Jeffers’ Levi Frahm slows down to look for an open teammate during a game against Houghton Tuesday at the Jeffers Gym in Painesdale. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

PAINESDALE — It is not uncommon for the Jeffers Jets boys basketball team to be up by 30 plus points at halftime and defeat their opponents mercifully by at least 40 points in games this season. That seems to be the flight pattern for this 12-1 squad of talented players.

However, the halftime lead on Tuesday in a game against the Houghton Gremlins (11-5) was just six points, and their subsequent win was a mere 17-points at 76-59.

The Jets had seemingly met a true challenger on the court, and they fittingly showed why they are a top-ranked team in the U.P.

“It was a heck of a battle,” said Jeffers coach John Schutz. “Hats off to Houghton. They shoot well and played their heart out here tonight. They don’t give up. This was a fun game.”

A six-point lead gradually morphed into an 11-point lead in the third for the Jets with around a minute left to play. It was a 13-point difference at the start of the fourth as the Jets led 54-41.

While the Gremlins were able to trim it to eight points with less than three minutes remaining in the game, the Jets could not be caught.

Houghton coach Jared Lawson summed it up best.

“Turnovers were our downfall tonight,” he said. “I do not need look at the score book to tell you that. We had probably close to 20, and you cannot expect to do that and win with a good team like Jeffers.”

With the turnovers, the Jets were able to convert those to easy baskets. It might have been a layup by Jets leading scorer, Levi Frahm, or an easy jump shot by Matthew Schutz.

“They had too many easy baskets after we had worked to score on offense,” said Jared. “However, I did like how we battled and competed for most of the game. That is a good sign going down the stretch here.”

The Gremlins were led by Luke Hill and Isaiah Lawson. Hill posted 21 points, and Lawson had 18. The Gremlins were an impressive 18-22 from the free-throw line, while the Jets were 21-30.

Coach Schutz gave a combined game ball to Frahm and (Matthew) Schutz. Frahm scored 24, while Matthew sunk 22.

“Those two busted their tails off all night,” he said. “Matthew had a lot of big rebounds, and Levi came on strong at the end of the game to put this one away.”

UP NEXT

The Gremlins welcome Calumet to the Houghton Gym Thursday with a 7:15 tip off. The Jets travel to Wakefield-Marenisco on Friday.