Austin Hemmingson | Daily Press The Escanaba girls basketball team poses with the trophy after knocking off Gladstone 52-48 for an MHSAA Division 2 district championship Friday in Gladstone. The district title is Esky’s first in 20 years. Team members are, front row from left: Maysie Lancour, Taylor Ray, Marissa Wallin, Anna Smith and Mari Bink. Back row: Team managers Jersie Skrzyniarz and McKenna Bullen, Nicole Kamin, head coach Mike Beveridge, Bailey Barron, Maddy Monkevich, Lilia Hughes and assistant coach Kelly O’Connell.

GLADSTONE — For the first time in 20 years, the Escanaba girls are district champions.

And they did it the sweetest way possible — by beating their arch-rival for the third time this season on their home court.

Nicole Kamin scored 15 points, Maddy Monkevich added 11 and tripled three times, and Taylor Ray scored six of her 10 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Eskymos to a 52-48 basketball victory over rival Gladstone to wrap up an MHSAA Division 2 district title.

Esky’s last district title came on a 55-48 win over Gaylord in a Class A district back in 2000.

“All day I thought one of us going to win, and one of us is going to lose. I just said let it be in the cards, because it’s our turn,” Esky coach Mike Beveridge said. “We’ve been in the championship and we’ve lost a couple times (in the last few years). That was such a sweet win, but to beat Gladstone and to do it three times this year, it tastes good. It’s a good taste in my mouth.”

Despite scoring 15 points, Kamin didn’t have her best night offensively. But for the second straight game, the Eskymos (13-7) got contributions from everybody.

“I said that at Houghton (after Wednesday’s 58-57 overtime win),” Beveridge said. “We won but without Nicole, basically. She had 17, but it was an off night. But everyone contributed, and they did it again tonight. Taylor and Monk had double figures, Mari (Bink) was right there (eight points). It was four girls scoring more points to win. I’m so proud of them. They all did it to win.”

Kamin has been part of Escanaba’s back-to-back state title teams in softball, but basketball is her first love.

“Basketball’s my sport, so this one feels good,” she said, while also acknowledging at the start of the year she probably wouldn’t have believed it if someone told her they would be district champs. “I probably wouldn’t have believed them, especially with Menominee in our district. We weren’t really hopeful, but then Gladstone won that game (over Menominee) and we were like, ‘We can really do it this year.'”

After a nip-and-tuck first half, Maddie Ahlgren gave the Braves a 27-25 lead going into the locker room with an elbow jumper with just four seconds left in the second quarter.

The Eskymos then dominated the third quarter, starting the period on a 10-0 run to gain a 35-27 advantage on a driving layup by Bailey Barron. They maintained a sizeable advantage that grew to 47-35 after Kamin blocked a shot by Ahlgren that led to a run out and a nice pass from Ray to Monkevich for a layup with 5:11 left in the game.

“I knew we just needed good looks,” Ray said. “We couldn’t just keep pushing and pushing and throwing up shots, we needed to get a good look.”

But just like they did in Monday’s shocking upset over previously undefeated Menominee, the Braves (9-14) wouldn’t go away, rallying all the way back to pull within 49-47 on a triple from the top of the key by Ahlgren with 1:14 remaining.

Ray and Kamin each went 1 for 2 at the charity stripe over the next 40 seconds to give Esky a four-point advantage before Marnnea LaFave brought the Braves within 51-48 with a free throw with 19 seconds left.

After the Eskymos killed some clock, Bink made the front end of a 1-and-1 to put Esky back up by four. Ahlgren then missed a triple on the ensuing possession and Megan Crow’s putback was no good as time ran out.

“Our defense all night was phenomenal,” Beveridge said. “They were tuned in to what we needed to do. We were up 12 and then it got tight, but the girls didn’t look tight. I think I was more scared than they were. I just said get the ball in Nicole and Taylor’s hands, take care of the ball, and they did.”

The Braves were doomed by 19 turnovers and a 1 for 13 shooting performance from 3-point range. Esky had 17 miscues but shot 5 for 7 from downtown.

“Obviously, you go back and watch film, but what I initially see is we turned it over too much and we didn’t knock down shots, and they hit some big shots,” Braves coach Andy Cretens said.

Austin Hemmingson | Daily Press
The Escanaba girls basketball team celebrates its 52-48 win over Gladstone for a MHSAA Division 2 district title after Friday’s game in Gladstone.

“Monkevich hit three 3s and she doesn’t traditionally shoot a lot of 3s. She hasn’t shot many against us the last couple years, so it’s something we took a chance on and she knocked them down.

“It’s frustrating because I felt like we deserved it. All the girls deserved it. It’s sad that it had to end here because we prepared really well and our girls really wanted it. It’s just really sad … I feel for our seniors. But we’re extremely proud of the effort they gave and the run that we went on to end our season after we went down a bumpy road. It’s just something to hang our hat on, but it’s a tough one to swallow.”

Crow led the Braves with 14 points, while Ahlgren chipped in 13.

After the huge upset win at the buzzer at Menominee and Wednesday’s 61-46 victory over Kingsford, the highs and lows of March came full circle for the Braves. Asked how he would remember this week in the future, Cretens noted how much fun it still was.

“It was a blast,” he said. “Our girls showed their never-say-die attitude, their grit, their toughness, and their passion for the game. It was fun to be a part of. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls and what they did over this week. It was a fun ride.”

The Eskymos will now get a rematch with Sault Ste. Marie in a regional opener Tuesday in Petoskey. Esky fell to the U.P.’s second-ranked Blue Devils 63-56 on its home floor back on Dec. 13.

“I hope it’s a game,” Beveridge said. “It’s going to be great. One team wins, one team loses. They’re extremely well coached. We’ll look at the video and talk about what we’re going to do, but we’re not going to change a whole lot. We’re going to play our game, and hopefully, we can get up and down and run.”

Escanaba 15 10 15 12 — 52

Gladstone 13 14 6 15 — 48

Escanaba — Barron 4, Kamin 15, Monkevich 11, Lancour 4, Ray 10, Bink 8. FT: 13-21; F: 13; Fouled out: None. 3-point field goals: Monkevich 3, Ray, Bink.

Gladstone — Hanson 2, Balenger 5, Ahlgren 13, Larson 2, LaFave 3, Trudeau 9, Crow 14. FT: 5-11; F: 16; Fouled out: None. 3-point field goal: Ahlgren.