Escanaba senior Alex Morgan (34) secures a rebound off a failed free throw attempt during a game against Norway on Dec. 9, 2024 at Escanaba High School. (“The Big Dog” Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

ESCANABA — Three days removed from a loss to Kingsford, Escanaba boys’ basketball had another crack at a Dickinson County team.

This time, it was against Norway. And once again, the Dickinson County team emerged victorious as Esky fell to the Knights 61-51 on Monday.

“Feels like we got punched in the gut,” first year Esky coach Tom Gereau said. “We knew what they were going to come out in zone (defense). We didn’t come out and execute our passes to break the zone.”

After three ties and three lead changes out of the gate the game was at a dead heat at 18 all. Then the Knights (2-1) caught fire, especially from beyond the arc.

With a pair of triples from senior A.J. Gallino, a triple from senior Bryce Adams, a pair of free throws from senior Mason Trudeau and a jumper from senior Cole Baij the Knights exploded for a 13-0 run which put them ahead 31-18 in the first half’s final moments.

“I can’t tell you how many times we were right underneath the basket and it didn’t go in,” Gereau said. “That’s part of basketball. Nothing you can do about that sometimes.”

The first half’s final moment, however, saw the Eskymos (3-3) get the spark they desperately needed. Junior Lennox Peacock brought the ball up the floor with five seconds to go. After maneuvering through multiple Norway defenders Peacock was forced to fire from 35-feet out.

The ball glided through the air. The buzzer sounded. The ball glided through the net.

It was the Eskymo’s first made shot since junior Taylor Asgaard’s layup tied the game at 18. It also cut the orange and black’s deficit to 10 points entering the break.

“That was huge,” Gereau said. “That carries momentum (into the locker room). That gets people fired up and ready to go for the second half.”

It was the momentum Esky needed in order to have a shot of mounting a comeback. And in spurts, a comeback looked apparent. A Peacock triple cemented a 7-4 spurt to pull Esky within seven and force a Norway timeout.

The Eskymos then used a jumper from senior Javon Stevenson and another 3-pointer from Peacock to pull within 38-33.

Then Baij entered the chat and made a massive impact. The senior went on a 7-2 run of his own to put Norway ahead 45-38 late in the third.

Asgaard connected inside the paint to pull within five points, but Adams came up with yet another triple, and the deficit grew to eight points entering the game’s final eight minutes.

Yet, no matter what the Eskymos did, Norway seemingly had a response. Esky got within five points twice in the final frame, but each rally was extinguished thanks to the efforts of Baij and a 3-pointer from Gallino.

In fact, Baij totaled all seven of his fourth quarter points from the free throw line, knocking down 17 of his game-best 25 points in the second half.

“He’s our go-to guy when we need a basket,” Knights coach Jeff Gallino said of Baij. “We can count on him to get (the ball across) half court and we can dump it down to him (in the paint).”

Trudeau and A.J. Gallino added 14 points each while the Knights finished 19-of-25 from the free-throw line.

“We played hard,” Jeff Gallino said. “We came out with a lot of energy. We were able to make some shots and didn’t miss many free throws.”

Peacock finished with a team-best 20 points and a game-best six made 3-pointers. Stevenson added 19 points.

Gereau did learn one thing about this particular Esky team: they have guts.

“We’re working hard and we’re learning,” Gereau said. “We made mistakes, but we’re going to learn from them. That’s all I can ask for these guys. That each day we get better and better.”

The Knights stay on the road to face Iron Mountain at 7:15 p.m. Friday.

The Eskymos hit the road to face Painesdale Jeffers at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Box score

Norway 12 21 17 13 –61

Escanaba 10 11 19 11 –51

Norway: Gallino 1 4, Adams 6, Baij 25, Pineda 2, Trudeau 14; FT: 19-25; Fouls: 7; Fouled out: none; 3-pointers: Gallino 3, Adams 2, Trudeau 1

Escanaba: Stevenson 19, Garcia 1, Jaques 2, Peacock 20, Morgan 1, Asgaard 6, Sandoval-Nolde 2; FT: 5-8; Fouls: 21; Fouled out: Garcia, Asgaard; 3-pointers: Peacock 6