Hannahville boys basketball team poses for a photo after winning the 2024 Carney-Nadeau Holiday Tournament on Dec. 28, 2024 at Carney-Nadeau School. (Adam Hinch/Daily Press)

CARNEY — The Hannahville boys made the most of their first visit to the Carney-Nadeau Holiday basketball tournament as they raced past the host Wolves 75-49 in the championship game here Saturday night.

Hannahville wasted little time setting the pace and showed no signs of slowing down while improving to 6-1 this season.

“Coming into a different environment and winning on their floor feels good,” senior Jayden Sagataw said. “This is a big momentum builder and it means a lot to us, but we’ve got Mid Pen right out of the (Christmas) break. They’ll be a challenge.”

Niagara, Wis. defeated the Wolves 51-30 for the girls’ championship.

The C-N boys (3-5) got within 44-37 on a jump shot from the right corner by freshman Kayne Wilson late in the third quarter.

Hannahville responded with 15 unanswered points, pushing its lead to 59-37 with 5:11 left in the contest when Joe Beaver split a pair of free throws.

“It wasn’t like that at halftime,” Hannahville coach Jon Bintner said. “Carney-Nadeau is noted for its jump shooting and they did a pretty good job staying with us for a while, but in the fourth quarter we could tell their legs were gone. With the group of guys we have, we can keep playing at a fast pace. We’re working on finishing strong and hitting the boards in practice. We left a lot of points on the floor.”

A lay-in on a fast break by Deshawn Metzger gave the Soaring Eagles a 35-25 cushion at the intermission.

The Wolves shaved their deficit to 35-30 early in the third stanza and were still within seven points late in the third before Metzger’s running six-foot jumper ignited the decisive run.

“We have role players who can step up and score points,” Bintner said. “It goes a long way when you can do that. We’re glad we were able to get into this tournament. There’s nothing better than game action to get you into the right spots and find things to work on. I hope the boys are excited about winning the tournament.”

Hannahville committed 17 turnovers and the Wolves had 26.

“The turnovers hurt us which is a credit to Hannahville,” Wolves’ coach Mike Polfus said. “They have a very good team. Although, I felt we could have done a better job taking care of the ball. When we take care of the ball, we’re also a good team.”

Metzger scored 22 points and Sagataw added 18. Sophomore Cullen Kasbohm led the Wolves with 16. Senior Sam Salo scored 15.

Cold shooting foiled the C-N girls, who trailed 17-2 early in the second stanza against Niagara.

The Wolves (4-3) cut their deficit to 19-11 on a 20-foot jumper from the left wing by senior Grace Maule with 1:36 remaining in the second.

A layup by junior Alivia Kleikamp, however, gave the Badgers (5-4) a 21-11 halftime cushion.

“Lately we’ve been playing well,” Niagara coach Karl Lamoreaux said. “I think our confidence in shooting has improved. I’m glad Carney-Nadeau is able to play its younger players. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have a team.”

Niagara extended its lead to 41-20 on a buzzer-beating 20-foot jumper by sophomore Bristol Sanicki in the third frame.

A 19-foot jumper by seventh-grader Jenah Ernest trimmed C-N’s deficit to 41-24 early in the fourth. The Wolves, however, were unable to get any closer.

Senior Mariska Laurila scored 13 points and Maule had 11 for the Wolves, who committed 12 turnovers.

Niagara was led by senior Mallory Sanick with 18. Bristol Sanick finished with 14 and Kleikamp had 11. The Badgers, winners of four straight, had 16 miscues.

In Saturday’s consolation games, the Rapid River boys defeated Superior Central 34-26 for their first victory this season.

Sophomore Rowen Flath tallied eight points for the Rockets (1-8), who led 11-4 after the opening frame.

The Cougars (1-5), who got within 17-14 at halftime, were led by sophomore Andrew Charlebois who scored all 10 of his and the team’s points in the second stanza.

Rapid River turned the ball over 12 times and Superior Central had nine miscues.

Superior Central’s girls outscored Goodman-Pembine, Wis. 18-0 in the fourth quarter in a 37-19 conquest of the Patriots.

The teams were tied at 19 after the third before senior Sammy Johnson scored 14 of her 23 points.

Senior Brooklyn Naber had eight for the Patriots (0-3), who finished with 30 turnovers. The Cougars (3-3), who ended a three-game losing streak, had 15 miscues and hit 11-of-15 free throws.

“We needed a win,” Cougars’ coach Skip Rutter said. “We also left the door open for them. We didn’t move the ball very well against their 2-3 zone, although they clogged up the middle pretty well. We weren’t very patient in the first half and didn’t reverse the ball. We figured we’d wear them down in the second half, but got a lot to work on.”

In Friday’s games, a late rally enabled the C-N boys to slip past Rapid River 62-59

A putback by sophomore guard Lane Olson gave the Rockets a 59-52 cushion with slightly more than two minutes remaining in this match-up.

Salo sank a pair of free throws, then drained a 20-foot jumper from the left wing and converted a three-point play to send the Wolves ahead 60-59 with 17.5 seconds left to play.

Sophomore Beau Maule grabbed a defensive rebound and was fouled with .4 second left.

Maule hit both free throws and sophomore Jackson Wilson denied an inbound pass to seal the verdict.

Salo, who finished 11-of-15 from the free throw line, scored 26 points. Sophomore Cullen Kasbohm added 20.

The Wolves finished 17-of-21 from the charity strip and committed just 10 turnovers. The Rockets had 23.

Hannahville opened with a 56-38 victory over Superior Central

Sagataw led the way with 16 points and Jesse Wabinmkee tallied 15 for the Soaring Eagles, who had 12 turnovers.

Sophomore Ryder Kroupa scored 13 points and junior Blake Tanner tossed in 12 for the Cougars, who didn’t commit any fouls in the contest, but had 27 miscues.

In the girls’ games, Laurila sank 7-of-8 gifters and hit 25 points to lead C-N in an 80-15 rout of Goodman-Pembine. Maule drained six 3-point shots and added 24 points. Freshman Jayden Laurin had 14.

The Wolves had 11 turnovers and G-P had 40.

Mallory Sanicki scored 19 points and Bristol Sanicki added 10 as Niagara cruised past Superior Central 47-20. Sammy Johnson had seven for the Cougars, who had 28 turnovers. The Badgers finished with eight.