No. 3 Red Devils start districts at home

Ironwood hosts No. 6 Hancock in MHSAA Division 3 District 65 tournament opener

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The third-seeded Ironwood Red Devils will host the No. 6 Hancock Bulldogs in the opening round of the MHSAA Division 3 District 65 basketball tournament. Ironwood defeated Hancock 54-35 in a previous matchup this season, but Hancock has a couple of offensive threats in Isaac Wanhala and Gage Chynoweth. The winner of the Ironwood-Hancock game will face No. 2 West Iron County in the next round.

Why it matters

Ironwood is hoping to make a deep run in the district tournament after finishing third in the regular season rankings. The Red Devils will need to play tough, physical defense and control their emotions against the more experienced West-PAC teams they could face later in the tournament.

The details

Ironwood earned a first-round home game in the MHSAA Division 3 District 65 tournament as the third seed. They will host the sixth-seeded Hancock Bulldogs on Monday night. Hancock has a couple of offensive weapons in Isaac Wanhala, a good shooter, and Gage Chynoweth, a good ball handler who can also score. Ironwood coach Adam Mackey said they will need to know where Hancock's top scorers are at all times. The winner of the Ironwood-Hancock game will advance to face No. 2 seed West Iron County on Wednesday.

  • The Ironwood-Hancock game is scheduled for Monday, February 24th at 6 p.m.
  • The winner of the Ironwood-Hancock game will play No. 2 West Iron County on Wednesday, February 26th.

The players

Adam Mackey

The head coach of the Ironwood Red Devils basketball team.

Isaac Wanhala

A player for the Hancock Bulldogs who is considered one of their offensive threats.

Gage Chynoweth

A player for the Hancock Bulldogs who is considered one of their offensive threats and a good ball handler.

Ethan Marta

A 6'3" senior guard for the Westwood Patriots who is a Michigan Tech commit and is approaching 2,000 career points, making him the clear favorite for the best player in the Upper Peninsula.

West Iron County Wykons

The No. 2 seed in the district tournament, with a 7-win record but 4 of those wins coming against other district teams.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We must make sure that we know where they're at.”

— Adam Mackey, Ironwood Head Coach (yourdailyglobe.com)

“They have a couple of guys who can shoot it, who can score. We're gonna make sure that we know where they're at.”

— Adam Mackey, Ironwood Head Coach (yourdailyglobe.com)

“Westwood's probably the clear favorites. I would put them as clear favorites in the entire U.P. And they have by far probably the best combo player in Ethan Marta in the whole U.P. He's going to Michigan Tech. He's a special player.”

— Adam Mackey, Ironwood Head Coach (yourdailyglobe.com)

What’s next

The winner of the Ironwood-Hancock game on Monday will advance to face No. 2 seed West Iron County on Wednesday.

The takeaway

Ironwood will need to play tough, physical defense and control their emotions if they want to make a deep run in the district tournament, as they will be facing more experienced West-PAC teams like West Iron County later on.