HARRIS — Ten years ago, a match-up between Gladstone and Bark River-Harris seemed highly unlikely in a district basketball tournament.

Gladstone was a Class B school, and BR-H was in Class D at that time

How things have changed.

The boys’ teams from both schools met for the first time in a Division 3 post-season opener here Monday night, with BR-H grinding out a 45-40 victory.

BR-H (10-11) visits four-time defending champ Iron Mountain (15-5) Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Braves finished 4-16.

“The intensity is so much higher in Class C,” said senior guard Logan Getzloff, who led the Broncos with 16 points. We didn’t get a chance to play Class C schools much of the year. This is a big step up from Class D.”

An underhanded layup by Getzloff gave the Broncos a 41-33 advantage early in the fourth quarter.

Senior forward Trevor Lippens then split a pair of free throws with five minutes, four seconds remaining to make it 42-33.

Nearly two minutes passed before senior forward Skylor Cayer sank a jump shot from the lane to bring the Braves within 42-35.

Cayer scored again from nearly the same spot at 2:16 to make it 42-37.

Senior guard Anthony Miley drained a jumper from the boulevard, giving the Broncos a 44-37 cushion with 45.1 seconds remaining.

Gladstone, however, crept within 44-40 following a jumper from the left corner by sophomore guard Elliot Vitito with 24.6 seconds left, forcing the Broncos to use a time-out.

With 12.9 seconds remaining, BR-H senior center Qwentin Johnsen concluded the scoring by splitting two free throws.

“The last few seconds of this game felt like the longest seconds of my life,” said Getzloff. “This is a big win for us. Playing on your home court in a close game is an advantage, and we tried to use the energy from the crowd to our advantage. Holding Kaden (Gibbs) to eight points was the key.”

Miley hit a 19-foot jumper to give BR-H a 9-8 lead after the opening frame.

A jumper from top of the key by Getzloff put the Broncos up 22-14 with two minutes remaining in the second stanza.

The Braves responded with six unanswered points, shaving their deficit to 22-20 on a free throw by Gibbs.

Miley then hit a layup to give the Broncos a 24-20 halftime edge.

BR-H extended its lead to 29-20 on a 20-foot jumper from the left wing by Lippens with 4:40 left in the third.

The Broncos were up 32-23 halfway through the third following jumper from top of the key by Getzloff.

Gladstone, however, trimmed its deficit to 35-33 on a 22-foot jumper by senior guard Caden Downey at 1:14.

Lippens then split a pair of gifters, and senior forward Trizden Tufnell converted a 3-point play to give BR-H a 39-33 lead after the third.

“We almost pulled away a couple times, but they’re real tough team,” said BR-H coach Nick Lippens. “It looks like we won the rebounding battle. Qwentin got some big rebounds, and we limited their second-chance shots. We wanted to make them shoot 3s and made it tough for them to get inside. We were able to stop their dribble penetration. They’re a quick team. They definitely hurt us at times.”

Miley and Lippens finished with eight points each for the Broncos, who committed 21 turnovers.

The Braves, who had 14 miscues, were led by Downey’s 11 points. Vitito had 10.

“We had open looks,” said Braves coach Colin Immel. “We got the shots we wanted. They just didn’t fall for us tonight. They were good defensively. They boxed out and limited our chances. Anytime you’re playing sophomores and going up against seniors, it’s a big challenge. The guys handled the pressure well tonight. It’s just that our shots weren’t falling.”

The Broncos, who started five seniors, were very deliberate on offense and ran time off the clock in the fourth quarter.

“We were very patient tonight,” said coach Lippens. “We were really burning the clock. Only, we didn’t make as many free throws as we should.”

The Broncos hit 10-of-20 gifters and the Braves, who started three sophomores, were 6-of-10 from the line.

“Defensively, we played hard,” said Immel. “I can’t complain as a coach. The guys gave it their all. This is going to be a big off-season for us. We’ll hit the weight room and be ready for next year.”

Gladstone 8 12 13 7 — 40

BR-Harris 9 15 15 6 — 45

Gladstone — Gibbs 8, Downey 11, Gingras 4, Vitito 10, Hughes 3, Cayer 4. FT: 6-10; F: 15; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Downey 3, Gibbs 2, Vitito.

Bark River-Harris — Miley 8, Lippens 8, Getzloff 16, Drossart 4, Johnsen 3, Tufnell 6. FT: 10-20; F: 10; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Getzloff 3, Lippens, Tufnell.