Marquette’s David Eberhard, right, drives past Escanaba’s Colin Hudson, second from right, as the Redmen’s Jordan DeMay, second from left, and Escanaba’s Jared Hanson look on Tuesday in Escanaba. (Escanaba Daily Press photo by Justin St. Ours)

ESCANABA — The Upper Peninsula’s No. 1-ranked Escanaba boys basketball team was tested here Tuesday night and passed with a 48-34 basketball victory over Marquette.

The Eskymos actually shared the top spot with Menominee in Divisions 1-3 of the first weekly poll released by the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Marquette, meanwhile, made the “others receiving votes” list despite entering the game with a modest 1-2 record.

MSHS, intent on setting up in a half-court offense, grabbed a 19-4 lead on a putback by senior guard Jordan DeMay less than two minutes into the second quarter of this Great Northern Conference matchup.

Escanaba responded with nine unanswered points, climbing within 19-13 on an eight-foot jump shot by senior forward Colin Hanson with 1:16 left in the first half.

Senior guard-forward David Eberhard drained a jumper from the left corner to put the Redmen up 22-13.

Esky, however, closed within 22-16 on a 21-foot jumper from the left wing by senior guard Connor Smale 12 seconds before halftime.

“It was an interesting game, a tale of two halves,” Esky coach Tracy Hudson said. “They’re tough kids. We knew they were going to play physically.

“They got that (19-4) cushion, and it was an uphill battle to get back in the game. We were in survival mode. Shot selection is very important when you’re playing from behind.”

The Eskymos hit the first three field goals in the third stanza, taking a 24-22 lead on a jumper from the left corner by senior forward Trevor Hanson.

DeMay tied the score on a pair of free throws, then gave the Redmen a 27-24 lead on a 22-foot jumper from the left wing with 2:12 remaining in the third.

Esky trimmed its deficit to 27-26 on Colin Hudson’s lay-in, set up on a pass from Smale at 1:49.

DeMay’s 22-foot jumper from the right wing then gave Marquette a 30-26 lead with 50 seconds left in the third.

Hanson sank a 20-foot jumper from the left wing to pull Esky within 30-29, and Colin Hudson sent the Eskymos ahead to stay on a pair of gifters with 3.9 seconds left.

Esky extended its lead to 37-30 on a 21-foot jumper by Smale before sophomore Jack Quinnell trimmed Marquette’s deficit to five points on a putback early in the fourth.

The Eskymos answered with a 6-0 run, gaining an insurmountable 43-32 advantage on a pair of free throws by Colin Hudson with 2:15 remaining.

“We played well against their man-to-man,” said Marquette freshman coach Jake Kiesby, who shared the mentoring duties with JV coach Joe Havican in head coach Brad Nelson’s absence. “We executed our plays. We also got some good stops and transition baskets. I think we caught them off guard. Then, they went to a zone and (we) had too many unforced turnovers.

“We had trouble with their length, and that’s when we got the unforced turnovers. It’s hard to practice for that kind of length when you don’t have it.”

Marquette, running a weave around the perimeter, displayed crisp passing while building a 12-4 cushion in the opening frame.

The Redmen turned the ball over just once in the first eight minutes but finished with 19 miscues. The Eskymos ended with nine.

Colin Hudson led the Eskymos with 21 points and five steals. Hanson added 12 points on four 3-point shots, while Smale had 10 points. Senior center Trevor Brown collected eight rebounds and two steals.

“I think we were a little lethargic early in the game, and Marquette jumped on us hard,” Coach Hudson said. “Every GNC game is equal. They’re all rivalry games. We know each other well. Marquette was ready to play, but the kids adjusted and settled down on offense in the second half.”

DeMay scored 17 points, and Eberhard had 11 for the Redmen, who hit 13 of 36 field goals. Esky was 15 of 39 from the floor.

“Jordan had a nice game,” Kiesby said. “He hit some big shots. We tried to keep it a low-scoring game, but the unforced turnovers hurt us.”

Marquette won the JV contest 67-58 and freshman game 35-26.

The Eskymos visit co-No. 1 Menominee tonight.