HARRIS — Keeping pace with Munising was a difficult task for the Bark River-Harris boys here Tuesday night as it dropped a 78-43 basketball decision to the No. 5 Mustangs.

BR-H was within 12-7 five minutes into this Skyline Central Conference outing, but was outscored 12-2 through the remainder of the opening frame.

“We did some good things,” BR-H coach Nick Lippens said. “We also did some things that weren’t so good. There’s a lot of things we need to work on. We moved the ball well early, then we settled for too many transition jump shots instead of going to the rim. We need to be more patient with our shots and move the ball a little more.”

The Broncos scored the first four points of the second quarter, shaving their deficit to 24-13 on a layup by junior guard Brayden Derouin, set up on a pass from sophomore guard Ben Knauf.

Munising, which improved to 13-2 overall and 5-0 in the large division, answered with an 11-2 run to extend its lead to 35-15 with 2:54 left in the second.

BR-H (4-10 overall, 0-5 league) finished the second stanza on a 7-2 run, trimming its deficit to 35-22 in the final .4 second of the second quarter when Derouin split a pair of free throws.

The Mustangs opened the third with a 6-0 run, pushing its lead to 43-22 on a jumper from the lane by senior forward Carson Kienitz.

A putback by Derouin shaved the Broncos’ deficit to 43-26 midway through the third.

Munising then stretched its advantage to 58-33 on a buzzer-beating four-foot jumper by senior Jack Dusseault.

The Mustangs began the fourth on an 8-0 run, raising the count to 66-33 on senior guard Zach Lindquist’s jumper from the boulevard on a pass from junior guard Nolan Connaughton.

“I wasn’t particularly happy with our first half,” Munising coach Terry Kienitz said. “We tried to do a little too much one-on-one. They beat us to some loose balls which enabled them to get some fast break opportunities. We didn’t make huge adjustments at the half. We just wanted the guys to share the ball a little more. Making that extra pass can make a big difference. We were a little more patient and tried to expose them in the second half.”

Carson Kienitz led Munising with 24 points. Dusseault added 22 and senior forward Trevor Nolan finished with 12.

“When we’re looking for some offense, Trevor will get it for us,” coach Kienitz said. “He’s not afraid to go inside. He has been working on being more dimensional.”

Derouin led the Broncos with 20 points and senior guard Jacob Mileski had eight.

BR-H committed 24 turnovers and the Mustangs had 17.

The Broncos expect to get help Monday when senior Olin Johnson returns from a broken wrist he sustained early in the season.

“Olin played two games before he got hurt,” Lippens said. “Getting him back can only help. Munising has a real good team. They have three guys who played on their (Division 4) state championship team (in 2023). We turned the ball over too many times. We also need to be more aggressive on the boards.”

The Broncos travel to Felch North Dickinson Friday and the Mustangs host Escanaba Tuesday.

“They’re a good team,” coach Kienitz said of the Eskymos. “They played a lot of hard teams.”

Box score

Munising 24 13 21 20 — 78

BR-Harris 9 13 11 10 — 43

Munising — Kienitz 24, Connaughton 9, Nolan 12, Adkinson 5, Dusseault 22, Lindquist 6. FT: 4-8; F: 6; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Kienitz, Connaughton, Nolan, Adkinson

Bark River-Harris — Mileski 8, Derouin 20, Derocher 4, Spear 2, McDonough 5, Latsch 2, Guenette 2. FT: 3-6; F: 11; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Mileski 2