Justin St. Ours | Daily Press Bark River-Harris’ Riley Arndt (22) attempts a layup through Rapid River defender Natalie Belanger Thursday at Rapid River.

RAPID RIVER — The Bark River-Harris girls’ basketball team took a half to orient itself before it could build momentum and pull away from the Rapid River Rockets 57-41 here Thursday in Skyline Central Conference action.

The Broncos (2-2) began to show their hand as the second quarter closed. Their defense contained Rapid River’s Natalie Belanger under the basket and made the most of their chances at the line, going 8-for-12 on free throws in the second to contribute to a 28-21 lead.

“We got a little bit of momentum before halftime, and the girls felt good,” Broncos’ coach Matt Richer said. “I told them it was going to be a big two minutes. Either we were in for a dog fight, or we were going to pull away. (However), it’s got to start with defense. We were frustrating Belanger in the third and helping early and often. She’s tall and hard for us to defend. The girls understood that more in the second half. We needed to attack their defenses and make them pay, so that was the big game plan for today.”

Building on the short burst of momentum before the half, the Broncos dominated the third quarter to outscore the Rockets 21-7.

“We’ve been doing a lot of shooting, and we’re struggling a bit right now,” Rockets’ coach Scott Goodacre said. “Contested shots are the hard part for us, and trying to improvise game speed in practice is difficult.”

The Rockets (3-2) relied on Cecilia Pilon in the third, who scored five of their seven points in the quarter.

Rapid River made some progress with a 6-0 run in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, but found its momentum stymied by fouls.

“I think we found some movement finally,” Goodacre said. “A couple of times we got the looks we wanted, but it just wasn’t there. I think we were gassed a little bit.”

The Broncos picked up their first win since their season-opening victory over Forest Park Dec. 6.

“We’re a work in progress,” Richer said. “Most of the girls haven’t had a whole lot of minutes on the varsity. I think it’s more of a timing thing honestly. They’re used to shooting on the jayvee level where it’s a little slower. We’re good shooters in practice, and I think it’s going to translate consistently into games.

“I’m just proud of my girls. They work hard in every practice for me. I’m proud of my niece Paige Richer, who got her first two career points late in the game. It’s fun to see.”

Grace Peterson led the Broncos with 14 points.

The Rockets were led by Kristin Goodacre with 11 points.

“I thought our energy was good to start,” coach Goodacre said. “We were with them pretty well (in the first half).

“I asked the girls what things they think we needed to work on, and it was a little more communication and a little more teamwork out there.”

Bark River, which won the jayvee game 60-29, hosts Norway Jan. 3. Rapid River hosts Pickford Jan. 3.

Bark River-Harris 11 17 21 8 — 57

Rapid River 10 11 7 13 — 41

Bark River-Harris — Peterson 14, Zawacki 7, Ardnt 7, A. Richer 7, Lockwood 6, Berg 5, Frederick 5, Cappaert 4, P. Richer 2. FT: 18-34; F: 9; Fouled out: None. 3-point field goals: Zawacki 1, Ardnt 1, A. Richer 1.

Rapid River — K. Goodacre 11, Belanger 8, Pilon 8, E. Goodacre 4, Poore 3, Chaperon 3, Paulin 2, Keys 2. FT: 8-10; F: 19; Fouled out: Keys. 3-point field goals: K. Goodacre 1, Poore 1, Chaperon 1