Norway junior Lauren Adams (3) shoots a free throw against North Dickinson in the MHSAA Division 4 District 99 final on Friday in the Carl F. Lemin Gymnasium. (Sean Chase/Daily News photo)

FELCH TOWNSHIP — The Norway girls varsity basketball team opened the season with five-straight losses, one of which came to North Dickinson, and dreams of a district championship seemed to be dashed

But the Knights defied the odds.

“At 0-5, I wasn’t quite sure we were going to win a game,” Knights head coach Brian Adams said. “But slowly, especially in some of the later losses, you can see it’s coming. We looked better even though we lost. As it goes along, as you see that happening, you start to believe again.”

On Friday, they went into the Carl F. Lemin Gymnasium with a shot at the MHSAA Division 4 District 99 title.

The Knights (15-9, 6-2) leaned on junior Skyline Central Conference Player of the Year Lauren Adams, who scored 35 points, and dispatched North Dickinson (15-7, 7-1), 65-31.

“Norway came to play,” Nordics head coach Kirk Mattson said. “They brought a high-energy level and were all over the court. They played with more pace and energy than we did. When things go the way they went tonight, they might have shot 80% in the first half.

“They weren’t missing anything. Hats off to them. My girls fought, but that was a tough team to play tonight.”

North Dickinson beat the Knights in both contests this season. But Norway made the trip to Felch Township with one goal in mind — winning a district title.

“Defensively, we were excellent,” coach Adams said. “I really don’t have a lot of complaints about our offense or defense tonight. … They came here with a goal. It’s been the goal all year, even when we were 0-5. It was still the goal.”

“This team has been a problem for us. They’ve beaten us twice already, but they came here tonight and didn’t want to be denied,” coach Adams added.

Not only were they on a mission, but coach Adams adjusted defensively after the previous two games.

“We wanted to switch the zones up, because I felt like they slow down against zone,” coach Adams said. ” They’re really quick against man defense. They’re quicker than us, so we had to slow them down and not let them get to the hoop at will. They run a dribble-drive man offense, so they can drive and kick. We wanted to take that away and I thought we did an excellent job of it.”

The first quarter was a battle. Nordics freshman Lauren Jungwirth opened the scoring, converting a layup through contact. She connected on the ensuing free throw and they led 3-0 two minutes into the frame.

Lauren Adams responded on the next possession with a 3-pointer from the left wing to tie things at three.

Freshman Alyson Steinbrecher converted an and-one to put North Dickinson back ahead. She added another layup, and Jungwirth pitched in two points as the lead grew to 10-6.

But, Norway sophomore Jessa Rossler buried her second corner three shortly after and Adams made a free throw to tie the game at 10.

Lauren Adams scored four more points in the quarter, but both teams went into the second tied at 14.

The Knights took control over the next eight minutes.

“I told them they had to settle down offensively,” coach Adams said. “We weren’t running offense so we could get into a flow. They did a really good job of that in the second quarter. And then, we kept flipping between two zone defenses to try and keep them off balance.

“Any time he called a timeout, to probably talk about the one we were in, I switched to the other one.”

They opened the frame with a 14-0 run. Adams scored seven points while senior Mary Cavagnetto buried two 3-pointers. Rossler and Paytan Carlson each made one as well.

Entering halftime, North Dickinson trailed 34-20.

During the break, Mattson focused on taking things slow in the next frame.

“Win the next possession,” Mattson said. “Win the next possession and then try to win the quarter. The biggest thing was to keep your head up and don’t get down. Body language is a big thing. Just go out there and play hard.

“Our girls played hard. They just ran into a team that was super hot and they were dialed in. If Norway continues to play that way, they’re going to make some noise.”

Lauren Adams took control of the second half. She scored 20 points over the 16 minutes. The Nordics only scored 11 points in the second half.

“That’s the player of the year, being the player of the year,” coach Adams said. “She had to do that tonight. They’ve shut her down to nine and six points, frustrated her. It was simply, ‘You’re the player of the year. You’re the best player in this conference. You can’t let them stop you three times.’ And she wasn’t going to let them, and they didn’t. I’m proud of her. She fought hard.”

Norway senior Abby Richter ended the game with three points. However, she has made her impact leading the Knights’ defense over the past two games.

“That’s a first team all-conference defensive player. That’s showing why she’s that,” coach Adams said. “She’s one of our best defenders. Paytan Carlson is really good too. She didn’t get a lot of credit but she’s a very good defender. Abby does the little things for us. She’s 5-foot-4 and she gets those rebounds. She’s athletic as heck. She’s the middle of our diamond press. It’s a big thing.”

Lauren Adams’ 35-point outting led all scorers in the contest.

Norway also received offensive contributions from Ella Wojtowicz (3 points), Mary Cavagnetto (8 points), Rossler (11 points) and Carlson (5 points).

North Dickinson received offensive contributions from Jessica Harwath (1 point), Steinbrecher (7 points), Ava Oman (5 points), Jungwirth (15 points) and Aunika Lindholm.

The loss means saying goodbye for the Nordics two seniors, Harwath and Hailee Siegler. However, the future is bright with multiple freshmen contributing throughout the season.

“I told them, ‘We need to learn from this,'” Mattson said. “Give them some time off, let them clear their minds, but we know what we need to work on for next year. Everybody is still excited. It’s tough for the seniors because Jessica (Harwath) and Hailee (Siegler) are two amazing pieces. I’m going to miss them.

“I’m proud of my girls, their effort, and my seniors. They always show true sportsmanship and classiness and I’m proud of them.”

For Norway, the focus is now Munising (20-4, 7-1) in the MHSAA Division 4 Regional 25 semifinals today at 6 p.m. in Kingsford’s Flivver Gym. The Mustangs won their lone meeting with the Knights this season, 58-47 on Jan. 27. However, Norway has won seven games in a row.

“We played Munising; we lost by 11,” coach Adams said. “We were up most of that first half, and I switched to a zone for two minutes. They went on a 12-0 run, I went back to man and it was even the rest of the way. So I take responsibility for those two minutes.

“I believe we can hang with them. They’re a good team, but the way we’re playing right now, we can play with them.”