CARNEY — Getting a fast start never hurts anyone.

A strong finish is even better.

That’s what the Rapid River boys were able to accomplish here Wednesday in a 61-49 basketball triumph over Superior Central in the Carney-Nadeau Holiday Classic tournament.

The Rockets, who raced to a 7-0 lead within the first 73 seconds, used another 7-0 run to help seal the verdict.

“It was huge,” Rockets’ coach Brent Lundquist said. “It helped to be up by a little bit. That helped us weather their storms. That group never gives up. They’re a well-coached team. When they went on a run, we always had an answer.”

The Cougars were within 54-46 with less than three minutes left to play.

A jump shot from top of key gave the Rockets a 57-46 cushion with 2:10 remaining.

An eight-foot floater by sophomore forward Rowen Flath gave them a 59-46 advantage and a steal and layup by junior guard Jae Poma made it 61-46 with less than a minute left.

“They got off to a good start which helped them, but it didn’t help us,” Cougars’ coach Mike Lovell said. “Then, we settled down for the most part. Rapid River made their shots and we hurt ourselves from the free throw line (4-of-11).”

The Rockets led by as much as 43-27 on a 23-foot jumper by junior guard Jake Fox before the Cougars began to whittle away at their deficit.

Rapid River led 17-5 early in the second frame when junior guard Lane Olson grabbed a rebound and converted a jumper from the lane.

The Rockets still led 25-13 late in the second before junior Ryan Kroupa sank a jumper from the boulevard and Eli Valima drained a 22-foot jumper from the right wing to bring the Cougars within seven points at the intermission.

“They (Cougars) showed up real well on the boards,” Lundquist said. “We missed out on opportunities to box out and that’s what kept them in it. These were tough teams all the way around. Hannahville is physical and fast and Carney-Nadeau played real well. Both of those teams have shooters.”

The Rockets scored four in double digits. Sophomore guard Brennen Kee scored 17 points. Olson added 13. Flath hit 12 and Poma finished with 10. Valima scored 16 and junior Will Spranger tallied 15.

Rapid River committed 18 turnovers and Superior Central had 17.

“The effort was there,” Lovell said. “The guys hit the boards and I’m proud of them for that. We both had tough games yesterday (Tuesday). We had four evenly-matched teams in this tournament which made it fun.

In the consolation game, C-N broke into the win column for the first time this season as it squeezed past last year’s champ Hannahville 49-48.

Senior Sam Beaver split a pair of free throws to give Hannahville a 48-42 lead with less than three minutes left in the contest.

A layup by senior Dalten Wagner brought the Wolves within 48-44 and sophomore Kayne Wilson drained a 22-foot jumper to shave their deficit to one point.

Senior Sur Kymun Shepard then provided the Wolves with a game-winning layup a minute remaining.

“We needed that one,” C-N coach Mike Polfus said. “We’ve been in a lot of (close) games. It’s a relief to finally win one. It’s like getting a 100-pound weight off my shoulders. This is a good way to end the year (2025).”

Sophomore forward Dawson Lea gave the Soaring Eagles a 31-20 cushion to start the third frame.

The Wolves then found the range from beyond the arc, closing with 39-34 on a 22-foot jumper by Wilson late in the third.

A 10-foot jumper by sophomore guard Devin Arteaga put Hannahville back up by seven points.

C-N answered with an 8-0 run, taking a 42-41 lead on Shepard’s buzzer-beating 21-foot set shot from the left wing.

The Wolves (1-7) committed just four turnovers. The Soaring Eagles finished with 22 miscues and hit just 5-of-12 free throws.

“He (Shepard) is getting his feet underneath him,” Polfus said. “The Beaver kid is real good. At halftime, I told the guys we had to hit more shots. We handled the ball real well. Four turnovers is a lot better than the first game.

Wilson scored 18 points. Junior Cullen Kasbohm added four 3-point shots for 12 points and Shephard contributed 11.

Arteaga led Hannahville with 16 points. Lea scored 13 and Beaver had 12.

In Tuesday’s games, junior Sam Charlebois hit 22 points, including 19 in the first half to lead the Cougars past Hannahville 52-48.

Junior Ryder Kroupa, who sank a pair of gifters in the final 5.7 seconds, and Spranger added 12 points apiece. Beaver had 12 for the Soaring Eagles.

Both teams had 13 turnovers.

Superior Central 5 13 10 21 — 49

Rapid River 15 10 18 18 — 61

Superior Central — A. Charlebois 7, Spranger 15, Valima 16, Vining 7, Kroupa 4. FT: 4-11; F: 6; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Valima 4, A. Charlebois.

Rapid River — Poma 10, Kee 17, Olson 13, Flath 12, Fox 9. FT: 3-6; F: 13; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Poma 3, Kee 3, Olson, Fox.