KINGSFORD — As the final seconds of the fourth quarter ran down and with her team trailing by three, Kingsford freshman guard Aubrie Moore found herself open on the left wing behind the 3-point arc.

Moore took a pass and fired what could have been the tying hoop. The ball went directly into the basket but, alas, the buzzer had sounded just before Moore released the ball.

And that was the kind of night it was for the Flivvers, who fell to visiting Menominee 45-42 in a Great Northern Conference matchup Monday night at Flivver Gym.

For most of the evening, the Flivvers seemed a bit off. And it cost them what could have been their fourth straight victory.

“From the jump ball in the first half, we just didn’t play with energy, we didn’t play the right way, we gave up 31 points when our calling card is defense,” Flivvers assistant coach Chris Moore said. “Menominee came prepared and with a good game plan and we found ourselves in a deficit that we couldn’t overcome.”

Part of the sluggishness, for both teams really, came from the early starting time. The game started at 5 p.m. (90 minutes earlier than normal) because Menominee didn’t bring a JV squad. Plus, the early starting time held the attendance down some.

Still, the Flivvers (8-8) began on the front foot, taking a 10-4 lead six minutes in. Alyvia Kowalski hit a driving bucket to start things before Kailey Sundquist recorded a put-back, Aubrie Moore sank a driving shot and a free throw, Anna Bortolini split two free throws and Sundquist added a lay-in off a feed from Moore.

But over the next 10 minutes of game time, the Maroons (6-10) outscored Kingsford 27-13 to go up 31-23 at the halftime break.

“If you’re not prepared in varsity athletics, it doesn’t matter the opponent,” Coach Moore said. “If they’re prepared and they’re going to put a shift in there, you’re going to be in trouble. And I don’t think we were prepared tonight, and I think part of that is probably my fault.”

Menominee added to its lead immediately in the third quarter on a baseline jumper by Gianna Coduti and a 3-pointer from Ava Chouinard. Later in the quarter, Ella Barker sank a jumper to give the Maroons a 41-30 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

But the Flivvers began to claw back into the game to start the final period. Kowalski scored 42 seconds into the frame to start a 7-0 run that cut Kingsford’s deficit to four with five minutes to play.

Olson sank a jumper and Moore buried 3-pointers as part of that rally.

Meanwhile, the Maroons struggled against the Kingsford 1-3-1 half court zone trap, turning the ball over seven times in a matter of minutes. And after Coduti sank a jumper from the free throw line with 4:37 left to put her team up 43-37, the Maroons went scoreless for the next four minutes.

During that stretch, Kowalski and Bortolini recorded a bucket each and Olson sank a free throw to pull Kingsford within one.

But Coduti split two free throws with 17.3 seconds remaining and Barker did the same with 8.2 seconds left after a Flivver turnover to give Menominee a 3-point lead prompting the final sequence.

After his daughter’s 3-pointer came just after the horn, Chris Moore spoke about his team’s fight back.

“I liked what we did (during the rally). We got competitive and we went back to our style of basketball, which is a bit gritty, a bit ugly.

“But it’s up-tempo using our athleticism and trying to make plays in transition. And I thought for about an eight-minute window we did that really well. But unfortunately, it was a little bit too late.”

Kowalski led the Flivvers with 11 points as did Coduti for the Maroons.

The Flivvers step out of GNC competition Thursday when they travel to rival Iron Mountain (5-13). Kingsford defeated the Mountaineers 59-42 in the teams’ first matchup on Dec. 16 in Kingsford.

SCORING

MENOMINEE – Marineau 2 0-0 5, Coduti 4 3-5 11, Doyle 0 2-2 2, Fox 1 0-0 2, Schuettpelz 3 1-1 8, Chouinard 3 0-0 9, Milostan 1 0-0 2, Barker 2 1-4 6. Totals: 16 7-12 45. Three-pointers: 6 (Chouinard 3, Marineau, Schuettpelz, Barker). Turnovers: 27.

KINGSFORD – Kowalski 5 0-0 11, Sundquist 2 1-2 5, Moore 3 1-2 8, Bortolini 2 3-4 7, Olson 4 1-2 9, Przeslakowski 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 6-10 42. Three-pointers: 2 (Kowalski, Moore). Turnovers: 20.