CARNEY — It was size vs. speed in a match-up of two area boys’ basketball teams here Tuesday night.

Bark River-Harris’s size proved to be the difference in the end as it pulled out a 53-45 victory over the Carney-Nadeau Wolves.

The score was tied at 41 with six minutes and 16 seconds left in the Skyline Central Conference contest after C-N senior forward Beau Koffman drained a pair of free throws.

BR-H then went to work inside, starting a decisive 11-0 run with a putback by senior forward Carter Zawacki. Classmate Dylon Lippens then added a layup and free throw for a 46-41 lead.

Three layups by senior forward followed with three layups, two set up on passes from Zawacki, to make it 52-41 with just 32 seconds left to play.

“I think, with our physicality, we can swap a few players and not lose that much,” said BR-H coach Marc Zawacki. “They have to exert all that energy, and I think they wore down a little in the end. We know it’s going to be a battle every time we play them. Paul (Polfus) is one of the best for a reason. He gets the most of his players. When you have a coach who can do that, you’re a step ahead already.”

The Wolves took a 36-33 lead on a jumper from the right corner by junior guard Peyton Imhoff late in the third quarter.

A pair of gifters by Wood-Keshick pulled the Broncos within a point and a putback by junior guard Nick Javurek sent them ahead at the end of the third.

“We shot okay from the free throw line,” said Polfus. “We didn’t shoot well from the field, though. I thought we were patient. We had to take what they gave us. We knew they were going to get some points in the paint. They did a good job passing the ball to the big kids and looking for the cutters. We decided to pressure their guards as much as we could, and I thought we did a good job on Wood-Keshick and Zawacki.”

The Broncos (5-0) led 26-18 following Carter Zawacki’s jump shot from the lane late in the second.

C-N, fueled by its full-court pressure defense, finished the second stanza with a 7-0 run, trimming its deficit to 26-25 on a pair of three throws by senior Juan Maier 3.3 seconds before halftime.

“We had a nice run before the half,” said Polfus. “I thought (Jerry Lee) LaFord did a nice job moving to the basket. I thought our quickness gave them some problems.”

C-N (0-3) took a 27-26 lead on a floater by Brayden Kakuk to start the third frame

The contest went back and forth throughout the third before the Broncos took a 39-36 lead on a lay-in by senior guard Joey Stein to begin the fourth.

“They hit a couple shots, and a couple calls went against us before the half,” said coach Zawacki. “At halftime, we talked about playing our game, and we did that in the fourth quarter. Zach (Robinette) made a heads-up play when he held the ball in the end. I thought Carter did a nice job inside, and Dylon plays his role the way it’s supposed to be played. We’re also happy with Nick and Joey’s defensive effort. We asked them to guard their toughest players, and they did a nice job.”

BR-H committed 23 turnovers, and C-N had 17.

“Turnovers are something we certainly need to clean up, and we need to do better on free throws,” said coach Zawacki. “They’re fast. Their speed and quickness certainly contributed to our turnovers.”

BR-H, which also won the jayvee game 49-33, visits Forest Park Friday. C-N hosted Hannahville Wednesday and hosts North Dickinson Friday.

Bark River 13 13 11 16 — 53

Carney-Nadeau 10 15 11 9 — 45

Bark River-Harris — Robinette 2, Javurek 8, Wood-Keshick 17, Zawacki 11, Stein 7, Lippens 8. FT: 10-20; F: 14; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goal: Javurek.

Carney-Nadeau — Flanagan 1, Hodson 6, Koffman 10, Maier 2, Imhoff 6, LaFord 5, Kakuk 15. FT: 10-14; F: 16; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Imhoff 2, Koffman, LaFord, Kakuk.