Brandywine led from start to finish in Monday’s boys basketball game against Mendon.

What the Bobcats did at the finish helped them seal a 53-47 win over the Hornets.

An 8-0 run in the fourth quarter helped Brandywine stretch its lead to 51-40 with 1:33 remaining in the game. Zach Schmidt scored six of his career-high 16 points during that critical time. The 5-foot-10 senior guard went 8-of-9 from the free-throw line and had Brandywine’s lone field goal in the fourth quarter.

“He carried us,” Brandywine coach Nathan Knapp said. “He’s a leader. He’s gotten a little bit of relief from the point guard position and that’s allowed him to branch off and do some other things. He does a lot of good things for the team.”

The addition of Niles High School transfer Hunter Slaughter midway through the season has allowed Hood to play Schmidt at the shooting guard position. Slaughter scored 10 points against the Hornets.

Brandywine, which improved to 10-5, jumped out to a 13-2 lead and led 32-22 at halftime. Vinny Peel’s short baseline jumper with two seconds left in the second quarter gave the Bobcats their 10-point halftime lead. Peel finished with 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Seven different players scored at least five points for Brandywine and six Bobcats had at least three rebounds. Brandywine finished with a 32-17 rebounding advantage.

“It’s great because we have so much depth,” Knapp said.

Brandywine made six 3-pointers in the first half with Schmidt and Slaughter each making two.

What prevented Brandywine from pulling away from Mendon was turnovers. The Bobcats had 20 turnovers on Monday.

“You can’t panic,” Knapp said. “You’ve got to be strong with the ball. You can’t dribble through traps and double teams. The players have to help each other out, instead of hiding because they’re open.”

 

BRANDYWINE 53, MENDON 47

Mendon 47

Trey Cook 5, Jordan Medich 4, Elijah Klepper 8, Parker Cupp 16, Logan Slaughter 3, Devyn Furey 0, Zach Higgins 2, Dylan Plummer 9, Logan Mathews 0. TOTALS: 20 4-6 47

Brandywine 53

Zach Schmidt 16, Andrew Boocher 5, Andrew Duckett 5, Hunter Slaughter 10, Austin Knapp 2, Vinny Peel 10, Marquise Davis 5, Cole Searles 0. 18 11-13 53

 

Mendon                      10        22      38       47

Brandywine               15       32       41       53

3-point baskets: Mendon 3 (Cupp 2, Plummer), Brandywine 6 (Schmidt 2, Slaughter 2, Duckett, Davis). Total fouls (fouled out): Mendon 14 (none), Brandywine 13 (none). Shooting: Mendon 20-of-56 for 36-percent, Brandywine 18-of-38 for 47-percent. Rebounding: Mendon 17 (Klepper 7), Brandywine 32 (Knapp 8). Turnovers: Mendon 10, Brandywine 20. Records: Mendon 9-5, Brandywine 10-5. Varsity records: Mendon 9-5, Brandywine 10-5