Justin St. Ours | Daily Press Escanaba’s Maddie Monkevich (right) shoots a reverse layup between Menominee defenders Kennedy Olson (23) and Anna Nerat (behind) Wednesday in Escanaba.

ESCANABA — The Menominee girls went 9 1/2 minutes without scoring in the second half of a Great Northern Conference basketball game here Wednesday night.

Their scoring drought, however, wasn’t long enough for Escanaba to catch them in a 52-40 loss.

Menominee held a 50-24 advantage after a layup by sophomore Anna Axtell with two minutes, 15 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Maroons (13-6 overall, 5-3 GNC) didn’t score again until the final 46 seconds when senior Kennedy Olson scored the final points on a pair of free throws.

Esky (10-9 overall, 4-4 league) came within 50-40 on a pair of gifters by sophomore guard Keira Maki with 62 seconds remaining, but it was far too little, too late in its final home appearance this season.

“We came out too tense and struggled offensively,” said Esky coach Mike Beveridge. “Menominee played well. Olson is a strong post player, and we didn’t match up with her early. They played tall, and we had a hard time penetrating (Menominee’s zone).”

Menominee, which ran a delay offense much of the fourth quarter, led 50-28 after the third.

Neither team scored in the first 2:55 of the fourth until Maki drained a pair of free throws to make it 50-30.

“I think this is a learning experience for us going forward,” said Menominee coach Lucas Chouinard. “We have to keep the pedal to the metal. We took our foot off the gas a little.”

Esky trailed 13-11 with 50 seconds left in the first after a layup by senior center Caydence Carter.

The Eskymos were within 19-15 following an 18-foot jumper by freshman forward Grayson LaMarche early in the second but were outscored 16-5 through the remainder of that quarter.

“I think the way we played against them early in the season (in a 64-54 loss at home Jan. 17) left kind of a bad taste in their mouth,” said Chouinard. “The girls did a good job containing their 3-point shots. Bink (Mari) is a great shooter and hit some clutch 3s in our first meeting. We did a good job not letting her get good looks tonight. Maki is a great all-around player. She did a good job attacking the basket in the fourth quarter.”

Maki hit 17 points, and LaMarche added eight for the Eskymos, who committed 14 of their 21 turnovers in the first half.

The Eskymos also got into foul trouble with two starters getting three fouls in the first half.

“That and our slow start hurt us,” said Beveridge. “Although, I’m proud of the way the girls battled back. They never gave up.”

Olson led the Maroons with 21 points, and senior Anna Nerat scored 14. The Maroons finished with 19 miscues, including 10 in the fourth stanza.

“I thought the girls responded well tonight,” said Chouinard. “We’ve kind of hit our stride in the last five games.”

Esky, which won the JV game 51-24, finishes its regular season at Calumet Friday. Menominee hosts Gladstone or Iron Mountain in its Division 3 district opener Wednesday.

Menominee 13 22 15 2 — 52

Escanaba 11 9 8 12 — 40

Menominee — Doyle 3, Drifka 2, Axtell 7, Nerat 12, Olson 21, Bouty 2, Derusha 3, Sinks 2. FT: 14-20; F: 15; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Doyle, Axtell, Nerat, Olson.

Escanaba — Monkevich 3, Maki 17, Stalboerger 5, Bink 5, LaMarche 8, Carter 2. FT: 12-18; F: 18; Fouled out: Bink.