KINGSFORD — The Escanaba boys basketball team added their second win on the road, and second of the season, against Kingsford in an early Great Northern Conference game to try to beat the winter storm that rolled through the U.P. this weekend.

The teams exited the first quarter tied at 10, and Escanaba (2-0, 1-0 GNC) only led by one heading into halftime, 23-22.

“It was a very tight game at the end,” Esky coach Tracy Hudson said. “We didn’t have our A-game, but we found a way to pull it out. We were saddled with foul trouble.

“It was a dogfight in the GNC, and I think we learned a lot from it. We found a way to come out on top, and we weren’t even sure we were going to be playing because of the storm. They moved it up an hour, and we went and battled.”

The third quarter was the difference, as Esky jumped ahead 41-32 for a nine-point lead entering the fourth.

“I thought Trevor Brown and Jared Hanson played really solid games,” Hudson said. “Trevor, maybe one of his best games. I thought Casey Bray did a good job of being a floor general and making good decisions. He had a tough assignment guarding Nora. We had good bench play from Nathan Howes, Adam Willette and Kaden Brown.”

The Flivvers (1-1, 0-1 GNC) hit the gas in the fourth, outscoring the Eskymos, who managed to hang on for a three-point victory, 53-50.

“We had a 10-point lead, and we made some mistakes,” Hudson said. “We just missed some key baskets that could have really iced the game. It wasn’t like we weren’t getting looks. We also missed some free throws down the stretch. It was just one of those nights, but (Kingsford) did a good job of pressuring us from the outside. They got into a little bit, but I think we could have easily had 10 or 15 more points from balls that just rolled around the rim and didn’t go in.

“Kingsford’s going to be a tough place to play. Coach Olkkonen’s got a nice team. We did enough to win, but we came out with a win. In some aspects, we were outplayed.”

Hudson is happy with the win, and with the areas that need improvement that Kingsford’s play exposed.

“We’re happy to get out of there with a win, and I know my kids are going to get a lot better (because of the game),” Hudson said. “I told them that we did a lot of the big things, but we didn’t do a lot of the little things that open the door. We’re going to work on that. We’re very happy to be 2-0 to start the season and to get a win at Kingsford against a very well-coached team.”

Brown led Esky with a double-double on 17 points and 10 rebounds. Colin Hudson finished with 10 and eight rebounds, and Jared Hanson earned 14.

The Flivvers were led by Michael Meneguzzo with 22.

Escanaba, which lost the JV game 69-52 and freshmen 43-21 travels to Houghton Tuesday.

Escanaba 10 13 18 12 — 53

Kingsford 10 12 10 18 — 50

Escanaba — Brown 17, Hanson 14, Hudson 10, Bray 6, Smale 6. FT: 18-25; F: 18; Fouled out: none; 3-point field goals: Hanson 1.

Kingsford — Nora 6, Myllyla 9, Meneguzzo 22, Kopp 7, Trevillien 6. FT: 13-22; F: 16; Fouled out: none; 3-point field goals: Nora 2, Meneguzzo 3.