Justin St. Ours | Daily Press Escanaba’s Carter Hudson (left front) goes up for a dunk against Negaunee’s Hunter Haanpaa (left behind) as Negaunee’s Gerald Johnson (22) looks on Monday at Escanaba.

ESCANABA — The second-ranked Escanaba boys overcame Negaunee’s slowdown tactics in a 56-35 basketball triumph over the Miners on Parents’ Night here Monday.

Esky led 39-27 after the third quarter of this non-conference contest prior to breaking it open in the fourth.

Negaunee was still within 41-29 following a lay-in by 6-foot-5 senior forward Eli Luokkala with six minutes, 43 seconds left to play.

Esky (13-1) responded with eight unanswered points, gaining an insurmountable 49-29 advantage on a layup and free throw by 6-7 senior forward Carter Hudson midway through the fourth.

“We had to be careful not to get into a possession-type game with Negaunee,” said Esky coach Tracy Hudson. “They’re always a great free throw shooting team. I thought there was a stretch in the third quarter where we didn’t get the ball inside.

“Luokkala is just a beast inside. We threw everybody at him. Luokkala is capable of putting up 25-30 points on any given night. I thought we did a great job holding him to 12.”

Esky led 34-18 following a six-foot set shot by junior forward Trevor Brown slightly more than a minute into the third stanza.

Negaunee answered with a 7-0 run, climbing within 34-25 on a reverse layup by Luokkala. Esky, however, didn’t allow the Miners to get any closer.

“We fought hard,” said Negaunee assistant Chris Prunick, who handled the varsity coaching duties for the first time in Dan Waterman’s absence. “I’m proud of the effort. We defended real well. When we play defense like this, we can play with anybody.”

The Miners (7-7), who trailed 32-16 at halftime, made it clear from the beginning they had every intention of taking the air out of the ball.

They trailed 9-6 following a jump shot from the key by senior guard Will Luke and 13-8 after the opening frame.

Esky then outscored the Miners 19-8 in the second quarter.

Carter Hudson, who had three dunks in the game, led the Eskymos with 17 points. Colin Hudson added 13. Junior forward Jared Hanson drained a trio of 3-point shots for nine points, and senior point guard Erik Victorson collected six assists.

“I’m happy with how Erik distributed the ball,” said coach Hudson. “Even though he didn’t score tonight, he did a great job running the show as our floor general. I think this was one of his best games running the show, and he a great job on (Mason) Sager. I thought Jared played a smart game and shot the ball well, and Bryant had set the tone for us on top. Carter also had a solid game, but got into foul trouble.”

Besides Luokkala’s 12 points, junior guard Gerald Johnson hit 11 and Luke finished with 10.

“We have a lot of good things we can build on,” said Prunick. “Tonight, we definitely took a step in the right direction. They’re obviously a great team, one of the best in the U.P.”

Esky also won the jayvee contest (58-49) and freshman game (59-36).

The Eskymos finish their regular season at Menominee Thursday.

The Miners host Westwood Friday in their regular-season finale.

Negaunee 8 8 11 8 — 35

Escanaba 13 19 8 17 — 56

Negaunee — Jacobetti 2, Luke 10, Johnson 11, Luokkala 12. FT: 13-16; F: 12; Fouled out: Luokkala; 3-point field goals: Luke 2, Johnson 2.

Escanaba — Howes 2, Smale 2, Colin Hudson 12, Morehouse 3, Carter Hudson 17, Hanson 9, Maki 4, Brown 6. FT: 7-8; F: 14; Fouled out: None; Technical foul: Carter Hudson; 3-point field goals: Hanson 3, Carter Hudson 2, Colin Hudson, Morehouse.