Esko Girls Snap Barnum’s Win Streak

Wes Vork-NSO

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Jan 27

Dwight Cadwell-NSO

ESKO- One thing that has been a staple of Northland girl’s basketball over the past several seasons has been the Barnum Bombers reign of consistency that has lead to a state championship, runners-up in the state tournament, etc. The list of their past accomplishments can go on and on, but on Thursday night, the one thing for certain is that the Esko Eskomos are the top team in the Northland and one of the top teams in the state. The Eskomos shut down Barnum’s hot shooting and exhibited their own style of dominance as they beat the Bombers 54-37.

On a night where bleachers were brought in on the east and west ends of the floor to help accommodate the standing room only crowd, everyone
was anticipating
a back and forth battle. The only back and forth was when Barnum’s
Claudia Turner gave the Bombers a 3-2 lead on a three-pointer from the outside. However, that was the first and last time the Bombers led as the Eskomos went on a 15-1 run and led 17-4 with less than ten minutes to play. It was the Eskomos pressure defense, along with
the presence of center Savanna Trapp inside that contributed to a poor 1st half shooting from Barnum.

While Barnum struggled shooting, going only 4-37 from the field in the first half, the Eskomos used a balance scoring attack and built up a 34-12 halftime lead. The Esko defense held the Bombers to under ten points until just under two minutes remaining in the half. “They followed the game plan and believed the things we emphasized as being important to winning.” Head Coach Scott Antonutti told Northland Sports Online. “I thought our starters played a great game and we got very good quality minutes from our bench.” Antonutti added “I was very proud of the total team effort of the Esko girls.”

The second half saw the Eskomos come out and stay with their pressure defense and built a lead as high a twenty-three points at one point early in the second half. Barnum being a true champion, fought back and a basket by Jessica Newman cut the Eskomo lead to fourteen points. Esko responded
by stepping up their defense
and forcing Barnum to have three costly turnovers in a two minutes stretch. Those turnovers led
to three straight Esko baskets, which in the end sealed the victory for the Eskomos.

Esko senior Keely Deadrick stated “I’m so excited, it’s (beating Barnum) been a goal of ours for so long.” Deadrick and Alyson Glumac paced Esko in scoring with 13 points each on the night. Deadrick, who also
just missed a triple double with 9 assists and 9 rebounds added.“This gives us more confidence now, we know that we can play with and beat good teams.”

Glumac’s thirteen points are not a common thing for the defensive specialist, Glumac stated “I ran the floor and it just kind of happened.” Deadrick was not surprised by Glumac’s offensive success, stating. “Ally is always guarding the other team’s best player. She’s so quick most of her points come off of steals and fast breaks.” Savanna Trapp had 9 points, to go along with 13 rebounds and 4 blocked shots for Esko, Lydia Pelletier added 8, Marisa Shady finished with 7, and Megan Reuer rounded out Esko’s scoring with 4 points.

The win moves the Eskomos to 16-0 on the season and they are atop the Polar League standing all alone as they seek their first Polar League title since 2007. Deadrick explained that one of the keys to victory, the 1500 plus fans didn’t see on the floor. “Our scout team is made up of boys who don’t play on the boys basketball team ,but are quick and athletic. That helped us prepare for the caliber of players Barnum has.” “We work real hard in practice and play as a team, everyone who steps on the court has an important role.” she added.

The loss snaps Barnum’s 38 game win streak, along with their 39 game road winning streak, and their Polar League win streak of 42 games. The Bombers shot better in the second half but to overcome a twenty-two point deficit was too great, even for the defending state champions. Jessica Newman paced Barnum with 19 points on the night, Claudia Turner finished with 7, Karianna Duesler and Claire Rodgers both added 3, Jaiden Cofield had 2, and Caitlyn Rodgers closed out the Barnum scoring with 1.

“I have the upmost respect for what Randy Myhre has accomplished at Barnum and we will enjoy the victory, but I personally really appreciate his sportsmanship and that of the Barnum team.” Antonutti stated after the game. “As a teacher and coach, regardless of the outcome, it is a good feeling to shake a man’s hand after a game like that and getting a feeling of mutual respect.” Coach Antonutti went on to say “We wish the Bombers well for the rest of the season and hope that they will again represent the Polar League in the state tournament.”

Both teams will have several tough tests as the season wears on, Esko will host Grand Rapids on Monday night at Esko High School, while the Bombers will be back in action again on Monday as well when they host the Hibbing Bluejackets.

Dwight Cadwell can be reached at dwight@northlandsportsonline.com