By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - It was bombs away in the first half for Brandywine in a Lakeland Conference basketball match up with Buchanan.
In the end it was the Bucks from Buchanan taking home their first conference win, getting past the Bobcats 54-47.
The first half saw eight trey's from the Bobcats. Bill Bussey fired in four, Adam Prescott, D.J. Elrod, and Chris Casey each tossed in one but it still wasn't enough to pull away from the Bucks.
At the end of the first half Brandywine held a slim margin of two points, 30-28. Marquis Hall tallied 11 of his game-high 19 points in the first half to keep the Bucks close in the see saw battle which had 10 lead changes in the first half.
The second half was once again a back and fourth dual with neither team able to break away for more than a five-point lead. Buchanan reeled off six unanswered points mid-way in the third quarter to take a 41-36 advantage and finished the quarter with a 43-38 lead.
Hall added seven more points to his total in the quarter.
In the fourth Brandywine pulled to within one, 43-42 with just under seven minutes to play but a six minute dry spell for the Bobcats allowed the Bucks to jump out in front 50-42.
Jeff Kyles scored eight of his 16 points in the quarter to keep the Buck offense going.
After a bucket by Casey with 49 seconds to go pulled his team to within five, 49-44, Buchanan stretched the lead from the free throw line hitting 4-of-6 to go up 53-44.
Elrod hit his second three-pointer of the night with 22 seconds to play but that would be the end of the Bobcats scoring.
Buchanan hit 14-of-24 at the charity stripe while the Bobcats only went to the line seven times and could only sink three.
Buchanan's defense pressured the Bobcats and caused several turnovers but according to McBeth his teams defense has a lot of work to do yet.
Brandywine's outside attack disappeared in the second half but according to Bobcat coach Nathan Knapp it wasn't the Bucks' defense that stopped it.
Buchanan held the edge on the boards pulling down 37, while Brandywine came down with 25. Each team had a high number of turnovers as the Bucks finished with 22 and the Bobcats 27.
Hall and Kyles and Damian Bryant each pulled in eight rebounds apiece. Caleb Frazier led the Bobcats with six boards.
Junior Varsity
Denny Williams scored 12 for the Bobcats as the junior Bobcats ran past the Bucks 53-23.
Jon Young scored eight for Buchanan.
In the freshmen game Brett Gilpin chipped in with 11 to lead Brandywine to a 50-33 victory. Josh Cecco scored a game-high 13 for the Bucks.