Escanaba junior Cody Noel (44) goes in for a layup against Menominee on Jan. 5, 2024 at Menominee High School.

MENOMINEE — An 18-0 second half run by Menominee plagued Escanaba boys’ basketball in a 70-59 Great Northern Conference decision here Friday night.

Esky led 44-42 with slightly more than two minutes left in the third quarter before a lay-in by senior Eli Beal tied the score and started Menominee’s big run.

“I thought we actually played a pretty good game,” Esky coach Scott Hanson said. “We handled their pressure pretty well. We had opportunities to finish shots, but missed 4-5 layups during the game. That’s huge in a tough place to play.”

A layup by sophomore Darrent Butler gave the Maroons a 53-44 cushion at the end of the third quarter.

The Maroons, who improved to 8-1 after their GNC opener, continued to build on their advantage which reached 60-44 on a fast break layup by sophomore Tanner Theuerkauf early in the fourth.

“The big run was a little bit of what we were hoping for in the first half,” Menominee coach Sam Larson said. “We wanted to pick up the pace, but I thought Escanaba did a good job controlling the tempo in the first half. Eli Beal’s energy was really good in that stretch. It’s hard to play against that for four quarters.”

The teams were tied at 16 following a jump shot from the right corner by Maroons senior Connor Coduti late in the opening frame.

Esky, which fell 5-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference, re-gained the lead on a 22-foot jumper from the right wing by senior guard Shane Wallin early in the second.

The Eskymos led 28-23 after senior guard Jackson Cousineau drained a 20-foot jumper from the left wing with less than three minutes remaining in the second.

Menominee tied the score at 28 on a layup by senior guard Trevor Theuerkauf late in the second before it surged to a 35-32 halftime edge.

The game remained close through much of the third prior to Menominee’s decisive run.

Menominee scored five in double digits, led by Trevor Theuerkauf’s 14 points. Coduti and Tanner Theuerkauf added 13 apiece. Butler hit 11 and Beal had 10.

“We do have a lot of balance,” Larson said. “We have 6-7 guys who can hit double digits on any given night. It’s hard to key on anyone. We looked a little tired in the first half and had to go into our bench a little more than usual. In the second half we came out with renewed energy.”

Wallin paced the Eskymos with 17 points. Junior forward Cody Noel scored 13 and junior forward Javon Stevenson chipped in with 12.

“Those guys played a really good game,” Hanson said. “We had two tough conference games this week and in both games we had little bit of a lapse. Although, those are things we can clean up.”

Esky committed 15 turnovers and Menominee had nine.

The Eskymos visit Bark River-Harris Tuesday and Iron Mountain Thursday. The Maroons host Fish Creek, Wis. Gibraltar Tuesday.

Box Score

Escanaba 16 16 12 15 — 59

Menominee 16 19 18 17 — 70

Escanaba — Wallin 17, Stevenson 12, Romps 7, Cousineau 3, Johnson 4, Morgan 3, Noel 12. FT: 13-18; F: 11; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Wallin 2, Romps, Cousineau.

Menominee — Coduti 13, Beal 10, Trevor Theuerkauf 14, Bardowski 4, Tanner Theuerkauf 13, Butler 11, Schultz 3, Komp. FT: 5-10; F: 12; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Coduti 3, Beal 2, Trevor Theuerkauf 2, Tanner Theuerkauf, Schultz.