By By TOM NYHUIS / Edwardsburg Argus
Not only was the gym hot, but so were the Buchanan Bucks Tuesday night as they defeated Edwardsburg 66-43 in Lakeland Conference basketball action on the Eddies home floor.
Buchanan blistered the nets in the first quarter, hitting 12-of-17 for a 26-12 first quarter lead. The Bucks (9-8, 5-6 LAC) were led by the hot shooting hand of Avery Brown, who scored 10 of Buchanan's first 12 points in the first four minutes of the game. Brown finished the night with four from behind the 3-point arc and 16 points. But it wasn't just Brown doing the scoring for Buchanan. Marquis Hall finished the night with a game high 18 and freshman Clinton Orr added another 13 points for the Bucks.
Buchanan continued to build the lead in the second quarter with Hall pouring in eight points in the period. As a team, the Bucks finished the first half hitting 19-of-30 from the field to take a 40-24 halftime advantage.
"When our shots are going, our defensive effort is a little more intense," Buchanan coach Reid McBeth said. "When our shots are falling it makes it easier."
The only thing the Eddies did control in the first half was the rebounds, holding a 13-10 edge. Buchanan took care of the ball, finishing the first half with just three turnovers. The Eddies had 11.
The third quarter was a different story as Edwardsburg stepped up its defensive pressure and held the Bucks to just one point through the first six and a half minutes of play. The lead was cut to seven, 41-34, on a pair of free throws from Brian Sevison in a 10-1 run by the Eddies.
"I give my kids credit for coming back in the third," Eddies coach Jeff Kozinski said of his teams effort. "Our game plan for the second half was to cut the lead to 10 within the first four minutes and we did just that. We got it down to seven, but then we took two quick shots and they capitalized and knocked down a couple of threes and they never looked back."
The Bucks turned the ball over five times in the quarter as they finished the night with 12 while the Eddies closed out the night with 17.
Buchanan finished the night shooting just over 50 percent from the field and held a 29-26 rebounding edge with Orr pulling down 11 off the boards for the Bucks.
"We had a nice group effort. Everybody went in and contributed tonight," McBeth said. "I was just proud of the overall effort. I just wish we could stay more focused a little bit more."
Buchanan quickly hit back to back three's in the final minute and a half to push the lead back to 13 heading into the final eight minutes. A 19-9 fourth quarter by the Bucks shut the lights out for the Eddies as they played their final home game of the season. Korey Moore led the Eddies with 10 points, Brent Shuttleworth chipped in with nine and Kevin Stack finished the night with 8.
For Edwardsburg, this was the final varsity game to be played on the current floor. Next season, the Eddies will debut the schools new facilities.
Buchanan will travel to Cassopolis on Thursday for a rescheduled Lakeland Conference game with the Rangers.
Junior varsity and freshmen
Edwardsburg's junior varsity team held on for a 61-57 win over the Bucks led by Taylor Ort's 17 points. Buchanan's Chris Woofter also scored 17 to pace the Bucks.
Buchanan's freshmen team came away with a big 50-11 win over the Eddies. Phillip Parm and Daniel Blackwell each scored 12 for the Bucks. James Bryant finished with four points to lead the Eddies.
BUCHANAN 66
Marquis Hall 8 2-3 18, Brad Burns 2 0-1 4, Avery Brown 6 0-0 16, Derek Anglero 2 2-2 6, Clinton Orr 5 2-2 13, Jon Young 1 0-0 3, Buddy Williams 3 0-0 6, Evan Cauffman 0 0-0 0. Totals: 27 6-8 66
EDWARDSBURG 43
Kevin Stack 2 4-5 8, Nate Harness 2 0-0 4, Brent Shuttleworth 4 1-2 9, Korey Moore 4 0-0 10, Brian Sevison 0 2-2 2, Lance Koehn 0 0-0 0, Adam Young 0 4-4 4, John Rosol 1 0-0 2, Matt Boesler 0 0-0 0, Mike Rangel 1 0-0 3, Nick Fedore 0 1-2 1. Totals: 14 12-15 43
Buchanan 26 40 47 66
Edwardsburg 12 24 34 43
3-point baskets: Brown (B) 4, Orr (B), Young (B), Moore (E) 2, Rangel (E). Total fouls: Buchanan 16, Edwardsburg 13. Fouled out: None. Records: Buchanan 9-8, 5-6 LAC; Edwardsburg 4-13, 1-10 LAC. JV score: Edwardsburg 61, Buchanan 57.