CARNEY — Shots started dropping for the Carney-Nadeau girls in the fourth quarter here Monday night as they pulled away for a 61-42 basketball triumph over the North Dickinson Nordics.

C-N, which led 36-32 after the third quarter, opened the fourth with a 9-0 run for a 45-32 cushion on a running six-foot jump shot by senior point guard Haley Ernest with five minutes remaining in this Skyline Central Conference match-up.

The Nordics were within 45-35 midway through the fourth before the Wolves went on a 6-1 run, gaining an insurmountable 51-36 advantage on a layup by 6-foot-3 junior center Tessa Wagner.

“They had a good game plan,” said C-N coach Ken Linder. “They knew what they had to do. They controlled the pace and sagged on Tessa down low. Our defensive intensity picked up late in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Haley did a nice job penetrating and went over the top to Tessa.”

The Nordics trailed 22-20 at halftime. Junior point guard Ashton Hord then stole the ball from Wagner and tied the score on a fast break layup just 23 seconds into the third stanza.

“That gave us some momentum, but they have size, and I think they wore us down,” said Nordics’ coach Kirk Mattson. “They’re a good team. You have to play solid for four quarters to beat them. When you have four seniors, it’s huge.”

The Nordics took a 25-22 lead on a 21-foot set shot by junior Vanessa Lindholm and led 27-24 following a shot by sophomore Micah Lindholm with three minutes, 35 seconds left in the third.

C-N (10-0 overall, 7-0 SCC) then scored five unanswered points, regaining the lead at 29-27 on a 22-foot set shot by senior Chloe Grand at 2:10.

Twenty-five seconds later, Micah Lindholm tied the score at 29 on a seven-foot set shot.

The Nordics were still within 33-32 following a layup by Hord late in the third before Grand drained a 21-foot set shot from the left wing for a 36-32 cushion.

“Chloe’s 3-pointers were huge,” said Linder. “It was good to get tested. It doesn’t hurt to face a little adversity and have to fight through something like that. Once we got it (the lead) to 10, we felt we were starting to get things under control. Things started going our way.”

C-N led 22-15 following a putback by Wagner with 1:32 remaining in the second frame.

The Nordics (3-5 overall and league) scored the next five points and climbed within 22-20 on a 22-foot set shot from the left wing by junior Chrislyn Inglese 25 seconds before halftime.

“We’re a young team,” said Mattson. “We’re still trying to figure out our roles. We told the girls we didn’t want to let Tessa beat us underneath. We wanted to force them to shoot from outside, (but) they knocked down some shots in the fourth quarter, which made it tough to come back. I thought Gabby (Schultz) did a nice job rebounding, and point guard is a different role for Ashton, but she’s doing well.”

Wagner finished with 20 points. Ernest added 16, and Grand had 11 for the Wolves, who committed 12 turnovers. The Nordics, with five juniors and three sophomores on their roster, had 17 miscues and were led by Ashton Hord’s 23 points.

The Wolves, who also won the JV game, visit Forest Park tonight. The Nordics host Mid Peninsula Wednesday.

North Dickinson 8 12 12 10 — 42

Carney-Nadeau 12 10 14 25 — 61

North Dickinson — V. Lindholm 3, Cary 3, Inglese 5, Ashton Hord 23, M. Lindholm 4, Schultz 2, Aiden Hord 2. FT: 4-6; F: 10; Fouled out: Cary; 3-point field goals: Hord 3, V. Lindholm, Cary, Inglese.

Carney-Nadeau — Ernest 16, Grand 11, Kedsch 8, Wagner 20, Linder 6. FT: 6-6; F: 3; 3-point field goals: Grand 3.