NORTH BEND — Speed kills — and for Phoenix, so does size.

The Pirates showed a competitive edge in both Monday while handing North Bend its first home loss of the season — a 65-58 defeat in North Bend Gym.

It was the Bulldogs’ third loss in four games and came on a night they mustered a strong finish after an up-and-down start. North Bend (1-3) trailed by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter but cut the lead to six before Phoenix (6-1) pulled away late with one-and-one free throws.

“We were moving the ball a lot better in the second half, but that first half just killed us — we needed to come out better,” said North Bend’s Andrew Slack. “Our shooting has to get better. ... I was cringing at some of our numbers.”

The Bulldogs out-rebounded Phoenix 35-31 but struggled mightily from the field, making 25 of 63 shots (39.6 percent). Senior post Elliot Adams off-set that with an 8-for-11 shooting effort while Sam Lynass converted 8 of 15 on the way to a team-high 17 points and five rebounds.

“Sam gave us another good night,” said Bulldogs coach John Olson. “He used his speed well and he helped create some scoring chances — so did Elliot.”

Adams completed a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards, and Slack chipped in 12 points and four steals before fouling out midway through the fourth.

Still, it wasn’t enough to slow Phoenix’s big men, Mike Shepherd and Codey Barrett, who notched double-doubles with 19 points and 12 rebounds apiece. They were two of only four Pirates to score in the game.

“Their big guys, you know, they didn’t miss very many shots except for a couple free throws,” Olson said. “We probably should have fouled them more.

“Shepherd had an especially big game. Take him away, and it’s a different game.”

That and the first quarter, Olson added.

Phoenix opened the game on a 14-3 scoring run complete with four points from Barrett and Ryan Robinson, who finished with six.

The Bulldogs committed 11 turnovers in the first half but countered with strong ball movement late in the second period. It allowed them to pull within five at 29-24 before Shepherd dropped in six points off short layins to push Phoenix ahead 35-27 at the break.

Shepherd, a 6-foot-5 senior post, found open shots all game with quick moves toward the hoop after backing down inside the paint.

“He’s having a great year for us and tonight he was doing what he does best,” said Phoenix coach Brian Miller. “He’s had a double-double every game; he’s a first-team all-leaguer and he stays focused. He took a lot of pressure off Codey and that works out pretty well.

“Coming over here tonight against a quality team makes it a good win for us.”

The victory capped a seven-games-in-10-days stretch for the Pirates, who showed little sign of fatigue Monday.

“There hasn’t been much time for turnaround, but we have the legs to keep going out there,” Shepherd said. “Our speed is probably our biggest advantage.”

Phoenix’s lead went from eight to 10 in the third quarter with the help of four coast-to-coast drives off steals by Andrew George. The Pirates senior swing man scored a game-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting — all from inside the arc.

“We played together and broke down their offense,” George said. “They really came after us in the second half, but we stuck it out and worked together.”

Lynass, who came off the bench late in the first quarter, made it a six-point game at 37-31 with a turn-around jumper early in the third quarter. North Bend was once again unable to keep a rally going, however, as Phoenix countered with nine of the next 14 points to go up by 10 heading into the final period.

“We kept battling with them, but having to work from behind from the start took a lot out of us,” Slack said.

A jump-hook by Barrett gave Phoenix its biggest lead of the game at 54-42 with 4:23 remaining, but the Bulldogs had one last push in them. North Bend cut the deficit to six after Slack sank a 3-pointer; Lynass dropped in a layup and Luke Clark made his lone field goal of the night, adding to his 10 rebounds, three steals and three assists.

With their lead now down to 60-54 with 1:20 left, the Pirates moved the ball inside consistently and won from the foul line.

“I like the way our kids played until the end,” said Olson, whose Bulldogs tallied 22 points in the final period. “I think the last three quarters tonight are closer to the way I want us to play.”

Notes: North Bend continues nonleague play tonight at Crater. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.