GLADSTONE — The Gladstone boys made a game of it for three quarters before Menominee broke away for a 71-47 basketball victory here Friday night.

Gladstone trailed 51-41 following a 22-foot jump shot from the left wing by sophomore guard Lonnie Davey late in the third quarter of this Great Northern Conference contest.

Menominee answered with a 13-0 run, gaining an insurmountable 64-41 advantage on a 20-foot jumper from the left wing by sophomore Dylan Beal with 5:49 left in the game.

“It was competitive for three quarters,” Braves’ coach Jake Kiesby said. “We ran out of gas and they hit some shots. We had trouble stopping their big runs which is something we’ve struggled with all year. Our youth is definitely a factor. Many of our kids haven’t seen this caliber of basketball before this year. This is definitely a learning year.”

The Braves, starting two sophomores and a freshman, showed signs of fatigue in the fourth stanza when they went cold from the floor and committed seven of their 17 turnovers.

“Gladstone was really scrappy,” Menominee coach Sam Larson said. “I think they’ll be a dangerous team the next couple years. Their guards are young, but they’re good ballplayers.”

The Braves took an early 4-0 lead on layups by junior Carter Farnes and sophomore Gabe Sadler.

Menominee responded with nine unanswered points, taking a 9-4 lead on two free throws by junior Tanner Theuerkauf slightly more than two minutes into the contest.

Theuerkauf, however, picked up his third foul midway through the opening frame, moments after the Braves got within 11-9 on a six-foot jumper from the left baseline by Davey.

Gladstone got within 24-23 on a jumper from the lane by freshman Alex Prins midway through the second.

Menominee finished the second frame with nine unanswered points, taking a 33-23 halftime lead on a steal and fast break layup by junior Darrent Butler.

“We didn’t board particularly well in the first half,” Larson said. “Foul trouble slowed down the flow of the game and we had a couple too many turnovers. We didn’t do a very good job stopping penetration by their guards. We’re happy to come out of here with a conference win, but there’s a lot of things we could have done better.”

The Braves were still within 45-38 late in the third, but were unable to get any closer.

Davey, who drained six 3-point field goals, led the Braves with 22 points. Junior Teagan Reynolds added nine.

“Lonnie is a good kid, athlete and basketball player,” Kiesby said. “He kept us in the game. With the way Lonnie works, he’s only going to get better. Coming out with intensity is something we’re getting better at. It’s just a matter of putting together four quarters. We need to work on running our offense under pressure, setting good screens and hitting our shots.”

The Maroons, who had seven turnovers, scored four in double digits. They were led by Butler with 19 points. Beal hit 15. Theuerkauf finished with 12 and Paasch tallied 11.

“We knew Davey was a good shooter,” Larson said. “We didn’t do a real good job defending on the wing. Those were missed assignments on our part.”

Both teams resume Tuesday. Gladstone (3-11 overall, 0-5 GNC) travels to Iron Mountain and Menominee (8-6 overall, 3-2 league) hosts Escanaba.

Box score

Menominee 18 15 21 17 — 71

Gladstone 14 9 18 6 — 47

Menominee — Komp 3, Beal 15, Schultz 5, Theuerkauf 12, Bell 2, Daigneau 2, Paasch 11, Butler 19, Jurkiewicz 2. FT: 9-11; F: 13; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals; Beal 3, Paasch 3, Butler 2, Komp, Schultz

Gladstone — Gereau 2, Davey 22, Prins 4, Sadler 6, Reynolds 9, Farnes 4. FT: 1-3; F: 9; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Davey 6