Negaunee’s Jordan Guenette follows through on a shot in an MHSAA Division 2 boys basketball district tournament game played against Escanaba at the Eskymos’ gym on Wednesday. (Escanaba Daily Press photo by Mitch Vosburg)

ESCANABA — After dropping its previous three games and seven of nine, the Escanaba boys’ basketball team didn’t have a lot of momentum entering its MHSAA Division 2 district semifinal clash with Negaunee on Wednesday.

And with the game tied 44-44 with 40 seconds left, the Eskymos appeared to once again be on the wrong side of fate. This time, though, failure would’ve meant the end of the season.

Then Esky senior David Romps’ layup gave the Orange and Black a 46-44 lead with 32 seconds to go.

Esky never relinquished its advantage, earning a 61-48 win over the Miners to advance to Friday’s district championship game, again at home, against Kingsford. The U.P.’s No. 3 team dropped Escanaba twice during the regular season, 70-28 on Dec. 8 in Kingsford and 72-42 on Feb. 2 in Escanaba.

Wednesday’s game had a similar motivation for Escanaba, redemption, as the Miners won their earlier meeting this season, 66-51 on Dec. 5.

“The kids really wanted it tonight. I think that was the difference,” Hanson said. “From start to finish we played defense the whole game. I can’t say we’ve done that all year.”

Despite Romps giving the Eskymos a late lead, it didn’t come without a fight from the Miners.

“We talked in November and December that if we don’t do the little things in March, you’re going home,” Negaunee coach Brad Nelson said. “That was kind of the case tonight. I’m not questioning their effort, but we had a few breakdowns. We can’t have that happen.”

Miners’ junior Baron Heslip attempted to drive to the basket with under 15 seconds to play. Esky senior Shane Wallin got his hands on the ball, not allowing Heslip to elevate his shot, resulting in a held ball after Heslip violently fell to the floor.

But the Miners had the possession arrow in their favor and kept possession with 11.7 seconds left.

Senior Gavin Saunders attempted a potential dagger to Esky’s heart with 10 seconds left but missed the mark. Romps came up with the rebound and was immediately fouled, sending him to the line to set up a long series of free throws and fouls from both teams to end the game.

“Hearing the guys in the locker room, how excited they were to win, tells me they still want to play, “ Hanson said. “That’s half the battle right there.”

While Saunders missed his shot in the waning seconds, he did everything in his power to keep the Miners’ season alive.

Esky entered the second half up 25-20. After an 11-5 run, highlighted by six points from Saunders, the Miners pulled ahead 31-30 with 1:15 left in the frame.

The Eskymos had a response. Behind four points from junior Cody Noel, a jumper from senior Ben Johnson and a layup from junior Javon Stevenson, Esky reclaimed momentum with an 8-0 run for a 38-31 lead 10 seconds into the final period.

Saunders rattled off five straight points to cut the deficit to 38-36. But Wallin responded with a 25-footer from beyond the arc for a five-point lead with 6:56 to go.

Saunders then went on a 6-1 run of his own to tie the game 42-42 with 3:22 remaining. Wallin made 2 of 3 free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt for a 44-42 lead with 2:34 to go.

After a Negaunee miss, Esky began to dribble the ball around in hopes of bleeding out as much clock as possible. With one minute to go, the ball went into the hands of sophomore Lennox Peacock under the hoop. While he was heavily defended, Peacock got a shot off, but it didn’t connect, and the Miners recovered the loose ball.

Saunders then knocked down a jumper with 45.5 seconds remaining. But Romps came up clutch with his layup, and the Miners were unsuccessful in trying to reclaim a lead.

Saunders led all scorers with 27 points, netting 17 in the fourth quarter and 23 throughout the second half. While the Miners’ season ends in the district semifinal round, Nelson still had plenty to be proud of.

“They’re high-quality people, high-quality men, and that’s what you want as a coach,” Negaunee’s coach said. “They’re good friends, they care about one another.

“Having coachable players is why you coach. If I didn’t have coachable players, I wouldn’t be coaching. Give them credit for that.”