Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos from the game. Also click the AUDIO buttons to hear comments from Hayven Sandoval-Nolde, Taylor Asgaard, and Nick Garcia.

ESCANABA---The Escanaba High School boys basketball team trailed for almost the entire night, but managed to pull out a 52-49 win over the arch-rival Gladstone Braves before a large crowd at the Escanaba High School Gym.

Hayven Sandoval-Nolde's coast-to-coast lay-up with 11.6 seconds to play after two missed Gladstone free throws gave the Eskymos their first lead, 50-49.

The Braves had two chances to win the game after that, but tuned it over both times. A third chance, after the Eskymos made two of four free throw attempts, was just a desperation heave by Mike Rexford off the glass, and the Eskymos celebrated their second win of the season.

“I decided I was going to take the shot,” Sandoval-Nolde said of the go-ahead play. “I was super-focused on that. I lost it at first, but I just put it up. I should have been boxing out, so I the rebound (on the free throw miss), but then a dude tipped it and I ran all the way over to the (other) basket.”

One of the biggest factors in the Eskymo win was the defense of Taylor Asgaard. He locked down Gladstone's leading scorer, Lonnie Davey, after Davey had scored 24 points in the early part of the game.

“The key was going over screens,”Asgaard said. “Don't go under him and let him shoot, because he's a good shooter. That's how you stop him: stop him from shooting. I had to sacrifice helping, help-side, letting people drive through the lane, but I think it was worth it to let him not shoot. I think that was a good plan by our coach there. We played hard, played tough, and shut him down.”

Eskymo senior Nick Garcia battled through foul trouble to nail a huge triple in the fourth quarter with his team trailing by seven points (47-40 with 3:15 left), in what is the final home game of his career.

“In basketball, it's always about the next play,” Garcia said. “You have a bad play, you go to the next play right away. You can't harp on your mistakes, and I was doing that a little bit tonight. But I really got over it in that fourth quarter. Honestly, I don't know how I made that three because I kind of got fouled (on the arm). I sent up a prayer, didn't call it, but the ball went in.”

Gladstone led, 15-8, after the first quarter, and a Davey triple with 5:26 left in the half stretched it to a 20-12 Braves lead. Gladstone led, 31-26, at halftime, with Davey scoring 17 of those points and Asgaard putting in eleven for the Eskymos.

Gladstone still led, 42-37, entering the fourth quarter, but Escanaba closed to within 47-46 before Gabe Sadler found big Aaron Hughes cutting to the hole, and Hughes scored to make it 49-46 with 1:46 to play. Gladstone, however, did not score again.

The two teams also played a down-to-the-wire battle last month in Gladstone, with the Eskymos also rallying to win that one, 38-36.

But these two games are not the final word for this rivalry in 2024-25. The Eskymos and Braves will face each other again on Monday night in the MHSAA Division Two district tournament in Gladstone.

“It's gonna be a battle,” Garcia said. “Every Gladstone-Esky game is a battle.”

“It's always going to be a good game,” Asgaard said. “It's hard to beat a team three times in a row. It's going to be tough, and it's going to be a close one, once again.”

Monday's game starts at 6:00 and will be broadcast live on FM-93.5, AM-600, and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.