Jets knock off Broncos
HARRIS — Momentum carried over from 24 hours earlier for the Powers North Central boys here Friday as they rolled to a 56-36 basketball triumph over the Bark River-Harris Broncos on their Senior Night.
The Jets, who came from 14 points down to beat Hannahville 68-63 Thursday, finished their regular season at 10-11.
“The energy carried over from last night,” Jets’ coach Tyler Mercier said. “We were the aggressor and created opportunities for ourselves. We also reached double-digit wins which is little bit of an improvement from last year. We have seven guys who are about to end their high school careers and they’re showing a sense of urgency.”
The Jets gained the upper hand quickly in this regular-season finale, racing to a 19-5 lead after the first quarter.
BR-H trimmed its deficit to 19-9 on a jump shot from the lane by junior Brayden Derouin early in the second stanza.
The Broncos were within 23-13 late in the second before the Jets scored the next four points, gaining a 27-13 cushion on a 15-foot jumper by sophomore guard Kaden Malone more than 2½ minutes before halftime.
North Central concluded an 8-0 run on a five-foot jumper by senior center Spencer Willa for a 31-13 advantage less than two minutes into the third frame.
After BR-H trimmed its deficit to 39-25 late in the third, senior forward Luke Gorzinski sank a jumper from the boulevard and junior center Brooks Castle scored on a putback to put the Jets up 43-25.
North Central then gained its largest advantage midway through the fourth on Gorzinski’s 20-foot jumper from the left wing.
“We let them dictate the pace and they absolutely destroyed us in transition,” BR-H coach Nick Lippens said. “They have good athletes who stepped up their game. They play hard. We need to pick up our intensity. This game had a nice atmosphere. It was just like a tournament game.”
Gorzinski led the Jets with 26 points. Maline added 11 and Willa had 10 for the Jets, who committed 16 turnovers. The Broncos had 18.
“Lane was phenomenal,” Mercier said. “He averaged 25 points a game this week. We’ll go as far as he’ll carry us. Our turnovers need to be in the 10-11 range. I think we could have made better choices at times. We sometimes got a little sloppy.”
Sophomore Ben Knauf was BR-H’s leader with eight points.
“We hadn’t shot well all year,” Lippens said. “Although, they did a good job clogging the lane. We just have to be able to hit the shots when that happens.”
The Broncos, who finished their regular season at 7-15, host Gwinn in their Division 3 district opener tonight at 7 p.m.. The Jets host Carney-Nadeau in their D-4 opener tonight at 7 p.m..
Box score
Powers North Central 19 8 16 13 — 56
Bark River-Harris 5 8 12 11 — 36
Powers North Central — Malone 11, Burton 4, Gorzinski 26, Castle 4, Willa 10. FT: 5-11; F: 14; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals : Gorzinski 1.
Bark River-Harris — Mileski 7, Derouin 5, Derocher 5, Knauf 8, Spear 4, McDonough 2, Latsch 5. FT: 3-6; F: 8; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Mileski 1, Derocher 1, Latsch 1.