FINALLY AT HOME: Esky Outlasts Norway, 69-65

Click the thumbnails to see photos and video highlights, and to hear post-game comments from Jackson Cousineau, Javon Stevenson, Coach Scott Hanson, and Norway Coach Jeff Gallino.

ESCANABA---The Escanaba High School boys basketball team played its first home game of the season on Monday, and the Eskymos went down to the wire with the Norway Knights, pulling out a 69-65 win in an entertaining contest at the Escanaba High School Gym.

It was a game that saw neither team lead by more than six points, and the lead changed hands multiple times. Down the stretch, though, the Eskymos made more plays than the Knights did, with Jackson Cousineau and Javon Stevenson coming off the bench to provide big sparks.

"I just go out there and do what they ask me to do," Stevenson said after getting 14 points and grabbing ten rebunds in the win. "I think it was more of a team effort. We pulled together at the end, all of our tean coming together, making free throws at the end, playing defense. That was a big part of the game. Just staying together."

Stevenson filled in for center Cody Noel, who struggled with foul trouble all night long.

"Javon played a heck of a lot bigger than what he is," Eskymo Coach Scott Hanson said. "To have an option like that, I was really proud of how hard he played. Cody will get back on track. I'm not worried about that."

Cousineau had five straight points on back-to-back possessions late in the third quarter after Norway had taken the lead behind the play of Cole Baij and Alex Ortman from the perimeter. Cousineau's five points helped Escanaba take a 47-44 lead after three quarters.

"I saw Shane (Wallin) coming off the fast break, and I just sat in the corner, and if his guy stepped out, I knew he was gonna kick it out, and I had to step up and make the shot," Cousineau said about his clutch triple. "I sure as hell try to bring the energy every time and I don't mind coming off the bench at all."

"Jackson wasn't feeling well the last two days," Hanson said. "Yesterday at practice, he was a little bit under the weather, and I didn't know if I'd have him at all today. But then Bryson (Lancour) got into a car accident today, and I was gonna come in with Bryson in that situation, so early in the game I kind of watcehed Jackson's minutes. I can't believe he played the game he did today under the weather, so good job for him."

Norway, a small Division Four school, was not intimidated by playing the larger, D-2, Eskymos on their home floor. The Knights went toe-to-toe with the Eskymos all night long, putting together mini-spurts to regain the lead after Escanaba took a small lead on several occassions.

Cole Baij, Alex Ortman, Bryce Admas, and Mason Trudeau all made triples at key monents throughout the game, and they did an exceptional job rebounding. The Knights dominated the offensive glass, with Ortman leading the way on several possessions to help Norway get second-chance opportunities in the paint.

"We've been working on crashing the offensive boards, and I thought we did a good job of that today," Norway Coach Jeff Gallino said. "We told them in the locker room (after the game) that I thought their effort was fantastic. We just made too many mental errors during the course of the game.But we hung in there with our effort, and it was nice to see."

Baij led the Knights with 19 points, and Ortman added a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds. Ian Popp contributed ten points and Mason Trudeau chipped in nine. Gallino says his guys were not afraid to play against a much larger school.

"That's something that we stress," Gallino said. "No matter where we play, we're going to work as hard as we can, and I thought we did a nice job of it tonight."

"That's a darmn good Norway team," Hanson said. "I'm glad that Jeff wanted to come over and play. We have a home-and-home with them this year. I hope they got something out of that game, too, because that's a team that's going to make a long run in the playoffs."

For the Eskymos, it was great to finally play a home game, after going 2-2 in four road games to start the season. Shane Wallin led the Eskymos with a game-high 20 points, followed by Stevenson's 14 points, Cousineau's clutch seven off the bench, and Ben Johnson's five points.

Escanaba (3-2) is off until December 21, when the Eskymos host Bark River-Harris. Norway (3-1) will be at home this Friday night against the top-ranked Iron Mountain Mountaineers.