GLADSTONE — Playing with the lead at crunch time worked to top-ranked Negaunee’s advantage here Thursday, earning a 41-36 triumph over second-ranked Gladstone on Senior Night.

The Braves took a 31-29 lead on a lay-in by senior guard Addy Blowers with 5:40 remaining in this regular-season finale.

Gladstone still led 33-32 after senior forward Lillie Johnson split a pair of free throws at 4:42.

The Miners then took the lead for good on a layup and free throw by junior Gretel Johnson with 4:04 left to play.

Junior Keira Waterman then added two layups, giving the Miners a 39-33 cushion at 2:18.

A jump shot from top of the key by Lillie Johnson brought the Braves within 39-36 with 1:46 left.

The Miners concluded the scoring with 42.4 seconds remaining on two free throws by Gretel Johnson.

Both teams struggled from the line. The Miners hit 10-of-19 and the Braves finished 7-of-16.

“Our free throw shooting hurt us,” Braves’ coach Andy Cretens said. “We had a lot of little things that hurt us. We gave them too many simple layups. Gretel attacked the basket in the first half. She got five baskets. We lost track of her and she got open and hurt us. Although we did a better job on her in the second half.”

The Braves trailed 25-20 at halftime, then shaved their deficit to three points on Lillie Johnson’s five-foot jumper on a pass from sophomore Ella Bracket.

With 5:25 left in the contest, junior guard Eva Pankonien sank a 20-foot jumper to tie the score at 25.

Lillie Johnson tied the score at 27 on a floater from the lane and at 29 on a pair of gifters with 18.3 seconds left in the third frame, setting the stage for a hectic fourth quarter in this physical contest.

“We got the stops we needed,” Negaunee coach Mike O’Donnell said. “I thought we made smart decisions on offense. We got the ball to the rim and drew some fouls. Their a good defensive team. They packed things up in the paint, but we didn’t want to settle for 3s. Getting to the rim has been a priority for us all season.”

Negaunee took its biggest lead (22-14) on a pair of gifters by sophomore Paige O’Donnell with 3:12 left in the second stanza.

The Braves responded with five unanswered points, trimming their deficit to 22-19 on a three-point shot by Pankonien at 2:20.

Lillie Johnson, who fouled out with 42.4 seconds remaining, finished with 24 points.

“We only hit five baskets in the second half,” Cretens said. “Lillie is a big part of our game. She had three fouls in the first half which also hurt us.”

The Braves committed 17 turnovers and the Miners finished with 15.

“Lillie made some unbelievable shots,” coach O’Donnell said. “Pankonien is dangerous from outside and Addy Blowers does the little things and takes charge on defense. We rebounded the ball pretty decent. For the most part we held them to one shot.”

Gretel Johnson paced the Miners with 16 points and Waterman had 11.

Both teams open district play Wednesday. The Braves travel to Kingsford and the Miners host the winner of Monday’s Escanaba/Houghton contest.

“This is a big win for us,” coach O’Donnell said. “I think this gives us momentum going into the district. This was a very intense game. It had a March-type feeling. We have to realize we can’t look past Wednesday’s game. Kingsford has a good team and Houghton just beat Ishpeming tonight (62-57), which is a big win for them. We can’t overlook anybody.”

The Braves fell to 18-4 after their final home appearance this season and the Miners improved to 21-1

“Our two games with them were physical, but the officials let them play for the most part,” Cretens. “We can’t take them (Kingsford) lightly. They’re a good team.”

Negaunee also won the jayvee game 36-19. Sophomores Addie Chapman and Jillian Symons scored nine points apiece for the Miners and sophomore Ava Goodman, who hit 6-of-8 free throws, had six points for the Braves.

Negaunee 11 14 4 12 — 41

Gladstone 10 10 9 7 — 36

Negaunee — P. O’Donnell 4, Rogers 6, Johnson 16, Saunders 4, Waterman 11. FT: 10-19; F: 13; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goal: Saunders.

Gladstone — Blowers 3, Bracket 3, Pankonien 6, Johnson 24. FT: 7-16; F: 16; Fouled out: Johnson; 3-point field goals: Johnson 3, Pankonien 2.