3-Point Barrage Leads To Esko Win

Wes Vork-NSO

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Dec 13, 2011

Dwight Cadwell-NSO

Some teams thrive with the long ball while some teams die from it; Tuesday night the Esko Eskomos showed they can thrive from downtown as the Eskomos nailed 17 three pointers in a 79-51 win over Duluth Marshall at Esko High School in this sectional battle Tuesday night.

Sophomore forward Casey Staniger led the way for Esko as he knocked down 9 three pointers of the 11 he took on the night, while senior guard Jackson Lindquist wasn’t far behind as he hit five long range bombs as well. Sophomore Kory Deadrick also hit 3 three-pointers on the night in the Eskomos 28 point win.

The first half saw both teams battling to establish the games tempo which at times looked a lot like a run and shoot format. The Hilltoppers led twice in the early going as they led 5-3 and 7-6 but that was the last lead they had on the night as the Eskomos soon caught fire and distanced themselves from Marshall. The Eskomos led 21-17 and it was a 17-3 run which distanced the Eskomos for good late in the first half.

Esko eventually took a 17 point 43-26 lead into the locker rooms at halftime. The Eskomos continued to stay hot from the outside as their first nine baskets of the second half were all three-pointers. The Eskomos shot an amazing 60% from beyond the three point line and 51% for the game.

The Eskomos were led by Staniger who finished with a game high 29 points, Lindquist finished with 25, and Deadrick finished with 9 points as well. Jarred Harms chipped in with 6, Marc Peterson added 5, while Jacob Lindstrom ended with 3 points and Ben Hansen rounded out the scoring with two points on the night.

The Hilltoppers were led by Eric Miklausich who had 16 points, John Fox added 11, Will Heyer and Ian Zenner both added 6 points, while Cole Bradshaw ended with 3 and Noah Pearson closed with 2 points for Marshall. The Hilltoppers fall to 0-4 on the season and they will try to rebound Saturday when they face St. Paul Academy in St. Paul.

The Eskomos improve to 2-1 on the season and they will try to make it three wins in a row as they face Cook County as part of a boys and girls double header on Thursday night as part of Coaches vs. Cancer night.

The Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser is sponsored by the Esko Hoops Club who will be selling wristbands and t-shirts as well as hosting a paper airplane toss (5 planes for $2) during halftime of both games. All proceeds from the event will benefit the American Cancer Society’s Carlton County Relay for Life. The girl’s game is slated to begin at 4:45 while the Boys game starts at 6:30.

Dwight Cadwell can be reached at dwight@northlandsportsonline.com