North Dickinson freshman Lauren Jungwirth (20) drives to the lane against Norway on Friday in Felch Township. (Sean Chase/Daily News photo)

FELCH TOWNSHIP — Sometimes, the only thing that matters is if you win or not.

On Friday, the North Dickinson (7-4, 2-1) and Norway girls basketball teams faced off in Felch Township and that was the case.

At times, it wasn’t the prettiest game as both teams battled turnovers. But, in the end, it was the Nordics’ night as they held on for a 42-30 win over the Knights (3-6, 1-1).

“I was extremely happy with our defense,” North Dickinson head coach Kirk Mattson said. “We knew who we had to stop and we stuck to our plan. But, with that intensity we exerted a lot on the defensive side and I think that really affected our offense.

“We were trying to go too fast and had a little more unforced turnovers than I would like. For the most part, in the last three minutes of the game we calmed down. We took care of the ball and finished the game off nicely for us.”

With Norway junior Lauren Adams back after suffering a concussion on Jan. 7 against Iron Mountain, the Nordics knew who they had to stop.

“It’s all hands on deck,” Mattson said about his defensive game plan for Adams. “Raina Ledzian, I’ve never coached a girl that plays defense like her. She’s a dog out there. She was trying her best to not let her get the ball. When she did, everyone was aware. So we would hedge screens and push her out farther.

“If it took a double or triple team, I didn’t care. Somebody else was going to have to beat us. She’s a heck of a player. I love her game. Our girls stepped up defensively.”

North Dickinson freshman Alyson Steinbrecher opened the scoring three minutes into the first quarter. She hauled in a rebound and connected on a layup. That sparked a Nordics’ run.

North Dickinson freshman Lauren Jungwirth made a layup, then Aunika Lindholm buried a 3-pointer. It led 7-0 at that point.

Adams broke through for the Knights with two made free throws. Kara Stanchina added a 3-pointer and the game seemed to be turning into a battle.

Then Lindholm connected on another three.

“We set some plays up for Aunika (Lindholm) this week, because the last few games she’s been shooting the ball really well,” Mattson said. “She’s been lights out in practice. … She came through and knocked down two right off the get-go that were huge for us. She’s shooting with confidence and I love seeing it.”

Raina Ledzian closed out the quarter with seven points and the Nordics held a 17-5 advantage after eight minutes of play.

“I thought she was a spark plug for us in that first quarter,” Mattson said. “She got us some nice baskets. She was aggressively going to the basket. She’s got the skills to do it. She’s unselfish, but when she’s in that mode, she’s hard to stop.”

Jessa Rossler stopped the run for Norway in the second, she scored seven points in the quarter. The Knights held the Nordics to four points over that stretch, cutting the lead to 21-14 at halftime.

After five scoreless minutes in the second quarter, Mattson kept his message simple.

“We told them that we’ve got to calm down,” Mattson said. “We can run up-and-down the court, but sometimes, we get a little ahead of ourselves. When we do that, we turn the ball over and a lot of times, it’s unforced. Those are killers.”

Rossler tried to spark a Knights’ comeback with two third-quarter 3-pointers. However, the Nordics held strong.

In the fourth quarter, North Dickinson turned to Jungwirth. She scored six points in the frame as it held on for the non-conference win.

Rossler led all scorers in the contest with 16 points.

Norway also received contributions from Adams (6 points), Mary Cavagnetto (3 points), Paytan Carlson (2 points) and Stanchina (3 points).

The Nordics received contributions from Ledzian (12 points), Steinbrecher (2 points), Ava Oman (8 points), Jungwirth (10 points) and Lindholm (10 points).

“I think they’re coming along awesome,’ Mattson said. “Lauren (Jungwirth) and Aly Steinbrecher, they’re doing a really good job. There were a few bumps at the beginning of the season, but as each game goes on, they make plays for us.”

The Knights are back in action on Thursday at home against Carney-Nadeau while the Nordics are back home against Stephenson.

LADY TROJANS 55, JETS 34

CRYSTAL FALLS — Packing three games into a week can be tough for anyone.

However, that wasn’t the case for the Forest Park girls varsity basketball team as they finished out a jam-packed week strong on Friday in Crystal Falls.

The Lady Trojans (5-7, 1-1) pulled ahead early and breezed to a 55-34 Skyline Central Conference-Small School win over North Central (0-10, 0-2).

“It was a full week for us with three games, exams and many participating in the BPA competition at Escanaba,” Forest Park head coach Kim Bjork said. “But we came out with energy and the hot hand in the first half, everyone was ready to play. Lily Sarder knocked down some shots from 3-point range and that really sparked us. We were able to walk away with two wins this week. There’s a lot of season left and we like the direction we are heading.”

The Lady Trojans opened a 19-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. They extended that lead to 17 points in the second quarter, and easily downed the Jets.

Elsie Williams led Forest Park with 17 points. She also tallied four assists, four rebounds and two steals.

The Lady Trojans also received contributions from Harper Anderson (1 steal), Kaidince Woollard (1 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal), Audrey Williams (11 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals), Sarder (9 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal), Khali Woollard (3 points, 1 assist, 5 rebounds), Aubrey Waara-Shamion 92 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), Dani Alquist (1 rebound), Jessie Loehr (5 points, 1 assist, 7 rebounds, 1 steal) and Dalaney Wagner (3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal).

Forest Park returns to play on Friday at home against Bark River-Harris. North Central is in Eben Junction on Thursday to face Superior Central.

TIGERS 44, LADY BADGERS 40

GILLETT, Wis. — With Marinette & Oconto Conference placing on the line, the Niagara girls varsity basketball team took its talents to Gillett, Wis. on Friday looking to gain ground on the Tigers (10-2, 5-2).

The Lady Badgers (7-7, 3-6) made things interesting down the stretch as Sydney Swanson scored 12 second-half points. However, they lost to Gillett, 44-40.

Swanson and Mallory Sanicki led the way for Niagara in the first half with seven points each.

But, the Badgers went into halftime trailing 27-20.

Niagara’s defense stood strong in the second half, holding the Tigers to 17 points. It just couldn’t score enough to get past Gillett.

Swanson led the Lady Badgers with 19 points. She made two 3-pointers in the game.

Niagara also received contributions from Mallory Sanicki (8 points), Marley Jones (2 points), Peyton Neuens-Allred (8 points) and Alivia Kleikamp (3 points).

The Lady Badgers ended the game 7 for 12 from the free throw line.

Niagara is back at home on Thursday when it squares off with St. Thomas Aquinas Academy.