Todd Rose | Daily Press Colin Hudson (20) of Escanaba hangs from the rim as the ball falls through the hoop following a slam dunk Tuesday night in Escanaba. Also pictured are Escanaba’s Casey Bray (10) and Gladstone’s Payton Gingras (24), Skylor Cayer (50) and Drake Johnson (34).

ESCANABA — Senior forward Jared Hanson jump-started Escanaba’s offense early here Tuesday night in a 58-24 basketball rout of Gladstone.

Hanson scored the first eight points, and 6-foot-9 senior forward Colin Hudson added a jump shot from the right corner for an 11-0 advantage in this Great Northern Conference contest.

A 20-foot jumper by sophomore Elliot Vitito got the Braves on the board, and a pair of free throws by classmate Kaden Gibbs shaved their deficit to 11-5 with one minute, 37 seconds left in the opening frame.

Esky hiked its advantage to 17-7 on Hudson’s buzzer-beating 22-foot jumper at the end of the first quarter.

The Eskymos led 21-8 following Hanson’s five-foot floater with 6:12 remaining in the second.

Esky then failed to score for more than five minutes, but Gladstone managed just two points on a 15-foot jumper by senior Caden Downey during that span.

The Eskymos ended their scoring drought on Hudson’s jumper from the right corner 59 seconds before halftime and junior guard Casey Bray added a buzzer-beating layup for a 26-10 halftime cushion.

Gladstone followed a deliberate approach on offense but had some difficulty working the ball inside against Esky’s zone defense.

“We played a lot of different zones and some man-to-man,” said Esky coach Tracy Hudson. “We’re very proud of the way we came out defensively. Jared and Colin shot the ball pretty well in the opening quarter. I thought we were pretty active defensively and felt pretty good at halftime. Anytime you hold a team to 10 points in the first half, you’re doing a pretty good job, and I thought our 1-3-1 threw them off a little. They were a very young, talented team playing against an experienced, seasoned team.”

The Eskymos used a 19-3 run to put the game out of reach, gaining a 45-13 advantage on Colin Hudson’s last of three dunks with 60 seconds left in the third.

“Our guys played hard,” said Braves coach Colin Immel. “We got open looks, but the ball didn’t bounce our way. We knew it (zone defense) was coming. I think our half-court offense took them out of their rhythm a little in the second quarter, but you can’t have a night like this against a good team and tonight we did. We’re a young team with little to no experience.”

Colin Hudson drained five 3-point shots and led the Eskymos (5-1 overall, 2-0 GNC) with 25 points. Hanson added 12. Senior guard Connor Smale had eight points, and senior center Trevor Brown grabbed nine rebounds.

“For the most part, we took good shots,” said coach Hudson. “We shot real well and took care of the ball. I thought Trevor did a good job on Skylor Cayer, and Casey Bray did a good job getting the ball to our guys. Most importantly, we got out of the game healthy and gained some confidence.

“They have a very tough schedule but have kids who put some time in. They have a very bright future. They were very patient and did a good job.”

Vitito scored 12 points for the Braves, who dropped to 1-3 after their GNC opener.

Esky held a 26-21 rebounding advantage and committed 10 turnovers. Gladstone had 14 miscues.

“Defensively, we’re pretty good,” said Immel. “Offensively, we have to start knocking down some shots. I think we have the toughest schedule in the U.P. In my opinion, we’re in the two best conferences in the U.P.”

Esky also won the JV contest 67-48 and the freshmen game 58-37.

The Eskymos host Marquette Tuesday. The Braves travel to Iron Mountain Monday.

Gladstone 7 3 6 8 — 24

Escanaba 17 9 19 13 — 58

Gladstone — Gibbs 4, Downey 4, Gingras 2, Vitito 12, Hughes 2. FT: 5-10; F: 11; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Vitito 3.

Escanaba — Smale 8, Bray 2, Hudson 25, Weaver 4, Hanson 12, K. Brown 3, Willette 4. FT: 5-8, F: 10; Fouled out: None.