By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
In the first matchup between the two teams since 1997, Niles completed a sweep of Brandywine Tuesday in the first round of the Vikings' inaugural Holiday Classic.
Niles varsity, junior varsity and freshmen teams all earned big victories over the Bobcats to advance to today's championship games of the tournament.
In the other semifinal matchups, Coloma completed a sweep of its own, getting past Lake Michigan Catholic at all three levels.
Niles will face Coloma, then, in all three title games. The freshmen play at noon in the main gym, followed by the junior varsity at 2 p.m. and the varsity at 8 p.m.
Brandywine will play LMC in the three consolation games. The freshmen play at noon in the auxiliary gym, followed by the junior varsity at 2 p.m. The varsity squads face off at 6 p.m. in the main gym.
In Tuesday's matchup, Niles won 67-40. The Vikings started the game with a high-pressure defense that resulted in eight turnovers from Brandywine in the first quarter, three fast break baskets and a high tempo pace.
The Vikings raced ahead to a 10-4 lead on mostly layups before going cold. Niles then missed seven shots in a row, and Brandywine crept back to within 12-8 at the end of the opening period.
A minute into the second quarter, Brandywine pulled to within 12-10, but it was the closest the Bobcats would get all night. The Vikings reeled off 10 straight points to grab a double-digit lead they would not lose.
Niles went into halftime leading 36-21. The second quarter spurt was guided by hot shooting. After the Vikings missed their first six 3-point attempts, they nailed three in a row on shots by Brandon Thomas, Lavette' Walker and Nate Parks.
In the third quarter, it was Niles defense that allowed the Vikings to further increase their lead. Niles limited Brandywine to 1-of-12 shooting in the quarter. The Bobcats only field goal, a bank shot by Adam Prescott, didn't come until less than a minute remaining in the period.
Thomas scored 10 of his game-high 13 points in the third quarter. Niles built its lead as large as 31 points before going up 55-26 heading into the fourth.
The Vikings were able to play mostly second string players in the fourth and rest the starters for tonight's game against the Comets. Brandywine outscored Niles 14-12 in the fourth period.
Niles' scoring was balanced. In addition to Thomas, Walker (11 points) and Rutkowske (10) also reached double figures for the Vikings.
Bill Bussey led Brandywine in scoring with 11 points. Prescott added seven.
With the victory, Niles equals its win total from all of last year. The Vikings are 4-1. They went 4-17 last season. Brandywine remains winless, falling to 0-5.
Niles shot 68 shots in the game, hitting 26 of them, including eight 3-pointers.
Brandywine hit 14 of its 44 shots in the game, including one 3-pointer by Prescott.
In the other varsity game, Coloma got past LMC 54-48.
Niles' junior varsity team won 62-28 over Brandywine. Coloma's JV beat LMC 61-48.
In the freshmen games, Niles won 63-10, and Coloma won 79-35.
Niles……………67
Brandywine….40
Brandywine (40) - Mike Nagy 0 0-0 0, Alex Newman 2 2-4 6, Matt Wieger 1 0-0 2, Zach Bennett 2 0-0 4, Justin Ely 1 1-2 3, D.J. Elrod 1 3-3 5, Bill Bussey 4 3-4 11, Matt Beaver 0 0-0 0, Adam Prescott 2 2-2 7. Totals: 14 11-17 40.
Niles (67) - Nathan Orr 1 2-2 4, Scott Quaye 0 0-0 0, Thomas Robson 2 0-2 4, Nate Parks 1 0-0 3, Paul Wreggelsworth 1 1-2 3, Nick Etzcorn 4 0-2 8, Peter Brandstatter 1 2-2 4, Lavette' Walker 4 0-0 10, Andy Foster 2 0-0 5, Brandon Thomas 5 1-1 13, John Gipson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 26 7-13 67.
3-pointers - Brandywine 1 (Prescott); Niles 8 (Walker 2, Thomas 2, Rutkowske 2, Parks, Foster). Rebounds - Brandywine 25 (Newman 5); Niles 45 (Etzcorn 8). Fouls (fouled out) - Brandywine 13 (none); Niles 16 (none). Turnovers - Brandywine 29, Niles 18. Records - Brandywine 0-5; Niles 4-1.