In playoff upset, Aitkin beats No. 1 seed Esko

On Jan. 28, the Esko and Aitkin girls basketball teams met in Esko. The Eskomos mauled the Gobblers by 29 points that night, so when the two teams met up at UMD in the Section 7AA tournament Saturday, very few spectators gave Aitkin much of a chance of winning. Then the Gobblers rolled out to an 11-point halftime lead and hung on during a wild second half to down the higher-seeded Eskomos 59-52.

The Eskomos came in as the No. 1 seed in the subsection and Aitkin entered Saturday's game at No. 4. Esko's record was 21-6 entering the contest, while the Gobblers were 17-10. Most expected an Eskomo win and a berth in the next round of the playoffs.

However, the Gobblers had other ideas.

"The first time we played them, they got into early foul trouble and we went 15-for-22 from the free throw line," said Esko coach Scott Antonutti. "We also started the game with a lead and made eight three-pointers. On Saturday we went 1-for-17 from beyond the three-point arc. They did a nice job of defending our primary scorers. We had some open shots that just didn't fall and they shot the ball well. We also got into early foul trouble."

In other words the strengths that favored the Eskomos in the first game did a complete 180-degree turn in favor of the Gobblers on Saturday.

"I was disappointed, but the girls and I had conversations about not overlooking anyone and it is easy to compare their scores with some of our common opponents," Antonutti said. "I've said all along that any of the top seven teams could come out of our section and I wouldn't be surprised. One night of bad shooting, not taking care of the ball, or a team getting hot and having a lot of confidence will be the difference between losing and advancing. Unfortunately we didn't play well, and they had a great game."

McKenna MacDonald led the Gobblers with 15 points and Ramsey Moe chipped in with 12 to also score in double digits.

Esko was led by 18 points from Kristy DeMuth and 11 from Bridget Yellin. Kaitlyn Bergerson scored eight points; Macy Sunnarborg shot for seven. Annika Wold added five points; Syd Hanson finished with two points, and Jayden Karppinen added a point.

"Every year the last loss of the season hurts and it doesn't matter what stage of the playoffs you are in," Antonutti said. "It's nice to end the season at the state tournament, but losing down there doesn't feel good either."

The Eskomos will graduate five players, including Annika Wold, Sydney Hanson, Macy Sunnarborg, Kaitlyn Bergerson and Bridget Yellin.

"They have been a great group and will be missed. It's always hard to say goodbye," said Antonutti. "They were different than the previous big group I had from the class of 2017. That group was guard-heavy and had lots of speed. This group had more size and strength. It really forces you to play at a different pace and style. We will be much smaller next year and will have to speed up the game again with small and quicker players."

The Eskomos wrap up their season with a 21-7 record.