|
Eskymos Outlast Braves In Girls Hoop Battle, 57-51
 GLADSTONE---It's been a long time coming for some of the Escanaba Eskymos. After losing over and over again in the Battle of Delta County to the Gladstone Braves, the Eskymos rallied to post a 57-51 win Friday night at the Gladstone High School Gym. In a tightly-contested game, no team had a lead bigger than nine points. Gladstone led for most of the game, but the Eskymos caught up at the end of the third quarter, then outscored the Braves, 16-10, in the final quarter to post the victory.  Brandt scored the first basket of the game for Escanaba, but she was frustrated at times because the Braves double and triple-teamed her. There were times that her teammates tried to lob the ball into her on the post, but it didn't work very often. "They had a great strategy of guarding me and Maddy Willis down low," Brandt said. "They double teamed me. Kaitlyn Hardwick and Taylor Hunter worked so hard to get me, no other teams I've played have worked that hard to get me. So, they had a great strategy and it screwed us up for a while, but we learned how to work around it." Gladstone senior Alyssa Polley kept her team in the lead for most of the first half, as she drained four three point baskets, including one at the halftime buzzer. The Braves carried a 27-22 lead into the locker room, with Polley getting 13 of those 27 points.  The game was tied 41-41 after three quarters, setting up a wild final eight minutes to determine the rivalry winner. And in that final quarter, it was Escanaba that went on a 13-2 run, putting the game away with a 54-43 lead. Taylor Gauthier had two big baskets for the Eskymos during that spurt, and the Braves missed a couple of layups and three foul shots. Still, Gladstone Coach Eric Lundin was happy with his team's effort, playing without senior Tasi Martinez, who was out of the line-up due to a concussion suffered Dec. 27 against Houghton. The doctor wouldn't even let Martinez come to the gym to watch the game. "There's a lot of tears being shed in there (locker room)," Lundin said. "They worked their butts off, and that included the players who were on the floor for all game, in some cases, and the girls who were on the bench and being good teammates. I'm really proud of the effort. I told them to hold their heads high. They played hard." Brandt had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Eskymos, who improve to 6-2 on the season. Willis added 13, while Theut and Lexi Chaillier each scored nine points. Polley led the Braves with 16 points. Leigha Woelffer added 13 and Taylor Hunter chipped in ten points. Gladstone's record fell to 3-6 on the season. Escanaba also won Friday night's junior varsity contest, 48-30. Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos taken by Nate Bellville, and to listen to post-game interviews with Escanaba's Brandt and Chaillier... and Gladstone Coach Eric Lundin.  |
