Esko never looked back on the way to a 59-45 win over Cloquet in boys basketball Friday night. The nextdoor neighbors played in Esko with the Eskomos jumping out to the 35-26 halftime lead behind strong defense and timely shooting.

"We knew Cloquet would be physical and attack the rim on the drive," said first-year Esko coach Derek Anderson. "Our defense needed to be in the right spot. We knew they'd be aggressive going for rebounds as well."

Trevor Spindler and Camden Berger led the Eskomos with 17 points each as Esko picked up its first win of the season following two straight losses.

"Bo...