GARDEN CORNERS — Big Bay de Noc senior Nick DesJarden presented matchup problems for Rock Mid Peninsula here Monday night as the Black Bears rolled to a 61-34 boys’ basketball victory in a Division 4 district opener.

DesJarden collected 19 points, seven steals and four blocked shots for Big Bay (10-13), which hosts pre-tourney favorite Felch North Dickinson (16-5) tonight at 5:30 p.m. The Wolverines finished 1-17.

Rapid River (6-16) faces Superior Central in tonight’s nightcap at 7 p.m.

The championship game in the traditional district takes place Friday at 7 p.m.

Big Bay led 26-14 at halftime in Monday’s game.

Mid Pen responded with seven unanswered points, shaving its deficit to 26-21 on a pair of free throws by freshman Lewis Holmes early in the third quarter.

The Black Bears extended their lead to 32-21 on a 15-foot jump shot by DesJarden midway through the third.

“Nick brought us back to life,” Big Bay coach Gunnar Mickelson said. “He’s a driving force. We’ve put a lot of pressure on Nick all year.”

Sophomore Jaykob Dahm trimmed Mid Pen’s deficit to single digits on a 13-foot jumper.

Big Bay answered with a 13-0 run, gaining a 45-23 cushion on another 15-foot jumper by DesJarden with 20 seconds left in the third stanza.

The Black Bears continued their dominance in the fourth frame, pushing their advantage to 54-27 on a pair of gifters by sophomore guard Parker Pederson.

Big Bay led 14-8 after the opening frame.

The Wolverines stayed close until the midpoint of the second quarter when sophomore Cyler Brunngraeber sank a pair of free throws to bring them within 16-11.

A steal and layup by Pederson pushed Big Bay’s lead to 24-13 with 1:25 remaining in the second.

After Mid Pen eighth-grader Briceson Roberts hit a free throw, DesJarden gave the Black Bears a 26-14 cushion on a jumper from the boulevard 29.6 seconds before halftime.

“Nick was a big problem for us,” Mid Pen coach Carl Brunngraeber. “He’s a good player and it’s physically hard for us to match up with him. We told the guys one win (this season) is better than zero wins.”

The teams combined for 48 turnovers, including 26 by the Wolverines.

“We had too many turnovers,” Brunngraeber said. “The effort was there. We took care of the ball early in the game and early in the third quarter, but we gave them the ball too many times. We need to work on our ballhandling during the off-season. We know how to do it. We just have to execute.”

Pederson tallied 18 points, 10 boards, four assists and five steals. Freshman Tanner Peterson added 12 points and classmate Mason Gembel grabbed 11 rebounds.

“We’ve been having a turnover problem, although the guys are trying to do the right thing,” Mickelson said. “Mason had a good game. Eleven rebounds is awesome, especially against their size. Tanner hit two big 3s for us. It’s nice to see he has the confidence to take those shots. Parker also played a good game. When you want something to happen, give the ball to Parker.

“Mid Pen has a young team, too. They’re going to be a competitive team next season.”

Junior Dane Micheau scored eight points for the Wolverines, who sank 10-of-12 free throws. The Black Bears finished 9-of-12 from the line.

Box score

Mid Peninsula 8 6 9 11 — 34

Big Bay de Noc 14 12 19 16 — 61

Rock Mid Peninsula — Cyler Brunngraeber 7, Dahm 7, D. Micheau 8, Roberts 1, T. Micheau 2, Holmes 4, DeVos 5. FT: 10-12; F: 11; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Cyler Brunngraeber, DeVos.

Big Bay de Noc — DesJarden 19, Pederson 18, Peterson 12, Gembel 7, Wood 3, Morris 2. FT: 9-12; F: 10; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Pederson 2, Peterson 2, Gembel, Wood.