CARNEY — The Carney-Nadeau boys provided a challenge, but Powers North Central had an answer as it surged to a 54-36 basketball triumph here Tuesday night.

North Central led 30-26 early in the third quarter before junior guard Kaden Malone got a friendly bounce on a 21-foot jump shot to put the Jets up by seven points.

Senior Dexter Thoune hit a layup to get the Wolves within 33-28 with 3:15 left in the third.

A layup by senior forward Brooks Castle then extended North Central’s lead to 37-28 at 1:56.

Senior Dalten Wagner drove down the boulevard for a layup to trim C-N’s deficit to 37-30.

The Jets responded with 14 unanswered points, gaining an insurmountable 51-30 advantage midway through the fourth stanza when senior guard Ben Stage split a pair of free throws.

“They played pretty good, that’s for sure,” Jets’ coach Jon Haight said. “Although, that didn’t really phase us. We came right back and scored. Kaden (Malone) got a lot of offensive rebounds which was huge for us.”

North Central raced to a 16-4 before the end of the opening frame.

The Wolves answered with a 6-0 run, shaving their deficit to 16-10 early in the second when junior Cullen Kasbohm hit 1-of-2 free throws.

North Central then tallied eight unanswered points, gaining a 24-10 cushion on a pair of gifters by senior forward Brady Trudgeon with 3:03 remaining in the second.

The Jets led 28-17 late in the second before senior Sur Kymun Shepard hit a layup and an 18-foot set shot to bring the Wolves within 28-21 at halftime.

“The defensive intensity picked up in the second quarter, but we didn’t have the energy we needed the whole game,” Wolves’ coach Mike Polfus said. “We had energy to start the third quarter, then we made a couple mistakes and it kind of snowballed on us.”

Castle scored 15 points. Cretens added 12 and Malone finished with 10 for the Jets, who committed 18 turnovers.

“Our defense was good all night, especially after the middle of the third quarter,” Haight said.

The Wolves, who turned the ball over 15 times, were led by Shepard, Thoune and sophomore Kayne Wilson with seven points apiece.

“We played good defense on the ball, but we weren’t talking enough in our rotation,” Polfus said. “Offensively, our player and ball movement weren’t very good, but we’ll figure that out. We just need to pick up our energy.”

North Central also won the jayvee game 67-29.

Freshmen Hunter Holle and Matt Granquist paced the Jets with 17 points each. Classmate Westyn Fleetwood added 14. Freshman Jacen Maier paced the Wolves with 12 and Shaun Hansen had nine.

North Central, which improved to 5-7 overall and 3-1 in the Skyline Central Conference’s small school division, visited Bark River-Harris Wednesday. The Jets host Crystal Falls Forest Park Friday.

The Wolves (5-10 overall, 0-4 league) visit Rock Mid Peninsula Friday.

North Central — Cretens 12, Stage 8, Pipkorn 1, Trudgeon 6, Plunger 2, Malone 10, Castle 15. FT: 7-10; F: 10; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Malone 2, Stage.

Carney-Nadeau — Shepard 7, Thoune 7, Wagner 2, Kasbohm 1, Maule 5, J. Wilson 4, K. Wilson 7, Mellen 3. FT: 2-6; F: 16; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Thoune, Maule, K. Wilson, Mellen.