ESCANABA — The Escanaba boys climbed a huge mountain, but couldn’t quite finish on top in a 63-59 basketball loss to top-ranked Iron Mountain here Thursday night.

Esky, which trailed by 17 points in the third quarter, went ahead on a 22-foot jump shot by junior guard Shane Wallin for a 49-48 lead with six minutes, 38 seconds left in this non-conference contest.

Iron Mountain answered on its next possession, taking a 51-49 lead on a jumper from top of the key by sophomore forward Oskar Kangas.

Esky tied the score at 51 on a pair of frees throw by Wallin at 6:08, but a lay-in and three-foot jumper by Kangas the gave the Mountaineers a 55-51 lead.

The Eskymos pulled within 60-59 following on a running jumper from the lane by junior guard David Romps with 1:50 remaining.

A layup by junior forward Matt Colavecchi and gifter by sophomore Gerald Sampoll-Terres, however, sealed the verdict in the final 17 seconds.

“We gave up a lot of points in the fourth quarter, but were able to get the ball in to Oskar,” said Mountaineers’ coach Harvey ‘Bucky’ Johnson. “We’ve got to give credit to Escanaba. We hadn’t played a team as physical as they are, plus they have two good guards.”

Iron Mountain led 44-27 following a 21-foot jumper by Kangas early in the third quarter.

Esky (6-3) began to shave its deficit and closed with 46-42 and a 20-foot jumper by senior guard Casey Bray with 10 seconds remaining in the third.

Sophomore forward Javon Stevenson opened the scoring in the fourth with a layup and Wallin’s 10-foot shot tied the score.

The Mountaineers regained the upper hand on a seven-foot set shot by Kangas before the Eskymos took their only lead of the second half.

“It took a full 2 1/2 quarters for us to get warmed up, but we had a shot in the end,” said Esky coach Scott Hanson. “I’m proud of the way the guys battled back. Iron Mountain is very capable of playing different styles which is a sign of a good team.”

The Eskymos took an early 8-7 lead, but the Mountaineers finished the opening frame with a 14-2 run for a 21-10 advantage.

Kangas led the Mountaineers with 32 points and 14 rebounds. Senior forward Joey Colavecchi added 10 points.

“They did a pretty good job on Oskar at certain points in the game,” said coach Johnson. “It was important we didn’t fade away. We’re not pleased we let them back in the game, but in the end we were happy we got the victory. We’ll learn from this. It was good for us to get tested.”

Wallin scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half. Bray finished with 14.

“Shane got us back in it and Casey had some nice passes beyond his shots,” said Hanson. “Oskar is the real deal. I though Javon and Cody (Noel) stepped up on played good defense on him, although at times he got away from us.”

The Mountaineers committed 21 turnovers and the Eskymos had 12.

In the jayvee game, freshman Lennox Peacock sank a trio of 3-point shots in the final two minutes, helping Esky overcome a 10-point deficit and win a 45-44 thriller.

Esky travels to Westwood Tuesday. Iron Mountain, which played at Gwinn Friday, visits Kingsford Tuesday.

Iron Mountain 21 16 8 17 — 63

Escanaba 10 14 18 17 — 59

Iron Mountain — O. Kangas 32, Sampoll-Torres 8, J. Colavecchi 10, M. Colavecchi 3, R. Kangas 5, Copley 3, Runsat 2. FT: 4-10; F: 15; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: O. Kangas 5, J. Colavecchi 2, R. Kangas, Copley.

Escanaba — Bray 14, Wallin 20, Romps 5, Weaver 5, Lawson 4, Stevenson 6, Noel 5. FT: 6-9; F: 15; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Wallin 4, Bray 3, Romps, Weaver.