ESCANABA — The Escanaba girls were unable to dig themselves out of a deep hole here Monday night in a 58-43 basketball loss to third-ranked Sault Ste. Marie.

Esky fell behind 20-7 after the first quarter and trailed 37-15 at halftime.

“Our girls worked hard,” said Esky coach Mike Beveridge. “They have a nice mix of outside shooting and inside game. We couldn’t match up.”

A layup by junior Laura Innerebner gave the Blue Devils a 52-25 advantage late in the third stanza of this non-conference contest.

Freshman Grayson LaMarche sank a 19-foot jump shot from the left wing to trim Esky’s deficit to 52-33 early in the fourth.

The Eskymos, however, got no closer than 15 points.

“I think we played our best first half all year,” said Sault coach Pat Bennin. “I thought we did a real good job on defense and shared the ball extremely well, and Mackenzie (Bell) hit a couple early 3s to get us going. This is one of the most complete ball games we’ve had in a while. I thought Escanaba did a good job in the second half. We got a little sloppy in the second half. We need to cut down on turnovers a little.”

Sault (15-4), which committed 13 of its 18 turnovers in the second half, gained an insurmountable 56-33 advantage on a pair of free throws by Bell with six minutes, 28 seconds remaining.

Esky was within 6-5 following a 20-foot jumper by sophomore Keira Maki with 4:40 left in the opening frame.

The Blue Devils answered with a 14-0 run, gaining a 20-5 cushion on a gifter by junior Ella Marchand with 69 seconds left in the first.

Sault continued to extend its lead in the second stanza which reached 36-13 on a seven-foot jumper by senior Audrey Smith two minutes prior to the intermission.

Innerebner led the Blue Devils with 20 points. Junior Claire Erickson added 14 and Bell had 13.

Maki scored 18 and LaMarche had 13 for the Eskymos, who finished with 12 turnovers.

“Overall, I thought we did a good job on Maki even though she got 18, and holding (Mari) Bink to four was a plus,” said Bennin. “I thought our press was very effective.”

Esky ran into foul trouble in the first half with three apiece on senior Madison Monkevich and junior Katelyn Stalboerger. The two forwards, however, were able to avoid fouling out.

“Our girls never quit,” said Beveridge. “I’m proud of their effort. We didn’t shoot real well, but defensively we played well. I’m pleased with Keira’s effort and Grayson is developing into a good basketball player. I’m proud of her growth.”

Esky, which won the jayvee game 53-23, hosts Menominee Wednesday. Sault hosts Newberry Thursday.

Sault Ste. Marie 20 17 15 6 — 58

Escanaba 7 8 13 15 — 43

Sault Ste. Marie — Bell 13, Nolan 2, Marchand 1, Pratt 2, Innerebner 20, Maurer 4, Erickson 14, Smith 2. FT: 11-16; F: 11; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Bell 2, Erickson.

Escanaba — Monkevich 2, Maki 18, Stalboerger 1, Henderson 5, Bink 4, LaMarche 13. FT: 6-10; F: 14; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Maki, Henderson, LaMarche.