Hancock’s JD Sebbas (10) defends against Ishpeming during a MHSAA Division 3 District 65 tournament game on Monday, March 7, 2022, in Hancock, Mich. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HANCOCK — The Hancock boys’ basketball season came to an end on Monday with a 63-33 loss to the Ishpeming Hematites in the MHSSA Division 3 District 65 tournament.

While a season-ending loss is tough, the Bulldogs have much to be proud of. Under the direction of first- year coach Zach Ohtonen, Hancock ended the season with a three-game winning streak and a 4-17 record. The last time the Bulldogs had won four or more games in a season was their 2016-17 campaign when they finished 11-11.

“There are a lot of things these kids did this year to be proud of,” said Ohtonen. “The biggest thing has been the positivity and the change in mentality. This season is something we can really build on. We’ve made a lot of progress.”

Interestingly, the Bulldogs ended their season with three senior hockey players in their lineup. With Hancock’s hockey season ending in late February, the team voted to bring on Chad Nordstrom, Easton Sintkowski and Todd Anderson.

“They brought some senior leadership and honestly challenged our regulars to play harder,” Ohtonen said.

With Nordstrom, Sintkowski and Anderson in the lineup, Ohtonen added that it gave the Bulldogs a fighting chance to win games, and that was the goal all season. He was right as Hancock defeated West Iron County, Republic Michigamee and Calumet to end the regular season.

“Honestly, we could have not done that without those guys coming on board,” Ohtonen said.

Monday night that three-game run came to an end. In short, the Bulldogs did not play their best.

“Ishpeming came out hard, and we were flat,” said the Hancock coach.

The Hematites (10-9) kept the Bulldogs to 10 points or less all four quarters. Their strong defense kept the Bulldogs fighting for good shots. That was by design, Ishpeming head coach Christopher Magnuson said.

“We were disciplined defensively and able to shut down their inside game,” he said.

He added that he liked how his team came out strong and commanded a 14-point lead by the end of the first. They forced a lot of Hancock turnovers and out rebounded them as well.

Their inside man, AJ Prosser, had twenty of his team’s 30 halftime points.

“He had a great game,” Magnuson said.

In the second half, the Hematite’s Griffin Argall got the hot hand as he sunk three jumpers in a row.

With the win, Ishpeming will face Jeffers tonight in Painsedale in the MHSSA District 65 semifinals.

As for the Bulldogs, Ohtonen and his squad have a lot to look forward to. They will lose only one senior JD Sebbas.

“JD has been our scorer and will be sorely missed,” Ohtonen said. “He provided a lot of senior leadership, and there is a reason he is first-team all-conference. So, with so many guys coming back to the court, we have laid a good foundation, and the players are buying into the program. I’m excited about next year.”