HARRIS — If you take care of the basketball, it will probably take care of you.

The Escanaba boys did just that as they raced past Bark River-Harris 73-43 here Wednesday night.

Esky turned the ball over 10 times with half of those taking place in the fourth quarter when its reserves were on the floor.

The Broncos had issues with Esky’s full-court pressure defense, especially in the opening frame of this non-conference contest when they committed 16 of their 35 turnovers.

Esky was off to the races from the beginning, rolling to a 28-7 lead with 67 seconds still remaining in the first quarter when junior Hayven Sandoval-Nolde scored on a layup.

“We came out with a lot of energy,” Esky coach Jake Berlinski said. “The guys were amped up to play. It’s fun when you can play fast. If you can create chaos, it can take your opponents out of what they’re trying to do. Although, they have some injuries which probably affected them.”

The Broncos responded with 10 unanswered points before senior Lucas Hejmej stole the ball and quickly drove downcourt for a layup to give the Eskymos a 30-17 cushion in the second stanza.

Esky’s lead grew to 40-17 on another layup by Sandoval-Nolde late in the second.

The Eskymos extended their lead to 45-20 before junior forward Gionni McDonough hit a layup moments before halftime.

“We had a lot of turnovers,” BR-H coach Nick Lippens said. “We didn’t handle their press as well as we should. Although, I thought we played better after we got past the initial shock. We talked about their press. That’s what got them back in the game the first time we played them (in BR-H’s 53-50 victory at Esky Jan. 16). We knew they were going to play hard.”

A steal and layup by senior Taylor Asgaard gave the Eskymos a 51-22 advantage early in the third stanza.

Esky (5-11) then gained an insurmountable 62-32 cushion on a buzzer-beating 20-foot jumper from the left wing by junior Cole Schroeder to end the third.

“The goal is to play our best basketball at the end of the season,” Berlinski said. “We could see some shots going in. It’s a confidence builder.”

The Broncos (7-8) played without senior Brayden Derouin, who’s nursing an ankle injury but expected to be back for tonight’s home game against Superior Central which tips off at 7:30.

They also lost senior Remington Steele to a knee injury in the first quarter Wednesday.

Junior Braden Cooper led the Eskymos with 17 points. Sandoval-Nolde and senior Lennox Peacock added 15 apiece. McDonough paced the Broncos with 17.

“Gionni has been averaging 22 points in the last couple games,” Lippens said. “We can learn from this game. There’s a lot we can take away from this. The injuries don’t help, but it gives other guys a chance to get better.”

In the jayvee game, Esky scored four in double digits as it romped to a 77-30 victory.

Freshman Owen Tarnutzer paced the Eskymos with 13 points. Sophomore Marquise Couillard scored 12 and classmate Andrew Hamlin and freshman Karl Warm had 10 apiece.

The Eskymos visit Norway tonight for a 7:30 contest.

Escanaba 28 17 17 11 — 73

BR-Harris 10 12 10 11 — 43

Escanaba — Sandoval-Nolde 15, Hejmeh 4, Schroeder 3, Demeuse 3, T. Asgaard 4, Peacock 15, Fields 2, Racine 4, Derkos 1, Cooper 17, Starr 5. FT: 6-12; F: 15; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Sandoval-Nolde, Schroeder, Demeuse, Peacock, Starr.

Bark River-Harris — McDonough 17, Spear 7, Knauf 9, Johnson 6, Seawright 2, Guenette 2. FT: 5-8; F: 16; Fouled out: Martin; 3-point field goals: McDonough, Knauf, Johnson, Guenette.