Eskomos are two steps closer to State

The defending Section 7AA boys basketball champion Esko is back in the championship game this year after a pair of wins over Pierz and Virginia this week.

On Monday the Eskomos downed Pierz by 23 points. On Tuesday the team trounced Virginia to gain entry into the championship game scheduled for Thursday at the University of Minnesota Duluth, against Pequot Lakes, which downed Greenway 71-56 in the other semifinal game Tuesday. The winner will enter the state tournament next week.

In Monday’s 83-60 win over Pierz — a game postponed from Saturday because of weather forecasts — the Eskomos got a big night from Trevor Spindler, who knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 37 points while Cam Berger added 15 points.

“Trevor was definitely in the zone against Pierz,” said Esko coach Derek Anderson. “He stayed aggressive and got to the free throw line a lot. When they backed off he was able to hit the open three. It was a very impressive night for him.”

Esko rolled out to a 38-26 halftime lead as the Pioneers struggled to handle the depth of the Eskomos, who had eight players get on the score sheet. Joining Spindler and Berger were Jon Stodola with 12 points, James Legarde with six points, Payton Wefel and Corey Kauma with four points each, Hubie Gonsorowski with three and Riley Fischer with two.

The Pioneers were led by Peter Schummer’s 17 points and 13 from Jonah Prokott.

The next night, the Eskomos again won by 23 points over Virginia with Berger and Spindler staying hot with 23 and 21 points.

“Trevor and Cam are both so versatile that they are hard to stop,” Anderson said. “They can shoot the three-pointer, they can post up, and they can attack on the dribble. They are tough to guard.”

Leading 34-22 at halftime, Esko handled the Blue Devils with ease.

“The kids came out focused in the second half,” Anderson said. “We limited our turnovers and cleaned up the defense by getting into the right spots which slowly increased our lead.”

Many of Esko’s second-half points came in the transition game in the form of layups after defensive pressure.

“When we are shooting the three well, it is fun to watch,” Anderson said. “It opens everything up. The players did a nice job against Virginia of running their lanes and finding the open guy in transition.”

Additional Esko scorers Tuesday included Wefel with seven points and Fischer, Kauma and Legarde with four points each. Eli Blue, Stodola and Peyton Koskela all scored two points. In total, nine players were on the score sheet for the Eskomos.

“We have a lot of guys that can play at a high level,” Anderson said. “We had some injuries this year that forced some other guys to step up. It is paying off now with increased depth.”

Check out the Pine Knot News Facebook page for the results of the championship game, or see the full story in next week’s Pine Knot News.