MUNISING — Tyler Sundling scored 17 points here Tuesday night, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep the Rapid River boys from dropping a 60-38 basketball decision to the fifth-ranked Munising Mustangs.

The Rockets trailed 13-2 after the first quarter and 28-18 at halftime of the Skyline Central Conference contest.

“Bottom line is I thought we turned the ball over too much, and it allowed them to build a nice lead,” said Rockets’ coach Mitch Hall. “It was a tough game to claw back into. I also thought it was really hard to get into any flow. The game was called tight on a few possessions and then they would allow us to play a little. We would make a run and commit a foul and give them three points. Late in the game we leaned on our bench for some minutes, but also focused on Tyler getting past 1,000 points.

Tuesday’s effort brought Sundling’s career scoring total to 997.

“I think he had a big bullseye on his back because he had 30 against Munising the last time (in a 54-50 loss at home Jan. 8),” said Hall. “Tyler has such a presence on the floor. I believe Tyler’s biggest critic is himself. He’s hard on himself because he wants his team to win and he wants to perform. I think he has grown a lot this season, maturing and starting to take a positive leadership role.”

Josh Huotari hit 22 points and Jesse Duran added 16 for the Mustangs (17-1 overall, 9-1 SCC), who sank 25-of-50 field goals and committed 14 turnovers. The Rockets had 13 miscues.

“Munising is very well coached and prepared,” said Hall. “They played well. They didn’t seem to lose much with one starter out. Hopefully, he can get back before districts.”

The Rockets (9-6 overall, 8-5 league) host Mid Peninsula Friday. Munising visits Superior Central Friday.

Rapid River 2 16 11 9 — 38

Munising 13 15 18 14 — 60

Rapid River — Sundling 17, Moss 3, Lenaker 2, Flath 6, DeMars 6, Micheau 3, Dausey 1. FT: 4-7; F: 17; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Sundling 2, Moss, Micheau.

Munising — Huotari 22, Nebel 7, Brown 7, Cornish 8, J. Duran 16. FT: 7-16; F: 7; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Huotari 2, Nebel.