Bay College freshman D’Marco Chelley dunks the basketball during a game against Milwaukee Tech on Dec. 14, 2024 at Bay College. (“The Big Dog” Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

ESCANABA — It’s no secret Milwaukee Area Technical College has been a thorn in Bay College’s side in men’s basketball since 2017 when the program was resurrected.

The Norse hadn’t beaten the Stormers within that span.

That changed here Saturday as the short-handed Norse defeated the Stormers 95-81, enabling them to improve to 10-2 with their eighth consecutive victory on the second day of the Bay College Holiday tournament.

“This is a big momentum builder,” Norse coach Matt Johnson said. “As a program this was a much-needed win for sure. We made shots which was key at the end of the day. You’ve got to have balance to win games and we did.”

The Bay women extended their winning streak to three games in a 79-45 rout of MATC.

In the men’s contest, the Norse gained a 45-34 halftime lead on a dunk by sophomore forward Joe Ofori.

Ofori added a pair of free throws to give Bay a 49-34 cushion early in the second half.

The Norse, who had just nine available players, extended their advantage to 59-41 on a jump shot from the right corner by freshman forward Parker Fahning nearly six minutes into the second half.

MATC, however, didn’t just go away.

Freshman guard Noah Daniels’ layup on a pass from Kamarion Ivory brought the Stormers within 64-55 midway through the half.

The Stormers (4-11) were still within 67-57 before the Norse hiked their advantage to 73-59 on a three-point play by freshman point guard D’Marco Chelley with eight minutes left to play.

Bay maintained its double-digit lead through the remainder of the contest, gaining an insurmountable 93-77 advantage on a steal and layup by sophomore guard Nic Williams with 1:56 remaining.

The Norse took a 28-18 lead on a three-foot jump shot by freshman wing Zavier Hayes with 8:15 left in the first half.

Milwaukee then chopped its deficit in half, climbing within 31-26 on a fast break layup and free throw at 4:56.

The Stormers were still within 36-31 following a 22-foot jumper from the left wing by sophomore guard Antonio Foxwell less than two minutes before halftime.

Bay answered with a 9-3 run, taking its 11-point lead into the halftime locker room.

Josh Williams led the Norse with 20 points, three steals and two assists. Freshman guard Connor Coduti added 17 points in a reserve role. Sophomore guard Nic Williams collected 16 points, five assists and five steals and Ofori, who hit all six of his free throws, also had 16 points.

The Norse were outrebounded 30-23, but hit 34-of-67 field goals and committed 13 turnovers.

“This is our first win ever against them which definitely motivated us,” Josh Williams said. “Cutting down on turnovers was key. We’ve been able to focus on that in practice. Our focus was not turning the ball over. Thirteen turnovers is much better than we’ve had. The lack of turnovers and 12-of-13 (and 14-of-15) from the free throw line definitely helped us.”

Foxwell scored 33 points to go with nine boards. He also finished 7-of-7 from the line and 12-of-21 from the field for the Stormers, who converted 30-of-62 field goals. Freshman guard Noah Daniels tallied 16 points.

“Our bench was great,” Johnson said. “Connor Coduti made some big shots. He does that for us in practice everyday. He’s definitely capable of hitting those shots and he did it today.”

In the women’s game, Bay’s full-court pressure took its toll as it broke open a tight game in the second half.

MATC was within 28-24 after freshman center Mary-Kay Louissaint hit a layup and free throw late in the second quarter.

The Norse (7-5) scored the last seven points before halftime, including a three-point shot by freshman guard Anna Axtell for a 35-24 halftime cushion.

After sophomore point guard drained a pair of gifters to shave Milwaukee’s deficit to nine points, the Norse responded with 11 unanswered points.

Freshman guard Lauren Zawada’s lay-in ended that run for a 46-24 advantage.

“I felt a little better today,” she said. “I think our press is getting better and we’re feeling better about ourselves. They’re a pretty good team, although we were able to beat them in transition. Our defense is definitely helping us. They were frustrated and we kept our cool pretty well. I think we’re starting to jell. We still have a lot of work to do, but we’re getting there.”

Bay led 51-28 following a lay-in by freshman guard Mckenzie Hoffmeyer before the Stormers got within 51-35 on two free throws by Louissant with 2:01 left in the third quarter.

The Norse finished the third with a 6-0 run, gaining a 57-35 advantage on a buzzer-beating 25-foot jumper by Axtell.

Bay then outscored Milwaukee 22-10 in the fourth frame.

Freshman guard Makenna Hendrickson collected 18 points and eight steals. Axtell finished with 18 points, five steals and three assists. Zawada added 17 points, five steals, three assists and nine rebounds and sophomore guard Kennedy Sproule had 16 points, six boards and six blocked shots.

Sophomore point guard Alexis Ayers paced Milwaukee with 15 points and three steals. Freshman guard Makayla Carney had 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Norse were outrebounded by the bigger and taller Stormers 40-30. They hit 30-of-74 field goals, had 24 steals and committed 19 turnovers. MATC was 16-of-58 from the field and had 35 miscues.

Axtell collected 16 points and four steals in Friday’s 67-39 conquest of Centreville (Mich.)-based Glen Oaks Community College. Freshman guard Anisa Longs hit 14 points. Hoffmeyer tallied 11 points. Zawada recorded 10 points, three assists and two steals and Hendrickson added nine points and 10 boards.

“They had a lot of tall girls,” Hendrickson said. “I wanted to get as many rebounds as I could, but I didn’t think I had that many. I just tried to get around the defenders. We got more (scoring) opportunities in the second half. I think they had a hard time getting the ball upcourt against our pressure. I was glad to see that happen. I think winning our last game in Illinois definitely motivated us.”

Saturday’s game was an opportunity for Sproule to bounce back after scoring just three points Friday night.

“I had an off night,” she said. “We’re just really fast. We were able to outrun the other team. Lauren is really aggressive. She really helped us out on defense.”

Johnson said the Bay men were tested in both games this weekend.

“Milwaukee is definitely better than their record indicates,” he added. “Number 33 (Foxwell) is probably the best player we played against. Glen Oaks is also pretty good. They’re talented, long and athletic. It was definitely a battle. There’s going to be a lot of this. We’re going to see a lot of teams that are better than their record shows. We’re going to have to be prepared every night.”

Ofori led the Norse with 26 points, eight boards and four assists. Nic Williams added 16 points and five assists. Josh Williams tallied 13 points and freshman guards D’Marco Chelley and Tre Sanigar had 11 apiece.

Freshman point guard Will Jamison paced the Vikings (6-6) with 18 points. Freshman forward Taurus collected 13. Power forward Amauri Moore had 12 and sophomore guard Darius Roach had 11.

The Norse outrebounded the Vikings 31-26, hit 37-of-63 field goals and committed 10 turnovers. Glen Oaks turned the ball over 14 times and finished 33-of-65 from the floor.

Bay is idle until Jan. 3 when it faces Roxbury Community College at West Palm Beach, Fla.