North Central’s Sam Burton (5) puts on the brakes to take a shot as Charlotte Charlebois (3) of Superior Central defends Thursday night in Powers. (Todd Rose/Escanaba Daily Press photo)

STEPHENSON — Chrislyn Inglese scored 13 points, Ashton Hord added 11 and the North Dickinson defense stymied Stephenson in the Nordics’ 46-29 victory over the host Eagles in a Skyline Central Conference girls varsity basketball matchup Thursday night.

North Dickinson (8-4) stopped a brief two-game losing skid with the victory.

“I thought we played pretty doggone good,” Nordics coach Kirk Mattson said. “Our shooting percentage went up (from recent games), we shot about 45%, so I was really happy with that. And we made six of six from the free throw line.”

North Dickinson led 11-3 after the first period, 25-9 at halftime and 42-15 after three quarters.

Mattson said his team passed the basketball well against Stephenson’s 3-2 zone and attacked the openings off the dribble.

“We passed up good shots for great shots and we amped up our defensive pressure,” Mattson said. “We have experienced girls and they realize we’re at the midpoint or beyond of the season and it’s time to start to get ready for the end of the season and the tournament.”

Senior point guard Vanessa Lindholm chipped in with nine points, while junior post Aiden Hord contributed seven.

Ladycats gain confidence in loss

LAONA, Wis. — Florence lost to Northern Lakes Conference co-leader Laona-Wabeno by 27 points at home in mid-December but played a much more competitive game against the Rebels in a rematch of the two girls varsity squads Thursday in Laona.

The Ladycats (10-5) trailed by seven at halftime before dropping a 46-38 decision to the Rebels.

Laona-Wabeno jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but the Ladycats went on a 20-8 run to take the lead. The Rebels then took advantage of three straight Florence turnovers to go up seven at the break.

“They’re a very good team, very active on defense with really good pressure,” Florence coach Brad Perry said.

Isabella Millan led Florence with 20 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots. Leah Young added eight points and Victoria Peterson grabbed 13 rebounds for the Ladycats.

Perry said his team took home some confidence from cutting 19 points off the margin from its first encounter with the Rebels.

“It was a big step in the right direction,” he said. “You could see it in the girls’ faces, we know we can play with them.”

Superior Central overcomes Jets

POWERS — Superior Central seized the momentum in the fourth quarter on Thursday night in a come-from-behind 42-36 basketball triumph over the North Central Jets.

North Central led 34-27 after the third frame of the Skyline Central Conference match-up but was outscored 15-2 in the fourth.

The Cougars trailed until the final 68 seconds when senior Charlotte Charlebois sank a jump shot from top of the key for a 38-36 lead.

North Central grabbed a 19-10 lead on sophomore Sam Burton’s jumper from top of the key with three seconds remaining in the opening frame.

North Central led 36-30 in the fourth but failed to score in the remaining five minutes.

The Jets played without sophomore Gracie Kleikamp in the second half.

“Gracie has tendinitis in her shoulder,” said NC coach Dave Florenski. “It started to flare up, and I had to shut her down. She’s a good defender and averaging 15 points a game, but a player’s health is more important than any win.”

Burton paced the Jets with a career-high 16 points.

Top-ranked Calumet dominates WIC

CALUMET — West Iron County stayed even with the UPSSA No. 1 Calumet Copper Kings into the final minute of the opening quarter, but eventually the hosts pulled away for a 66-21 West Pac Conference victory on Thursday in Calumet.

Calumet (11-1) took a 9-4 lead at the midway point of the game before the Wykons scored five straight to pull into a tie. However, the Copper Kings scored five points in the final 40 seconds of the period and that spurt continued into the second quarter and beyond.

“Just adjusted to what they were seeing,” Calumet coach Matt Laho said of his players. “Looking to transition the ball a little bit better, push the ball up the floor and be more patient with our offensive possessions.”

Marybeth Halonen led Calumet with 17 points, while sophomore Laina Kariniemi scored 12.

The Houghton Gazette and the Escanaba Daily Press contributed to this report. Jerry DeRoche can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 244, or at jderoche@ironmountaindailynews.com.