Esko jumps on Cloquet early for a win

A quick start for the Esko boys basketball team was the perfect recipe for an 86-69 win over the Cloquet Lumberjacks last Friday night in Esko.

"We were ready to go from the start," said Esko coach Derek Anderson. "We talk to the guys about the fact that the outside perception of our team is that we will be down this year, but our expectations are the same as they've always been, and that's to win a section championship and get to State."

Esko scored quickly and often on their way to grabbing a 51-31 lead in the first half, and that proved to be too much for the Lumberjacks to overcome.

"They came out aggressive, and just took it to us to start the game," said Cloquet coach Steve Battaglia. "We took way too long to respond."

A big key to the game was Esko's ability to use their quickness, as they out-rebounded the 'Jacks by a 21-10 margin on the offensive boards.

"Early on we had three good defensive rotations and then Sam Haugen had a big dunk, and that got the crowd going and our guys fed off that," Anderson said.

Esko was also able to use their speed on the defensive end to slow the 'Jacks, especially in the first half.

"Man to man defensively, they have a bunch of athletes who can all run and shoot," Battaglia said. "We just didn't match up with them. They start five kids that can all play on the perimeter, and we're a little more traditional with a couple of interior players. We had trouble staying in front of them."

Anderson agreed with Battaglia's sentiments regarding the Esko starting five.

"It is a good group that shares the ball and they like to create for their teammates," Anderson said. "We have five guys who can shoot, attack and dribble, and on defense they are pretty much interchangeable, so that can make it tough on the other team."

To Cloquet's credit, they bounced back to play a better second half and slightly outscored Esko 38-35.

"We just had to collect ourselves and match their intensity," Battaglia said. "It was a lesson we'd rather not have to learn, but we needed that."

Esko had four players in double-digit scoring, with Graham Hartlieb scoring 22 points, Jackson Peterson tossed in 18 points, it was Jacion Owens adding 15, and Sam Haugen finished with 15 points. Rounding out the scoring for Esko were Braydon McKibbon, who had eight points, Braxdyn Male, who had six, and Jack Bergstedt, who finished with four points.

Jack Battaglia of Cloquet led all scorers with 30 points.

"It feels like he's been there for 12 years," Anderson said of the Lumberjacks star. "They did a better job in the second half of executing the game plan, and they were able to take advantage of us when we gambled on defense and they got the ball to Jack."

Max Sundquist added 16 points. He and Battaglia were the only two Lumberjacks in double-digit scoring. Also scoring for Cloquet were James Wilmot with eight points, Jacob Nelson added six, Noah Hansen chipped in with five, and Evan Rothamel had four points.

The Lumberjacks are still trying to adjust after the loss of star player Shazae Henagin, who was injured during football season and will not be able to return to the court.

"We can be pretty good, but we're not good enough to show up and win," Battaglia said. "It was an unfortunate reminder of what we have with Shazae out for the season, which would have added another 20-point scorer to the mix and that can allow you to overcome some weaknesses in other areas, and we don't have that luxury anymore."

Esko's record is 3-0 after Tuesday night's win at Grand Rapids. Cloquet went to 3-1 after a win on the road at Moose Lake/Willow River Tuesday.