Houghton’s Annika Peterson (11) shoots as Escanaba’s Carney Salo (24) defends during a MHSAA Division 2 District 33 semifinal on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Houghton, Mich. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — While the Houghton girls’ basketball season came to an end on Wednesday night, it was not due to their heart and soul they displayed on the court.

The game came down to the final minutes with the Escanaba Eskymos winning the MHSSA Division 2 District 33 championship game 54-50.

It was Escanaba’s second title victory in two years.

“I was so happy and excited for these girls,” said Escanaba head coach Mike Beveridge. “They played so hard, and it has been such a joy to watch them turn into the players they are.”

Despite the tough loss, Gremlins head coach Julie Filpus shared a similar sentiment on her team’s effort.

“We really wanted this one, and you can see by their emotions here at the end. They invested a lot. They gave it their all,” she said.

As the first quarter got under way, the Gremlins shot their way out to a 9-2 lead thanks to a Paige Sleeman triple and a Maryellen Trewhella bucket off the glass. However, the Gremlins had one too many turnovers. Passes were intercepted and balls weren’t secured. Fortunately, the Eskymos weren’t able to turn those into points. The Gremlins were up 13-12 after eight minutes.

While Escanaba put on a full-court press to start the second, Houghton took it strong to the hoop taking a 22-16 lead early on in the quarter. Then the game was tied at 24 for more than three minutes before the Eskymos pulled into halftime with a 29-26 lead.

“I told the girls to relax and we will be fine,” said Beveridge.

The Gremlins took a 30- 29 lead early in the third. While the Eskymos did not find the hoop until the 4:53 mark, the Gremlins couldn’t find the hoop either. Filpus noted that that was the time to pull away and provide a better lead.

There were a lot of things we did good and other things we didn’t do so well at critical times,” she said “You wish you would have made more of your shots and some of those would have given us a better cushion.”

With just 4:33 to go in the game Houghton led 42-41, but Escanaba pulled ahead 49 -47 just minutes later thanks to some sharp shooting by senior Nicole Kamin who led the team with 15 points. They kept the lead with several key free throws and went on to win.

The Eskymos will move on to play the District 34 winner between Sault Ste. Marie and Cheboygan in regional semifinal action on Tuesday.

Filpus noted that her team has nothing to hang heads after a strange season full of ups and downs.

“It was a great season,” she said. “We did some good things and we turned things around as the year went on. With all the things these girls went through over the past year, these girls will certainly remember this season.”

EHS 12 17 8 17 — 54

HHS 13 13 12 12 — 50

Escanaba (54): Barron 11, Kamin 15, Monkevich 5, Lancour 4, Salo 6, Bink 13.

3-point FG: (4) Barron 1, Kamin 1, Monkevich 1, Bink 1. FT: 14-17. F: 12.

Houghton (50): Peterson 6, Sleeman 19, Markham 8, Wickstrom 4, Trewhella 13. 3-point FG: (5) Sleeman 3, Peterson 2. FT: 9-11. F: 15.