Escanaba senior Katey Lamb (24) drives to the basket during a game against Calumet on Feb. 7, 2025 at Escanaba High School. ("The Big Dog" Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

ESCANABA — A slow start on Parent’s Night plagued Escanaba girls basketball in a 58-40 loss to No. 5 Calumet on Friday.

“We were really aggressive,” Calumet coach Charlie Kemppainen said. “We were hunting the shots and they were dropping. Sometimes that’s contagious when one person gets a shot and gets everyone going. We caught fire in the first quarter.”

The Copper Kings (10-5) reaped the benefits of the Eskymos defensive transition struggles in the first quarter. Calumet sank four 3-pointers, was able to get looks inside, slip passes into tight holes and capitalize on six Esky turnovers.

What was a 5-4 lead ballooned to a 25-7 lead after the first quarter which later became a 31-7 lead in the second quarter.

A deficit the Eskymos (8-8) were unable to dig out of.

“It didn’t matter if we were in zone, man-to-man or press. We matched up slow,” Esky coach Tracy Hudson said. “It seemed like we’d have four (players) covered and they found the open person. They hurt us in transition.”

While the 18-point deficit proved to be too much to overcome, it didn’t mean Esky packed up and bailed on the game. It still had to play the third quarter, an eight-minute stretch in which the Eskymos have flipped the script to go from out of control to firmly in the driver’s seat on multiple occasions this season.

Hudson wanted to see the Eskymos shrink the deficit down to 10 points in the third quarter and pull within five midway through the fourth quarter.

And to an extent, Esky worked its third-quarter magic. A 45-23 third quarter deficit shrank to a 48-38 hole off a furious 15-3 run.

But the Copper Kings perimeter presence proved to be detrimental once again when sophomore Bailey Strom hit her second 3-pointer of the game to take a 13-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Esky mustered two points in the fourth quarter. Two made free throws on four attempts.

“We just couldn’t get over the hump,” Hudson said. “In the second half I felt like we had opportunities, but we were trying to (pass) to the wrong people. We got a little anxious.”

After back-to-back losses to No. 2 Gladstone and No. 1 Negaunee by a combined eight points, the Copper Kings appear to be back on track.

“Winning is always fun, but we want to play well,” Kemppainen said. “We played well tonight. The fact that we can play well and win is a bonus.”

Despite the loss, Esky did have a breakout performance. Junior Landry Bray played her best game of the season, netting 10 points and securing five rebounds.

“I thought she played one of her best games,” Hudson said of Bray. “She was the bright point tonight.”

Salo’s season over

During the previous meeting between the two teams on Jan. 24 Esky senior Emerson Salo suffered a knee injury. After evaluation Hudson confirmed that Salo’s senior season is officially over with a torn ACL.

“(Salo) was playing her best basketball the last couple of games (before the injury),” Hudson said of Salo. “She was shooting the ball and handling the ball well.”

Replacing Salo’s presence on the floor is basically impossible. Hudson raves about her floor vision and passing ability.

But someone does need to eat her minutes and join seniors Clara Braun and Katey Lamb in the backcourt rotation. The Eskymos need one more body to handle the ball without throwing the rest of the rotation into a tailspin.

Enter sophomore Brooklyn Beauchamp, who made her varsity debut on Friday after spending the season so far on the junior varsity squad.

“We need ball handling. That was our thought with bringing Brooklyn up,” Hudson explained. “She was having a (really good) season on JV. She’s a combo guard that can shoot and handle the ball. She has the right attitude. She wants to help us. She wants to fit in.”

Next games

Escanaba: Hosts No. 2 Gladstone at 7:15 p.m. Monday.

Calumet: Hosts No. 4 Houghton at 7:15 p.m. Monday.

Box score

Escanaba 7 12 19 2 — 40

Calumet 25 13 13 7 — 58

Escanaba — Engebretson 4, LaMarche 12, Braun 3, Stalboerger 2, Lamb 9, Bray 10; FT: 9-13; Fouls: 8; 3-point baskets: Braun 1

Calumet — Bjorn 6, Kiilunen 17, Anderson 6, Johnson 7, Loukos 9, Strom 13; FT: 5-10; Fouls: 8; 3-point baskets: Loukos 3, Strom 2, Johnson 2, Anderson 1, Kiilunen 1