Justin St. Ours | Daily Press Escanaba’s Carter Hudson (left) and Colin Hudson (right) block a shot from Gladstone’s Dayton Bernson (center) Thursday at Escanaba during an MHSAA Division 2 district semifinal.

ESCANABA — It was almost like a regular playoff game Thursday in Escanaba as the limited crowd and warring student sections cheered and jeered the rival teams.

“It definitely felt more like a district game with fans,” Braves coach Mike Cretens said. “Up in Houghton, it didn’t really feel like that. It’s nice to have fans and for our guys to have someone supporting them through the entire game.”

Escanaba’s solid defense shined in the first quarter and set the tone for the Eskymos’ 77-43 win over Gladstone (7-7, 1-5 GNC) in an MHSAA Division 2 district semifinal. The Eskymos will travel to Negaunee Saturday to compete for the district championship.

“I thought we had a great start,” Esky coach Tracy Hudson said. “I thought we took guys out defensively that we wanted to. I thought we really disrupted them with our defense. Erik Victorson and Bryant Maki and Colin Hudson did a great job on those guys defensively. We wanted to really lock down the perimeter.”

Esky (14-2, 6-1 GNC) got rolling early in the first, with disruptions and blocks approaching double digits in the first few minutes. This defense allowed Esky’s Colin Hudson to score seven unanswered points — including a dunk and a triple — to lead 7-0 just two minutes in.

“We played a good game,” Colin Hudson said. “We shared the ball, and we played good as a team.”

Gladstone’s Dayton Bernson — one of the few Braves consistently getting looks under the basket — was the first on the board for it with a shot from down low.

Thirteen seconds later, Esky’s Carter Hudson went two-for-two from the charity stripe, and Erik Victorson followed 25 seconds later with a bucket to make the Escanaba cushion 11-2 with 5:15 remaining in the first.

“I thought Erik Victorson did a great job on (Cam) Ballard,” Tracy Hudson said. “I think if you have to look at a key in the game, I think it’s Erik Victorson on Ballard. We had one guy with a big scoring night, but everyone else was balanced.”

After a Braves’ timeout, it was Bernson who sank another jumper to help kickstart a 10-5 run — including two treys from Rane Castor — to cut their deficit to 19-12 with just short of two minutes left in the first.

It would be as close as the Braves would come for the rest of the game.

“This is a high-powered offense,” Cretens said. “When they’re hitting, they can beat almost anybody. It’s unreal. When they get hot, they get hot. I hope they go far, and I hope they do great things.

“It was a tough game. We just got outmatched, and sometimes, that happens. There’s not a lot you can do in basketball when you just don’t match up.”

The Eskymos answered back with three from beyond the arc — two from Colin Hudson, who finished as their leading scorer with 28 — to end the quarter, and despite a trey from Caden Downey and a Bernson free throw, Gladstone trailed 28-16 entering the second quarter.

The Esky defense made itself known in a big way in the second quarter as it held the Braves scoreless until just 2:03 was left before the half — also enabling an 8-0 run until that point.

Gladstone’s Cam Ballard and Lucas Hughes chipped in, each going two-for-two from the charity stripe. Castor also had a bucket of his own, but Escanaba added 10 more points in the last two minutes to lead 46-22 heading into the locker room and seal the game.

Rane Castor led the Braves with 15 points.

“My seniors are amazing people,” Cretens said. “They do way more off the court than people realize. If you ask anybody in the community, they say the seniors are great people, and that’s all I can ask for.”

Escanaba visits Negaunee Saturday.

The two teams faced off March 15 at Escanaba, with the Eskymos earning a 56-35 win.

“I thought we played like a championship team, but the message that I gave to my guys is that we’re going to have to play better on Saturday,” Tracy Hudson said. “It’s going to be a battle up there, but we put ourselves in the same position as we did last year. Hopefully, we get a chance to play that. Any team you face in the finals is going to be good. They’re super well-coached, they’ve got a great staff and great players, but I think we do too. It’ll be an interesting game.

“We won by 21, but I don’t think we played great that night. I thought we could’ve played better. I thought the game was a lot closer than 21. It felt like a 10-point game. They’ve got a nice center, some nice perimeter players and some nice roleplayers — kind of like us, and they’re playing well at the right time. I think it will be a great championship challenge for us and them too.”

Gladstone 16 6 7 14 — 43

Escanaba 28 18 16 15 — 77

Gladstone — Castor 15, Ballard 9, L. Hughes 6, Bernson 5, Downey 3, Polley 3, D. Hughes 2; F: 15; Fouled out: none; FT: 6-12; 3-point field goals: Castor 2, Downey 1, Polley 1, Ballard 1.

Escanaba — Colin Hudson 28, Frazer 9, Smale 8, Carter Hudson 8, Brown 8, Hanson 6, Victorson 5, Maki 4, Bykema 1; F: 14; Fouled out: none; FT: 10-22; 3-point field goals: Colin Hudson 4, Frazer 3, Smale 2, Hanson 2.