By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Ice cold second half shooting allowed red-hot visiting Berrien Springs to a 67-42 Lakeland Conference victory Tuesday night over Brandywine.
The Shamrocks (12-7 overall, 7-6 Lakeland Conference) picked up their fourth straight victory at the expense of a Brandywine squad that dipped to 1-18 overall and 0-13 in the Lakeland Conference.
Brandywine shot just 30 percent on the night while Berrien Springs connected on nearly 50 percent of its field goal attempts.
The Bobcats played well in the first half, especially in the second quarter, but could not maintain their momentum in the final 16 minutes.
Despite a quick start by the Shamrocks in the opening quarter, Brandywine was able to stay within striking distance.
Trey Lockett, Berrien Springs' only starting senior, hit a three-pointer to open the game and then completed the three point play two minutes later to give the Shamrocks an 11-2 lead.
Brandywine came storming back and cut the lead to 13-10 with 3:05 to play in the first period on a basket by Zach Bennett.
Berrien Springs upped its advantage to 18-10 before the Bobcats cut it to a six-point deficit with 39 seconds remaining on a basket by Alex Newman.
Trailing 20-12 to open the second quarter, Matt Beaver cut the lead to 20-14 with a quick basket, however, the Shamrocks quickly turned that six-point advantage into a 28-16 lead on a basket by freshman Matt Demler.
The lead slowly increased for the Shamrocks and was as much as 36-19 before Brandywine came charging back once again.
Baskets by Beaver and Newman sliced the Shamrocks' advantage down to 10 points by the intermission.
Newman's bucket with 45 seconds left in the opening half made it a 36-26 contest heading into the lockerroom.
It was all Berrien Springs in the second half as the lead grew from 10 points at the break to 51-33 following a basket by Shelby Wood with 2:28 to play in the third quarter.
Brandywine made another charge at the end of the quarter to cut the lead to 56-47 heading into the final stanza.
Berrien Springs quickly upped its advantage to 20 points (61-41) and maintained that cushion for much of the quarter.
The Bobcats tried different combinations of players to kick-start their offense but it was to no avail.
The Shamrocks connected on 27 field goals compared to just 17 for the Bobcats. Berrien Springs was 11-of-20 from the free throw line compared to 8-of-14 for Brandywine.
Berrien Springs held a 40-30 advantage in rebounds, many of which came at the offensive end.
Newman led the Bobcats with 14 points, while Beaver finished with eight points. Bennett added six points.
Berrien Springs got a game-high 18 points from Lockett, while Wood and Dowin Coffey each had 10 points.
Brandywine travels to league-leading Bridgman to wrap up the regular season Friday night. Tip-off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.
The Brandywine freshmen basketball team erased the memory of a 22-point loss to Berrien Springs earlier in the year with a 52-46 win Tuesday night.
Doug Rockett scored 12 points, while Chris Rose, Noah Udell and Josh Benjamin all scored eight points.
The junior varsity Bobcats were not as fortunate, losing 66-43 to Berrien Springs.
Eric Rush led Brandywine with eight points. Kevin Curran and Cody Smith both scored six points.