Shorthanded Eskymos Grind Out Win Over Alpena
![]() Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and to hgear post-game comments from Taylor Asgaard and Hayven Sandoval-Nolde.
That's how Escanaba Eskymos junior Taylor Asgaard put it after he and his teammates rallied from an early deficit to beat the Alpena Wildcats, 57-49, in the season-opener Monday night at the Escanaba High School Gym. Asgaard scored 18 points, including three big baskets in the final minutes, as the Eskymos won without injured big men Cody Noel and Javon Stevenson.
![]() “In the first quarter, it wasn't looking good, because that guy (Connor Cameron) was hitting three's a lot,” Asgaard said. “But once we started slowing him down, everything started coming our way. They started panicking, and we calmed down. We passed it through and we got easy buckets. Not too much. Just playing basketball”
Indeed, Cameron helped the Wildcats take a 17-9 lead after one quarter with three triples. He would end up making six of them, including one at the third quarter buzzer, which brought Alpena to within five points. He led the Wildcats with 18 points.
And Alpena had two big guys who were match-up problems without Noel and Stevenson. Eddie Pure, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, had a double-double of 13 points and ten rebounds, and 6-foot-6 senior Oliver Duthler, added eight points and seven rebounds.
But the undersized Eskymos stayed the course. Junior point guard Nick Garcia shook off some early mistakes to have a big second half passing the ball, setting up several baskets inside the paint, and he scored seven points himself. ![]() And sophomore Hayven Sandoval-Nolde made the biggest impact, breaking out with 15 points, including a big sequence in the third quarter, where he made a triple, stole the inbound pass, scored again, and got fouled. That gave Escanaba a quick six-point lead.
“That was nice,” Sandoval-Nolde said. “I mean, it was the first game of the year, and without our two big men, they're a pretty big team. The game plan was just to be patient with the ball., play the gaps, and just get a bunch of deflections, which I think we did well in the second half.”
Lenny Peacock added 14 points for the Eskymos, as he sealed the win at the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
Escanaba won't have any time to rest, as the Eskymos play again Tuesday night, on the road, in Sault Ste. Marie.
“Personally, I am feeling dog tired,” Asgaard admitted. “But that's the price you have to pay to sacrifice for your team. Attitude and effort. You've got to give it all. I'm gonna have to get a big meal tonight, full of carbs. And a lot of sleep.” ![]() |