ESCANABA — Bay College and Kirtland Community College men’s basketball teams split a pair of close games during the regular season.

The post-season meeting was different, however, as the Norse rolled past Kirtland 98-57 in a Great Lakes District C quarterfinal contest here Wednesday night.

Kirtland won the first meeting 69-62 in Grayling Jan. 28 and the Norse took the second game 87-83 at Delta College Feb. 22.

Bay, which ran its winning streak to eight games, improved to 23-6.

The Norse are at Mott Community College in Flint today where they’re meeting Lansing Community College (22-7) in an 11 a.m. semifinal contest at Mott Community College. The Firebirds finished 7-20.

Freshman wing Emerson Droubie, who drained six 3-point shots, led the Norse with 28 points and four steals.

One of his steals led to a layup which gave the Norse a 14-6 lead less than 3½ minutes into this match-up.

“We came out fast and played hard,” Norse coach Matt Johnson said. “The biggest difference this time was the effort. We stayed in attack mode and dominated the glass and played real hard on the defensive front.”

Droubie added a 21-foot jump shot from the left wing which provided Bay with a 28-10 cushion with 11:30 left in the first half.

The Firebirds trailed 30-14 after sophomore forward Elijah Clifford hit a pair of free throws.

Bay then went on a 16-0 run, extending its advantage to 46-14 on Droubie’s 22-foot jumper with 6 ½ minutes remaining before halftime.

Kirtland shaved its deficit to 48-20 on a putback by sophomore guard Jayvion Sims at 3:40.

The Norse finished the first half with a 9-3 run, gaining a 57-23 halftime advantage on a lay-in by sophomore guard William Kelley.

Bay continued to extend its lead in the second half, stretching its lead to 70-30 on three free throws by Droubie.

The Firebirds never got closer than 39 points through the remainder of the game.

“We had such a big lead,” Johnson said. “We got a little comfortable which we can’t do in other games. They’re capable of making a run. They (Lansing C.C.) are very good. They have one of best scorers in the country. This time of year is never easy.”

The Norse finished with a 50-37 rebounding advantage. They converted on 31-of-72 field goals and committed only eight turnovers and collected 21 assists.

“Eight turnovers and 21 assists, that’s pretty good,” Johnson said. “Kyler Sager had a nice game. They’re all playing hard and they’re playing confident.”

Kelley finished with 13 points and eight assists. Sager also hit 13 points. Freshman point guard Trey Frye collected 12 points, five assists and two steals and freshman forward Ziad Abouali added 10 points and three assists.

“This feels great, especially with being just an hour from Marquette,” Sager said. “The difference today was our defensive intensity, moving the ball around and hitting shots. Getting a fast start was also huge. It will be fun to go downstate. I’m excited.”

Freshman forward Ken ‘KJ’ Hunt, Jr. was Kirtland’s leader with 17 points. Clifford added 16 points and sophomore guard/forward Troy Jenkins had 10.

They shot 22-of-63 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the line and had 18 turnovers.

Kirtland CC 23 34 — 57

Bay College 57 41 — 98

Kirtland Community College — Ramsey 9, Hurt 17, Clifford 16, Coakley 3, Jenkins 10, Jackson 2. FT: 10-12; F: 21; Fouled out: Clifford; 3-point field goals: Ramsey, Clifford, Coakley.

Bay College — Hustrulid 5, Kelley 13, Droubie 28, Frey 12, Johnson 9, Sager 13, Richmond 3, Vann 4, Abouali 11. FT: 23-32; F: 12; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Droubie 6, Sager 3, Kelley 2, Richmond, Abouali.