But the UPSSA Division 1-3 fourth-ranked Flivvers were heavily favored over the Gremlins and so an early separation was hoped for, maybe even expected. Not to fret, that separation arrived early in the second quarter when Kingsford went on a huge run to take a 30-point lead at halftime en route to a 79-29 rout of Houghton.

With the win, the Flivvers (15-6) advance to face Escanaba (17-4) in the district final game on Wednesday at Escanaba. The Eskymos routed visiting Negaunee 57-31 in their semifinal Monday.

The Flivvers just wore out the Gremlins (9-10) defensively.

“We started the game in a press and it grew as the game went along, what our rotations should be, where we needed to be,” Kingsford varsity boys basketball coach Dan Olkkonen said. “We blitzed them in the second quarter and got a lot of turnovers.

Kingsford junior guard Isaac Nash (4) splits two Houghton defenders as he drives down the lane during Monday’s district game at Kingsford. Nash scored a bucket down the stretch as the Flivvers advanced to the Division 2 District 33 title against Escanaba with a 79-29 blowout of the Gremlins. (Terry Raiche photo)

“If you let them get into their halfcourt offense, they dribble-drive and kick out to shooters who are 6-8 feet beyond the 3-point line. So we got them out of their dribble-drive look and I thought that was effective.”

So was the Flivver offense. Leading 20-12, Kingsford senior Michael Meneguzzo buried two consecutive 3-pointers and junior Nic Nora hit another to lift the Flivvers to a 31-14 edge with 4:50 left before the break.

Kingsford kept its roll going with a 16-3 surge to go up 47-17 at intermission.

“We had four 3s in that quarter and I think every layup we got was off a pass,” Olkkonen said. “There was a lot of good in the way we played.”

The Flivvers then outscored the Gremlins 20-7 in the third period and the game was played with a running block during the final portion.

Kingsford’s Michael Meneguzzo (2) and Cole Myllyla (1) look to trap a Houghton ballhandler during Monday’s district opener at Kingsford. The Flivvers used a full-court press to pester the Gremlins into numerous turnovers in the second quarter when Kingsford outscored Houghton 28-5 on its way to a 79-29 win. (Dennis Mansfield/Daily News photo)

Nora led Kingsford with 26 points, while Meneguzzo poured in 19 and Brody Kopp had 10.

The Flivvers now get their third shot at defeating second-ranked Escanaba. The Eskymos edged the Flivvers 53-50 at Kingsford in the season’s second game and then 62-55 at Esky on Feb. 4. Both games were played down to the last minute and Olkkonen expects another game similar.

“It’s a good matchup, teams with different styles of play,” he said. “They have long athletic players and a couple of guys who can shoot the 3 and they are pretty well disciplined.”

“It’s going to come down to who (plays well) down the stretch and who can knock down some shots.”

Jerry DeRoche can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 244, or at jderoche@ironmountaindailynews.com.