GLADSTONE — The second-ranked Gladstone girls had things their way here Monday night as they cruised past Escanaba 70-25 in a Great Northern Conference basketball game.

Gladstone, which clinched at least a share of the GNC title, wasted little time gaining the upper hand as it scored the first 14 points.

Esky got on the board with two free throws by senior Landry Bray with 2:10 left in the opening frame.

Senior forward Lillie Johnson hit a pair of layups to open the second quarter, giving the Braves an 18-2 cushion.

Braves’ senior guard Addy Blowers then split a pair of gifters and Johnson added two to make it 21-2.

“We played with a lot of energy and good tempo,” Braves’ coach Andy Cretens said. “At times we had good rotation on defense. At other times we didn’t deny as well as we should.”

Esky responded with five unanswered points, trimming its deficit to 21-7 on a five-foot jump shot by senior Ava Stahlboerger midway through the second.

“We played against a great team tonight,” Esky coach Tracy Hudson said. “The first quarter has been an Achilles (heel) for us. We didn’t get them uncomfortable. We had foul trouble and played more zone than we wanted. I thought we played a good second quarter. I also thought we were the aggressor for about 4-5 minutes. I’m happy with the effort, but our top two scorers were kind of held down. They did a good job pressuring us on the perimeter.”

The Braves continued to build their lead, extending it to 35-14 at halftime.

Gladstone then started the third stanza with 22 unanswered points, gaining a 57-14 advantage on a pair of gifters by sophomore Ella Bracket.

Senior Susie Moberg then drained a 21-foot jumper for Esky’s only points in the third frame.

“They’ve gotten better from the first time we’ve seen them (in an 80-29 loss Jan. 2),” Cretens said. “They didn’t turn the ball over as much in the backcourt. Overall, we played well. Lillie played well. When she shoots well, she’s probably going to score in the 30s.”

Johnson, who hit four 3-point shots, finished with 36 points. Junior Eva Pankonien sank five trifectas and added 17.

The Braves committed 12 turnovers and Esky had 29.

“We had a good margin for turnovers,” Cretens said. “Eva really shot well tonight and we need that from here to beat a good team.”

Stahlboerger was Esky’s leader with six points.

“Ava did a good job for us,” Hudson said. “One good thing is the girls have stayed together. It feels like we’re improving, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier. It seems like every team we play has a college guard. We came in with confidence. We just didn’t execute. I think Lillie is a little intimidating to most people. She comes at you very hard and has a pretty good supporting cast in shooters. I thought Gladstone also did a good job at the free throw line.”

The Braves cashed in on 19-of-25 shots from the line. Esky was 8-of-16.

A collection, taken for Mary Ellen Johnson who’s battling cancer, took in $5,456.

Both teams play again Thursday. The Braves (14-3 overall, 7-0 league) host Gwinn on Staff Appreciation Night and the Eskymos (2-14 overall, 0-6 GNC) host top-ranked Ishpeming.

The Gladstone jayvees also won 53-22.

Sophomore Molly Matthew scored 19 points and classmate Kaelyn Ranthum added 10 for the Braves, who led 24-9 at halftime. Sophomore Sarah LeMire led the Eskymos with six.

Escanaba 2 12 3 8 — 25

Gladstone 14 21 24 11 — 70

Escanaba — Beauchamp 1, VanDamme 1, Moberg 3, Bray 4, Mylander 4, Stahlboerger 6, Anderson 4. FT: 8-16; F: 21; Fouled out: Mylander; 3-point field goal: Moberg.

Gladstone — Blowers 5, Quigley 6, Bracket 4, Pankonien 11, Ostlund 2, Johnson 36. FT: 19-25; F: 13; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Pankonien 5, Johnson 4.