BASKETBALL: Eskomos can't keep pace with hot-shooting Litchfield

By Jon Nowacki

March 22, 2013 at 9:06 PM

MINNEAPOLIS - The National Federation of High School Athletic Associations adopted the 3-point line for basketball in 1987, making outside shooters even more dangerous while helping inside players by stretching defenses.

Teams like Esko and Litchfield have adapted their style of play accordingly, make the 3 an integral part of their games.

Esko got soundly beat at its own game tonight at the Minnesota Class AA state semifinals at Target Center, falling 72-47 to Litchfield after the Dragons shot 60 percent from field, including 64 percent from 3-point range.

Litchfield made 14 of 22 from beyond the arc with Zach Whitchurch making six of those while finishing with a game-high 22 points to lead the Dragons (26-5), who play top-seeded Minnehaha Academy (24-6) for the championship at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Target Center.

Esko (27-5) plays Annandale (21-10) for third place at noon Saturday at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia-St. Paul campus.

By Jon Nowacki

Jon Nowacki joined the News Tribune in August 1998 as a sports reporter. He grew up in Stephen, Minnesota, in the northwest corner of the state, where he was actively involved in school and sports and was a proud member of the Tigers’ 1992 state championship nine-man football team.

After graduating in 1993, Nowacki majored in print journalism at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, serving as editor of the college paper, “The Aquin,” and graduating with honors in December 1997. He worked with the Associated Press during the “tobacco trial” of 1998, leading to the industry’s historic $206 billion settlement, before moving to Duluth.

Nowacki started as a prep reporter for the News Tribune before moving onto the college ranks, with an emphasis on Minnesota Duluth football, including coverage of the Bulldogs’ NCAA Division II championships in 2008 and 2010.

Nowacki continues to focus on college sports while filling in as a backup on preps, especially at tournament time. He covers the Duluth Huskies baseball team and auto racing in the summer. When time allows, he also writes an offbeat and lighthearted food column entitled “The Taco Stand,” a reference to the “Taco Jon” nickname given to him by his older brother when he was a teenager that stuck with him through college. He has a teenage daughter, Emma.

Nowacki can be reached at jnowacki@duluthnews.com or (218) 380-7027. Follow him on Twitter @TacoJon1.