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CARNEY -- The Carney-Nadeau boys got the jumpstart they needed in the third quarter here Saturday in a 70-58 victory over the Menominee Maroons during the consolation game of their holiday basketball tournament.
C-N led 36-32 at halftime, then scored eight unanswered points, extending its lead to 44-32 on a lay-in by senior forward Brett LaFord midway through the third.
Both teams failed to score in the first two minutes of the third frame. Freshman guard Brayden Kakuk then sank a 20-foot jump shot from the left wing, and LaFord added a 21-foot jumper from the right wing, giving the Wolves a 42-32 cushion.
Menominee trimmed its deficit to 44-37 on a layup by sophomore guard Brady Badker with three minutes left in the third.
The Wolves answered with another 8-0 run, taking a 52-37 advantage on a 20-foot jumper by sophomore guard Jerry Lee LaFord with 18 seconds remaining in the third.
"This is a nice win for us," said C-N coach Paul Polfus. "At halftime, we talked about taking away the middle of the floor, and I thought we did a nice job taking (Keagan) Monroe out of his game. We switched from a zone to a man-to-man, and that worked out better for us. We tried to stop their guards from getting to the middle of our defense."
The Wolves led 64-45 following a 20-foot set shot from the right wing by Jerry Lee LaFord midway through the fourth stanza.
Menominee mounted a comeback but could get no closer than 67-58 in the final 30 seconds.
"I thought we played hard, but we didn't always play smart," said Menominee coach Sam Larson. "In the third quarter, we missed a lot of shots in the paint. I thought we handled their pressure pretty well. We just couldn't finish.
"They shot more than 50 percent on 3-pointers, although we didn't defend against their shooters very well. That really hurt us."
The Wolves gained a 30-24 lead with three minutes left in the second.
Menominee answered with six points of its own, tying the score at 30 on two free throws by Badker with 1:59 left.
C-N finished the second stanza with a 6-2 run, taking its four-point lead into the intermission and setting the stage for a big third quarter.
"Coming out and hitting shots was big for us," said Polfus. "Only, we have to do a better job of being patient, especially when we're up big."
Brett LaFord led the Wolves with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Jerry Lee LaFord finished with 14 points. Koffman hit 11 points and senior forward Max Baumler had 10.
Monroe paced the Maroons with 21 points. Badker scored 14 and sophomore forward Aidan Bellisle had 11.
The Maroons held a 27-25 rebounding edge, shot 45 percent from the field and had 13 turnovers. The Wolves committed 10 miscues, including seven in the fourth quarter against Menominee's press. They hit 47 percent of their field goals.
Milwaukee Golda Meir took the tournament title in a 79-55 conquest of defending champ Milwaukee Young Coggs.
C-N hosts DeTour Saturday. Menominee hosts Marinette Thursday.
Menominee 16 16 7 19 -- 58
Carney-Nadeau 16 20 16 18 -- 70
Menominee -- Badker 14, Bellisle 11, Monroe 21, Sartorelli 4, Uecke 8. FT: 4-9; F: 22; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Bellisle 1, Monroe 1.
Carney-Nadeau -- Baumler 10, B. LaFord 25, Flanagan 5, Koffman 11, J. LaFord 14, Kakuk 5. FT: 10-16; F: 16; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: J. LaFord 4, Baumler 3, B. LaFord 3, Flanagan, Kakuk.