Esky boys claim district title against Miners
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NEGAUNEE -- Most area schools are on Spring Break this week.
The Escanaba boys, however, will spend at least part of it playing basketball.
Esky made that possible by defeating the Negaunee Miners 62-52 in a Division 2 regional final here Saturday.
The victory enables the Eskymos (15-2) to face Boyne City (11-7) in a regional opener at Manistique Tuesday at 7 p.m. Negaunee finished 8-8.
Esky took a seemingly-comfortable 48-29 lead on a 22-foot jump shot by junior forward Jared Hanson with one minute, 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Miners simply refused to go away as they climbed within 56-49 on a pair of free throws by senior guard WIll Lake with 2:55 left in the contest.
"It got a little emotional to say the least," said senior guard Erik Victorson, who led the Eskymos with 17 points. "The last three minutes were interesting. They went by real slow. Number 22 (junior guard Gerald Johnson) had a real good game. His 3s put a damper on some of our runs. This was one tough game, but we found a way to get it done. We knew Negaunee would be tough up here."
The Eskymos then made enough free throws down the stretch, including a pair by junior forward Colin Hudson to seal the deal.
Junior forward Jared Hanson sank a buzzer-beating layup on a pass from Victorson, giving the Eskymos a 15-13 lead after the first quarter.
They extended their lead to 21-16 after a putback by Victorson with four minutes, 51 seconds left in the second stanza.
The Miners, setting up in their traditional half-court offense, answered with a 6-0 run, taking a 22-21 lead on a 20-foot jumper from the right wing by Johnson midway through the second.
"The game went the way we wanted for us to have a chance to win," said Negaunee coach Dan Waterman. "Our guys came a long way this year. I feel bad for our seniors, but we have a lot to build on. We've got to give Escanaba credit. Their size provided some difficulties for us. They're a well-balanced team. I think they're going to be a tough out. They'll be a formidable task for anybody in Division 2."
The Eskymos regained the lead on a putback by Hanson at 3:45.
With 3:12 remaining in the second, senior forward Carter Hudson swished two free throws, and Hanson split a pair on an intentional foul, giving the Eskymos a 26-22 lead.
Moments later, Victorson added a layup for a 28-22 cushion.
Negaunee trimmed its deficit to 28-24 on a 17-foot jumper from the left baseline by Johnson at 2:20.
Hanson drained a 22-foot jumper from the right wing, and Victorson added a 21-foot jumper from nearly the same spot, enabling Esky to take a 34-24 advantage into the halftime locker room.
"I thought our kids kept them in check," said Esky coach Tracy Hudson. "Jared did a nice job on the boards, and Trevor Brown provided us with a lot of physicality. Our guys hung in there when the momentum was going against us. I'm just happy for our seniors. They worked hard for this. I thought Negaunee finished real well. They improved a lot this year."
Colin Hudson and Hanson added 12 points each. Carter Hudson finished 11, and senior guard Bradon Frazer collected five steals.
Johnson paced the Miners with 21 points, and senior Eli Luokkala had 13.
The Eskymos hit 20-of-39 free throws and committed eight turnovers. The Miners were 16-of-37 from the floor and had 11 miscues.
"I'm glad we didn't let Luokkala score 25-30," said coach Hudson. "I thought Colin did a nice job on him. We wanted the game to be in the 60s. We didn't want it to be in the 40s.
Escanaba 15 19 14 14 -- 62
Negaunee 13 11 10 18 -- 52
Escanaba -- Frazer 6, Colin Hudson 12, Carter Hudson 11, Hanson 12, Victorson 17, Brown 4. FT: 14-22; F: 16; Fouled out: None; Technical foul: Victorson; 3-point field goals: Collin Hudson 2, Hanson 2, Victorson 2, Frazer, Carter Hudson.
Negaunee -- Sager 9, Gladwell 2, Luke 7, Johnson 21, Luokkala 13. FT: 13-18; F: 16; Fouled out: Technical foul: Jacobetti; Luke; 3-point field goals: Johnson 4, Sager 3.