Hiltunen Goes Off As Eskymos Turn Back Braves

GLADSTONE---There were almost as many three-pointers raining down inside the Gladstone High School Gym Friday night as there were snowflakes falling outside.

A huge crowd braved the snowy, slushy weather to watch The Battle of Delta County Friday night and they were treated to an intense game that featured some hot outside shooting. The Gladstone Braves built a nine-point lead in the second quarter but the Eskymos rallied for a 57-48 win, getting revenge for an earlier-season loss.

Escanaba Eskymos Celebrate!

"Our kids were very focused t0night," Escanaba Coach Tracy Hudson said. "We knew that there would be a lot of people here, I told them to just focus on one thing. We were very happy with our effort. This is a very good Gladstone team. Our kids wanted it."

"It was a game of runs and they hit the big shots when they needed to," Gladstone Coach Phil Griebel said. "Their pressure bothered us more than I thought it would. We got careless with the ball. They took us out of our rhythm with the zone. They dug in with that 2-3 zone, and we just couldn't score. It was frustrating."

Jamie Hiltunen led the way for the Eskymos, sinking six three-pointers and 23 points to lead all scorers. Three of this long bombs came in the third quarter after the two teams had battled to a 26-26 tie at the halftime break.

Jamie Hiltunen hoop and foul (22-23)

"I was just letting them go," Hiltunen said. "It was just (his teammates) 'driving and kicking' and then it was open, so I took them."

"Give the Hiltunen kid a lot of credit," Griebel said. "He drained some big ones there. They were long ones. He earned them."

Sam Molnar also made two three-pointers and scored 12 points for the Eskymos.

The first quarter was wild, as both teams hoisted up three's and played a fast-tempo offense. Hiltunen had three three's, while Gladstone's Michael Cretens hit two long shots and Jared Hunter contributed a three of his own. Gladstone led, 15-14, after one.

Escanaba's Jamie Hiltunen another three.

"It was nuts," Hiltunen said. "It was back-and-forth. It was a fun game."

Gladstone then scored the first eight points of the second quarter to take a 23-14 lead, and the big Braves crowd was howling, especially the student section. Gladstone senior Blake Ballard scored five of those points, capped off by a basket and free throw.

But the Eskymos responded by scoring ten straight points to take the lead, with Brandon Robinette getting two baskets during that run. It was 26-26 at the half.

That brought us into the third quarter, when Hiltunen hit three three's, two of them from NBA territory.

Gladstone's Jared Vuksan for two.

Escanaba led, 42-37, after three quarters, and the lead eventually grew to double figures in the fourth quarter as seven different Eskymos scored.

"He has started to get into a shooting zone," Hudson said of Hiltunen. "It started last night in Gwinn and he had 21. He's a great leader. He basically plays basketball all the time, and he's a real smart kid."

Cretens had 14 points and Ballard added twn for the Braves in a losing effort. Jared Vuksan, who scored 21 points in the last meeting between the teams, was limited to nine points this time by a tenacious defense led by Ben Kleiman.

Blake Ballard hoop and foul (26-24)

"Ben's got some great athleticism," Hudson said. "He did a nice job of getting his hands into the passing lanes. We had three keys: outrebound and outhustle, don't give Cretens threes, and try to keep Vuksan from getting the ball from five feet in."

Escanaba improved to 6-12 on the season, while Gladstone's record fell to 7-11.

"The guys are upset in the locker room right now," Griebel said. "No one likes to lose to a rival. But all we can do is bounce back. We can't give up. I know this team is capable."

It was a festive atmosphere inside the Gladstone High School, as the two schools' robotics teams raised money and there was plenty of chili on sale before the game. The Gladstone High School also honored Bill Sjoquist, the longtime GHS band director who is retiring after 29 years of service to the district at the end of this school year.

David Falish scores. (44-37)

The Eskymos have a make-up game at home against Menominee Monday night while the Braves close their regular season Tuesday night in Manistique.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box at the top of this page to see videos and listen to audio highlights from the game.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

12/6	7:15 PM	Big Bay deNoc Black Bears	73 - 61 (W)	1-0

12/11	7:15 PM	Marquette Redmen	51 - 58 (L)	1-1

12/14	7:30 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	78 - 66 (W)	2-1

12/18	7:15 PM	Mid Peninsula Wolverines	68 - 61 (W)	3-1

12/28	6:15 PM	at St. Ignace Saints	82 - 67 (W)	4-1

1/3	7:15 PM	at Mid Peninsula Wolverines	61 - 67 (L)	4-2

1/7	7:30 PM	at Westwood Patriots	66 - 56 (W)	5-2

1/11	7:15 PM	Kingsford Flivvers	34 - 64 (L)	5-3

1/15	7:15 PM	Gwinn Model Towners	60 - 55 (W)	6-3

1/18	8:00 PM	at Menominee Maroons	63 - 70 (L)	6-4

1/23	7:30 PM	at Ishpeming Hematites	62 - 76 (L)	6-5

1/26	3:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	66 - 67 (L)	6-6

2/5	7:20 PM	at Marquette Redmen	43 - 53 (L)	6-7

2/8	8:00 PM	at Kingsford Flivvers	57 - 62 (L)	6-8

2/12	7:15 PM	Negaunee Miners	46 - 79 (L)	6-9

2/15	7:15 PM	Menominee Maroons	55 - 65 (L)	6-10

2/18	7:30 PM	at Big Bay deNoc Black Bears	81 - 55 (W)	7-10

2/22	7:15 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	48 - 57 (L)	7-11

2/26	7:30 PM	at Manistique Emeralds	69 - 54 (W)	8-11

3/4	6:00 PM	at Kingsford Flivvers	56 - 53 (W)	9-11

3/6	7:00 PM	Menominee Maroons	64 - 61 (W)	10-11

3/11	8:00 PM	at Grayling Vikings	68 - 73 (L)	10-12