RAPID RIVER — It’s difficult to win a basketball game when you turn the ball over 35 times.

That was the situation for the Rapid River girls here Monday night as they dropped a 60-14 decision to the Stephenson Eagles.

“You can’t win with 35 turnovers,” Rockets’ coach Holly Frisk. “I think our level of confidence has a lot to do with that. In practice, they’re a different team. Then in the game the girls are nervous and afraid to make a mistake, and when they make one they sometimes forget to get back on defense. They get so down on themselves. It’s a work in progress.”

The Eagles led 7-0 midway through the first quarter on senior Maddie Vista’s fast break layup, set up on a pass from classmate Adria Ruleau.

A 3-point shot by senior guard Emma Sundling brought the Rockets within 7-3.

Stephenson answered with a 21-0 run, stretching its lead to 28-3 halfway through the second stanza in the Skyline Central Conference outing.

“We always have one quarter where we’re slow,” Stephenson coach Missy Wangerin said. “The girls were hyper coming up here. They’re usually kind of quiet.”

Back-to-back set shots from top of the key by junior Aubrey Olson shaved Rapid River’s deficit to 28-9 with 2:18 left in the second frame.

A layup by Vista on a pass from junior Faith Cappaert, however, enabled the Eagles to take a 32-9 cushion into the halftime locker room.

“I thought our defense did real well,” Wangerin said. “We worked on moving the ball. Our five seniors are good friends. They’ve been playing together since fifth grade. Cece Bell and Gabi Putnam played with the varsity team and I thought they did very well tonight. Up until this year we’ve been in kind of a predicament where we were the underdog.”

Sundling drained an 18-foot set shot early in the third, but the Rockets still trailed 33-11.

The Eagles responded with 15 unanswered points, gaining a 48-33 advantage with 28 seconds remaining in the third when senior Melissa Johnson split a pair of free throws.

Vista scored 18 points. Ruleau added 17 and Johnson tallied 16 for the Eagles, who committed eight turnovers. Olson led the Rockets with eight points.

“Aubrey is our best overall player and feels she has to do everything out there,” Frisk said. “The girls are organized and work very hard. They just have to gain confidence in themselves. Foul trouble hurt us and affected our rebounding tonight.”

Stephenson (5-2) hosts Chassell in a make-up game Wednesday. Rapid River (1-5) visits Big Bay de Noc Thursday.

Box score

Stephenson 20 12 16 12 — 60

Rapid River 3 6 5 0 — 14

Stephenson — Cappaert 2, Ruleau 17, Vista 18, Havelka 2, Johnson 16, Strahl 4. FT: 13-18; F: 6; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Vista 3, Ruleau.

Rapid River — Sundling 5, Beauchaine 1, Olson 8. FT: 1-2; F: 17; Fouled out: Beauchaine; 3-point field goals: Olson 2, Sundling.