Esko is stingy at home vs. Barnum

Strong and balanced scoring helped propel the Esko girls basketball team to an impressive 66-27 home win over the Barnum Bombers on Thursday night.

"We were able to control the tempo," said Esko coach Sue Northey.

Esko relied on speed and quickness as they rolled to the win. Clara Swanson led Esko with 18 points and was a tough matchup for the Bombers.

"Esko plays at a fast pace and that's how they've done it for a long time," said Barnum coach Mariah Minkkinen, who missed the game due to illness but watched her team at home on a computer. "Playing at a higher pace is something we want to do more of and it is good for our girls to get challenged so they have an understanding of the intensity it takes to play that style."

While Swanson led her team in scoring, Kaitlyn McConnell's speed was a disruptive force for Esko. The senior guard finished with 12 points, but also added 12 steals and, along with her teammates, caused numerous problems for Barnum. Layla Peterson was also in double digits in scoring for Esko, with 14 points.

"It was a great game for us," Northey said. "We had good balance in scoring."

Barnum had a pair of players in double-digit scoring in Sophie Frank and Janaya Jurek, who both had 10 points.

"Frank is a good athlete and is quick and can create her own shot," Minkkinen said. "Janaya always can find a way to get in the lane. She is crafty and is able to get to the free throw line for us."

Maya Johnson added 8 points for Esko, while Ava Marline and Celia Preiner each added 6 points to complete Esko's

scoring.

"We played a real difficult schedule in December against many top-10 ranked teams," Northey said. "We are excited to continue to improve and hopefully get some more wins."

Joining the scoring column for Barnum were Nora Hurst with 3 points while both Mia Hurst and Morghan Korpela both chipped in with 2 points.

The win improved Esko's record to 7-11 while the loss drops the Bombers record to 10-4.