SPALDING — Senior guard Brody Mercier drew a hot hand in the second half here Thursday night, helping the Powers North Central boys earn a 52-39 basketball triumph over the Carney-Nadeau Wolves.

Mercier, who did the bulk of his scoring after the intermission, drained six 3-point field goals and finished with a career-high 25 points. Junior Kaden Malone added 10.

Their effort also helped the Jets present Jon Haight with his first varsity coaching victory.

“This feels great, but it’s not all about me,” he said. “It’s all about the team. The kids want to win and they give everything they got.”

This marked only the sixth varsity game for Mercier, who played in just two last season due to an injury.

“They came out of the gates strong on defense,” Mercier said. “Mike Polfus is an extraordinary coach. Kaden really stepped up. We had some really tough games on the road. It felt good to be home. Our crowd gave us a lot of energy. In the locker room at halftime I’ll bet their coaches also really talked about energy.”

The Skyline Central Conference contest was tied at 30 with 3:07 left in the third quarter when C-N freshman Lane Mellen split a pair of free throws.

North Central answered with a 13-0 run which extended into the fourth frame on a pair of gifters by Mercier.

The Wolves shaved their deficit to 47-39 with less than two minutes remaining when senior Dexter Thoune went through the backdoor for a layup before the Jets sealed the deal with five unanswered points.

“We’ve been working on our offense, but they played good defense,” C-N coach Mike Polfus said. “When you lose your point guard (junior Beau Maule to a leg injury) it hurts, but we’re adapting. I thought both teams played hard. Overall, I thought we did all right on defense.”

Both teams were ice cold from the floor in the first quarter.

The Jets took a 7-0 lead on a 17-foot jump shot by junior guard Kaden Malone with 2:07 left in the opening frame.

C-N finally got on the board on two free throws by sophomore Kayne Wilson 10 seconds later.

Junior Cullen Kasbohm then scored the Wolves’ first field goal on a 20-foot jumper from the left wing 54 seconds into the second stanza, bringing them within 7-5.

North Central led 15-8 with 2½ minutes remaining in the second.

The Wolves, however, trimmed their deficit to 16-12 on a 19-foot jumper by Wilson.

North Central was ahead 20-15 at halftime, then surged to a 27-17 lead on a 22-foot jumper from the right wing by junior guard Riley Creten.

C-N then began to whittle away at its deficit, eventually tying the score at 30.

“We were happy with that,” Polfus said. “We just have to learn to sustain it. The guys got a little tired in the end, but they’re grinding.”

Kasbohm hit 12 points and Wilson had 10 for the Wolves, who committed 12 turnovers. The Jets had 19 miscues.

“Brody was outstanding and Kaden and Nathan (Pipkorn) did a nice job on defense,” Haight said. “The kids played hard on defense.”

North Central, which also won the jayvee game 57-16, visits Bark River-Harris Tuesday.

C-N hosts Superior Central Monday and Goodman, Wis. Tuesday.

Carney-Nadeau 2 13 15 9 — 39

North Central 7 13 20 12 — 52

Carney-Nadeau — Thoune 8, Wagner 4, Kashbohm 12, J. Wilson 2, K. Wilson 10, Mellen 3. FT: 7-12; F: 16; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Kasbohm 3, Wagner.

Powers North Central — Cretens 8, Pipkorn 5, Trudgeon 1, Mercier 25, Malone 10, Castle 3. FT: 11-16; F: 13; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Mercier 6, Cretens, Pipkorn, Malone.