(Rand Hruska photo) North Central’s Shae LaCoursier (34) reaches for a rebound above North Dickinson’s Micah Lindholm (24) Wednesday night in a Division 4 girls basketball district semifinal game in Felch. North Central’s Andie Arsenault (15) steps back and North Dickinson’s Ashton Hord (23) and Vanessa Lindholm (10) look on.

FELCH TOWNSHIP — The North Dickinson Nordics girls’ basketball team (10-5) came out firing early and never let up on their way to a 59-28 win over the North Central Jets (5-9) in an MHSAA Division 4 district semifinal Wednesday night at the Carl F. Lemin jr. Gymnasium.

“I’m extremely happy with the way we were focused right off the get-go tonight,” said Nordics coach Kirk Mattson. “Tonight, we took care of the ball. We took good shots and were focused. That good start made the difference for the whole game as far as I’m concerned.

“It was a fantastic team win for us.”

Ashton Hord — who led the Nordics with 24 points — put the first points on the board with a two-point shot. From there, the Nordics scored 11 unanswered points to lead 13-0 before the four-minute mark of the first quarter.

At the end of the first, North Dickinson led 18-10. They outscored the Jets in the final three quarters 11-9, 12-5, 18-4 to take the win.

“(I’m) super excited,” said Hord about the win. “We shot really well, actually, tonight.”

Mattson said the biggest aspect of Hord’s role on the team is her non-selfish playing style.

“She can score as a guard,” he said. “But, her biggest attribute to our team is how hard she plays and how she tries to involve her teammates.

“Tonight, she involved her teammates a lot with scoring, and I couldn’t be happier with how Ashton played. It was a fantastic game for her.”

Up next for the Nordics will be the Division 4 district championship game against the undefeated Carney-Nadeau Wolves. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. Friday in Felch.

“We got our hands full,” said Mattson. “They’re the top team in our conference and top team in the U.P. in our division. We lost to them the two times we played them. So, we’re going to have to play with the same intensity we did tonight.”

Vanessa Lindholm (13 points) and Chrislyn Inglese (11 points) also had strong scoring nights for North Dickinson.

For the North Central Jets — whose program and team Mattson praised — the season has come to a close.

“As the season went on, we got better and better,” said Jets coach Pete Schlenvogt. “We ran into a team that probably played about as well as they can tonight. They came out firing in the first quarter.”

In the second quarter, the Jets held the Nordics scoreless for over half the quarter. Schlenvogt said that was more indicative of the defense the Jets look to play.

Schlenvogt also added how much of a pleasure it was to coach the growing North Central team alongside his son, T.J.

Andie Arsenault had 21 points in her final game as a Jet.

North Central 10 9 5 4 — 28

North Dickinson 18 11 12 18 — 59

North Central — Arsenault 21, Burton 3, Smith 2, LaCoursier 2; F: 23; FT: 6-11; Fouled out: Kleikamp, LaBonte; 3-point field goals: Arsenault 3, Burton.

North Dickinson — Ashton Hord 24, Vanessa Lindholm 13, Inglese 11, Cary 6, Michah Lindholm 3, Aiden Hord 2; F: 12; FT: 13-24; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Vanessa Lindholm 2, Cary 2, Inglese 2, Ashton Hord 2.