Esko downs Bombers on the hardwood

After three days off school due to cold weather, two of the top high school boys basketball programs in the area hit the hardwood in Esko as the Eskomos hosted the Barnum Bombers. The Eskomos got big nights from Payton Wefel and Trevor Spindler and rode their 3-point shooting to a 71-51 home victory.

Spindler finished with a game high 29 points while Wefel was nearly as hot with 26 points for the Eskomos. The pair knocked down 13 three-pointers in the game.

"They both played incredibly and got into a rhythm," said Esko coach Derek Anderson. "They both shoot a lot of threes and can get hot at any moment in the game. We were able to attack off the dribble and deliver great passes to them in rhythm."

Barnum trailed 32-21 at halftime and was unable to claw back into the game in the second half as the Eskomos outscored the Bombers by nine points in the second stanza.

"They shot the ball well," said Barnum coach Richard Newman. "We knew we had to chase them off the three-point line and did OK in the first half, but then they broke the game open."

Tyler Nynas and Blaze Hurst led the Bombers with 14 and 12 points respectively.

"We knew going into the game that they are two good basketball players for Barnum," Anderson said. "Blaze was able to get in position on the block more than we were happy with and he's a tough kid to battle with in the low post. We tried to make everything more difficult for Tyler and tried to force him into contested jump shots."

John Stodola also was in double-digit scoring for the Eskomos with 10 points, while James Legarde, Dylan Vinge and Peyton Koskela each had two points in the win.

Despite leading by 11 points at halftime, Anderson thought the beginning of the game could have been better.

"We got off to a slow start in the first few minutes and we were a bit sluggish," explained Anderson. "We also rushed some shots early on and had too many turnovers. Once we settled down and were patient on offense, things started to turn around. I think our defensive pressure really got us going on the offensive end."

Anderson's assessment of Esko's defensive pressure turning into quality offensive opportunities was verified by Newman.

"The Esko press hurt us a little and they got some easy buckets and with our troubles scoring that is not a good thing," Newman said. "I was proud of our effort and our kids played tough to the end."

Sam Goodwin chipped in with eight points for Barnum and Ryan Weller added six points. Braiden Davis scored five while Jacob Nynas and Jordan Haley each had three points in the loss.