Matt McCarthy/The Daily News North Dickinson sophomore Maximus Mattson (24) looks to move past North Central senior Cole Timblin (5) Wednesday night in an MHSAA Division 4 District 99 semifinal.

FELCH — Speed and athleticism. When one team has more than the other, the outcome usually goes in their favor. And it did Wednesday evening as North Central rolled past North Dickinson 64-33 in MHSAA Division 4 District 99 action at the Carl F. Lemin Jr. Gymnasium.

The Jets (16-6) came out in a 3/4 court press, which gave the Nordics a hard time getting settled in their offense. It also caused North Dickinson to struggle getting the ball up the floor at times, and the Jets created a handful of Nordic turnovers, converting most of them into points.

North Central had a 9-0 run in the game’s first five minutes, finishing the first quarter already ahead by double digits.

“We came out and started with a lot of transition points from putting pressure on them,” said Jets head coach Michael Malone. “They (ND) settled in and started to break our press a little, and they got some second looks at the basket in the second period, which is something we’ll work on.”

The Nordics also had trouble later in the game with North Central’s press. “It definitely gave them fits,” Malone said. “The transition game is fit for us because we have the players to do it.”

Jets freshman point guard Luke Gorzinski, who led all scorers with 13 points, used speed and quick feet off of dribble drives to distribute the ball in the Jets transition and half court offense. He sees the floor very well, as he gets the ball up the floor, and he plays very good defense as well.

Noah Gorzinski added 10 points for the Jets, and senior Cole Timblin chipped in eight points.

The second quarter belonged to the Nordics, as they began the first half of it with a 9-3 scoring run.

“We woke up defensively in the second quarter, and we began to score some points,” said Nordics head coach Chris Mattson. “We outplayed them in the second quarter and I am happy about that.”

As the third quarter began, both teams came out of the locker room a bit sluggish, with nearly three minutes ticking off the clock before a point was scored by either team. Once the Jets scored the first points of the half, they started to use a press again, and it was as effective as it was earlier in the game.

North Central’s athleticism was simply too much for the Nordics in the remainder of the third quarter and through most of the fourth quarter, until both coaches began to substitute as the outcome was clearly determined.

“We didn’t give up tonight, despite getting down by so much right from the start,” Mattson said. “They have a lot of athletes and Mike (Malone) does a nice job mixing up his lineup. To my kids credit, we cut their lead down midway through the game, but their defense is so good. We’d have needed four good quarters of play to beat this team, and two good quarters wasn’t enough.”

The Nordics ended their season at 4-17, with Justin Slagle leading them in scoring on the night with 11 points. Brennan Donaldson chipped in eight points for North Dickinson.

The loss was the final game for Nordics seniors Cameron Schultz, Brandon Thao, Slagle, Cuyler Crites and John Mayfield.

“It’s never easy talking to the kids for the last time as the season ends,” said Mattson. “This has been a great senior group. They treat the younger kids at this school so well. They show them Nordic pride and are great role models. They are quality kids and I am proud of each and everyone of them.”

North Central will return home and will host the district final Friday night, when their rival Carney-Nadeau makes the short trip to Powers.

The Jets and Wolves split the two Skyline Central Conference games between one another in the regular season, with each team winning on their home floor. Tip off from North Central High School is at 6 p.m.

N. Central 20 10 16 18 — 64

N. Dickinson 7 13 10 3 — 33

N. CENTRAL: I. Gorzinski 7, Timblin 8, N. Gorzinski 10, Riley 3, L. Gorzinski 13, Eichmeier 7, Florenski 6, Sampson 4, Naser 4, Anderson 2. FT: 5-8. F: 17. 3-point FG: N. Gorzinski (2), Riley, L. Gorzinski (3), Eichmeier. Fouled Out: None.

N. DICKINSON: Donaldson 8, Schultz 5, Mattson 5, Graham 4, Slagle 11. FT: 8-15. F: 9. 3-point FG: Mattson. Fouled Out: None. Rebounds 23