Esko wins Another Nail-Biter, Now 2-0 On The Season

Wes Vork-NSO

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Dec 3

Wes Vork-NSO

FLOODWOOD – The Esko girls basketball team hit the road for the second time this week, looking for another victory after defeating Crosby-Ironton on Tuesday by a single point. Thursday they met up with and defeated a scrappy Floodwood squad 63-60 in the same cardiac fashion, scoring the winning basket in the final minute of the game.

Esko started the game a bit slow, working themselves into a 23-9 hole. The Eskomos began to inch back into the game by going on an 8-0 run and cutting the deficit to 23-17 at the 5:08 mark. Esko continued to be aggressive and was able to finish the first half up 34-33. “We started out with a bit of the jitters, but I was proud of how the girls worked their way through it and responded,” Esko head coach Scott Antonutti commented to NSO after the game.

Keely Deadrick led the Eskomos charge with 12 first-half points. Those “jitters” found their way to the free throw line also, where Esko was 4-9 in the half. In the first stanza, the Eskomos shot 2-5 from the three point arc compared to only a 1-7 success rate for the Polar Bears.

The Eskomos came out strong in the second half and were able to hold their lead until the 5:55 mark when the “never say die” Polar Bears regained the lead at 53-51. Floodwood extended the lead to 58-55 with 3:15 left. Not to be denied, however, the Eskomos tied the game at 60-60 with 1:46 left, setting the stage for another heart pounding victory.

Then, in the final minute of the game, Deadrick drove to the basket and scored to give Esko a 62-60 lead. Yet, the win would not be that simple. With 21 seconds left, Floodwood forced fouls and the Eskomos missed both free throws to give them a chance. Good pressure defense by the Eskomos made up for the missed free throws, causing a Polar Bear turnover. With one second left, Amanda Bergstedt was fouled and converted one of two to seal the 63-60 win.

Deadrick led all scorers with 22 points for the Eskomos. Also in double figures were Bergstedt with 18 and Alyson Glumac with 10. Savanna Trapp just missed a triple double with 8 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. Also scoring for the Eskomos were Julianne Carley with 3 points and Katie Tonner with 2. The second half saw the Eskomos free throw shooting increase to 9 for 13, making a game total of 13-22.

Despite being injured and scoring only 5 second-half points, Alissa Autio led the Polar Bears with 17 points on the night. Maija Rauvola had 16 in the losing effort. As a team, they shot 16-22 from the free throw line.

Esko will be back in action on Monday at 7:30pm when they host the Cloquet Lumberjacks.

Wes Vork can be reached at wes@northlandsportsonline.com