijah Packard dumped in two treys, with JD Sebbas, Carson Chynoweth and Matt Isaacson banging in one apiece.

But the Wykons loosened up their own shooting, using a 23-13 edge in the second quarter for a 43-33 advantage at the half.

Hancock managed just three points in the third quarter, resulting in a 59-36 deficit going into the fourth.

The Bulldogs, behind 11 points by Chynoweth, managed to stay in striking range in the final quarter.

Schive, whose team was playing its second game in two nights, felt the strain of back-to-back games might have been a factor.

“I’m not using that as an excuse, though,” he said. “Hancock just played harder than we did.”

Strong said his team will continue to seek that elusive first victory of the campaign, going to Ontonagon on Friday.

“I know it’s coming. I’m just waiting for the game when we cut down our mistakes,” he said.

Chynoweth led the locals with 20 points. Sebbas pocketed 13 more, hitting a trio of three-pointers.

Peyton Williams backed up Nelson with 16 points, Nathan Thompson had 15 and burly Braydon Nelson put in 11 more.

West Iron plays No. 1 Iron Mountain next week.

West Iron 20 23 16 13 — 72

Hancock 20 13 3 20 — 56

WEST IRON COUNTY (72): B. Nelson 11, Williams 16, Thompson 15, Baillinger 2, J. Nelson 24, Dobson 1, Anderson 3. FT: 14-20. Rebounds: 41 (J. Nelson 16). F: 21. Fouled out: None.. 3-point FG: Williams 2, Thompson 1.

HANCOCK (56): Sebbas 13, Jacques 4, Chynoweth 20, Packard 8, Isaacson 6, Smith 5. FT: 9-15. Rebounds: 24 (Smith 7). F: 17. Fouled out: None. 3-point FG: Sebbas 3, Chynoweth 2, Packard 2, Isaacson 2, Smith 1.