Justin St. Ours | Daily Press Escanaba’s Kaiden Brown (42) takes a shot from the outside as Westwood’s Zach Carlson (2) and Garrett Sundberg (left) Monday in Escanaba.

ESCANABA — The second-ranked Escanaba boys reaped the benefits of a balanced scoring attack in a 68-50 basketball triumph over fourth-ranked Westwood here Monday night.

Esky scored five in double-digits, led by senior point guard Casey Bray who tallied a career-high 14 points to go with five assists, three steals and three deflections in this non-conference contest.

“I thought Casey had one of his best games,” said Esky coach Tracy Hudson. “He attacked the basket and had only one turnover. He had a good all-around game. The main thing was to get other guys going, and I think he did that. He understands his role.”

Senior Zach Beckman drained a jump shot from the left corner shortly before halftime to bring the Patriots within 32-27.

Esky (7-4) opened the third quarter with an 11-3 run, gaining to 43-30 cushion on a 20-foot jumper by senior forward Jared Hanson.

The Patriots (9-3) responded with six unanswered points, trimming their deficit to 43-36 on a jumper from the lane by senior Garrett Sundberg with 88 seconds remaining in the third.

Esky scored the next eight points, gaining an insurmountable 51-36 advantage on a 15-point jumper by senior guard Connor Smale early in the fourth.

Westwood senior Zach Carlson joined the 1,000-point club on a jumper from the left wing with 1:48 left to play.

“I didn’t realize what happened,” he said. “I was just trying to give the team a little spark. We didn’t do the little things tonight. Scoring five in double digits, that will do it. They were patient and made the extra pass.”

The score was tied at 13 after the first quarter before the Eskymos surged to a 21-13 lead on a free throw by Bray slightly more than two minutes into the second.

Westwood climbed within 21-18 on a runner seven-foot jumper by Carlson before Bray bumped Esky’s lead to six points on a jumper from the boulevard and free throw midway through the second.

The Patriots were within 27-24 following a layup by junior Jacob Bazinette with 2:26 left in the second. Esky, however, didn’t allow them to get any closer.”

Hanson, who sank four 3-point shots, also scored 14 points. Senior forward Colin Hudson and Brown hit 12 apiece and Smale had 11.

“Jared’s 3-point shooting was very impressive,” said coach Hudson. “His last one (for a 57-40 advantage midway through the fourth) kind of put a dagger in them, and I thought Kaiden Brown did a good job off the bench. They’re a physical, quick team. I also think they’re a very good team. I don’t think the final score indicates what kind of team they really have. I think this was also a good game for Westwood. I think they have a good chance of winning their (Division 3) district.”

Carlson scored 24 points for the Patriots, who committed nine turnovers.

“We had a lot of balance,” said coach Hudson. “We tried different zones, and our 2-3 worked well. Carlson got 24, but I think it was a tough 24. I thought we shared the ball. We had 18 assists and played good defense.”

Esky, which also had nine turnovers, travels to Marquette Thursday. Westwood hosts Ishpeming Wednesday.

The Esky JV won 62-34 as did the freshmen (50-28).

Westwood 13 14 9 14 — 50

Escanaba 13 19 16 20 — 68

Westwood — Carlson 24, Olson 2, Beckman 9, Sundberg 8, Bazinette 5, Karki 2. FT: 11-18; F: 14; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Carlson 2, Sundberg 2, Beckman.

Escanaba — Smale 11, Bray 14, Hudson 12, Hanson 14, T. Brown 12, K. Brown 5. FT: 7-10; F: 17; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Bray 4, Smale, Hudson, K. Brown.