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Westwood rally catches Esky

Dennis Grall | Daily Press Erik Anderson of Westwood dives in an effort to grab a loose ball while surrounded by the entire Escanaba defense Tuesday at Escanaba. Defenders include, from left, Craig Kamin, Carter Hudson, Tyler McDonald, Jared Nash and Ben Willis (22). Westwood won 57-56.

ESCANABA — It was a tale of two halves here Tuesday, as Westwood grabbed the lead with 23 seconds left and held on for dear life to upend Escanaba 57-56 in boys’ basketball action. Trailing 56-51, junior Ty Alderton hit two three-pointers in the last minute of the game to give the Patriots a one-point lead.

“I haven’t shot a three in a game all year,” Alderton said. “I was kind of surprised when coach (Chad Hewitt) called a play for me.”

With 15 ticks remaining, Esky’s Jared Nash was fouled and headed to the free throw line to shoot the double bonus. Nash missed both free throws, and Westwood’s Zachary Niemi grabbed the rebound and was fouled with nine ticks left.

Niemi missed the front end of the bonus, setting up one last chance for the Eskymos with six seconds to go.

Out of an Esky timeout, Nash caught the ball down low on the left side and spinned towards the baseline, putting up a five-foot shot that just rolled off the rim. Nash grabbed his own rebound on the opposite side and put up a fadeaway jumper that came up short as time expired. Right after the buzzer, Ben Willis put the ball in the hoop.

“We didn’t execute exactly the way we wanted, but we still had a good look at it,” Esky coach Tracy Hudson said. “We didn’t finish the game.”

The Patriots (8-3) had an idea what was coming on the last possession.

“We knew they wanted to go to (Carter) Hudson or Nash,” Hewitt said. “They were still able to get Nash the ball, the shot just didn’t fall.”

It was a crazy game as the Eskymos led by as many as 15 in the first half. It also featured buzzer-beaters by both teams and two missed dunks by Escanaba.

“Our message since the Gladstone game has been effort, enthusiasm and execution,” Hewitt said. “We don’t have the most talent in the world, but we have great athletes who are willing to be coached.

“We were down by 15 at one point and a lot of teams would have quit, but we kept battling. We had to chip away. I’m so proud of them.”

The Eskymos (6-5) were outscored 18-6 in the third quarter. Niemi capped the scoring run for the Patriots at the end of the quarter on a three-point bank shot buzzer-beater where he received a pass from Tayler Dellangelo and hung in the air, launching it towards the basket because there wasn’t enough time to come down first.

The shot trimmed the deficit to 41-40 and gave the Patriots all the momentum heading into the fourth quarter.

“The third quarter is a huge concern,” Hudson said. “We were battling some foul trouble and lost a lot of offense, but we still had opportunities for other guys to come in and make plays. We had one field goal the entire quarter.”

The Eskymos started the fourth quarter with both bigs — Nash and Austin Willette — with four fouls. Willette was called for a charge to foul out just 16 seconds into the quarter.

“I felt like the game was slipping away,” Hudson said. “It was just a gut feeling. I’d rather play from ahead than behind.”

The Eskymos appeared to have pulled away with 1:50 remaining on a steal and score by Craig Kamin. Kamin then stole the inbound pass and finished through contact for a three-point play that put them up 55-49.

With the Eskymos leading 56-51, the Patriots set up a play for Alderton, who drained a trey from the top.

Tyler McDonald missed both free throws on the next possession for the Eskymos, and Alderton tripled from the same spot to give the Patriots a one-point advantage.

“I knew we needed those shots,” Alderton said. “The second half just went our way. Shots just fell.”

Esky missed nine free throws in the fourth quarter, including four in the final minute.

“It was the perfect storm for us to lose,” Hudson said. “What a great teaching game for us and and a great win for them. Hopefully we can use it as a learning experience.”

Alderton led the Patriots with 21 points and Nathan Beckman added 15.

Nash scored 16 and grabbed 11 rebounds for Esky, while Kamin had 14 points.

Esky, which won the jayvee game 53-41 and the freshmen game 66-25, hosts Sault Ste. Marie Jan. 26.

Westwood 8 14 18 17 — 57

Escanaba 18 17 6 15 — 56

Westwood — Alderton 21, Beckman 15, Dellangelo 8, Niemi 6, Adriano 5, E. Anderson 2. F: 25; FT: 13-20; Fouled out: Dellangelo, Alderton, Adriano. 3-point field goals: Alderton 2, Beckman 2, Dellangelo, Niemi.

Escanaba — Nash 16, Kamin 14, Hudson 9, Rose 6, Willette 5, Willis 4, LaMarche 2. F: 21; FT: 24-35; Fouled out: Willette. 3-point field goals: Rose 2.

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