Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

KALAMAZOO — The Niles Brandywine girls basketball team overcame poor first-half shooting and rode its stingy defense to a 43-25 Division 3 state quarterfinals win Tuesday over Grand Rapids Calvin Christian at Kalamazoo Loy-Norrix.

Awaiting No. 1-ranked Brandywine (27-0) in Thursday’s 2 p.m. state semifinals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center is a rematch against defending state champion Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (15-12). 

Calumet (22-5) battles Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (21-6) in Thursday’s other semifinal at noon. Semifinal winners clash in Saturday’s 4 p.m. finals.

Brandywine returns to the Final Four a second straight year after losing in the 2024 championship game to Arbor Prep 33-30 after topping Lake City 52-39 in the semifinals.

“The pinnacle of Michigan High School basketball is to get to the Breslin, its the dream of every kid. For our girls to get there a second time has been a process. Last year we were excited to get there, but we also took care of business and were within three points of winning it all. I know this team and they are very poised right now and excited. We should be and they should celebrate this, but we also know what these next 48 hours look like as we get ready for a knock down drag out game with Arbor Prep,” said Niles Brandywine’s head coach Josh Hood. “We know its going to be a defensive battle. I’m proud to be the coach of this group of players who are so unselfish and care more about their team. Our team motto is ‘We greater than Me’ and its a great day to be a Brandywine Bobcat.”

In Tuesday’s other state quarterfinal games, Arbor Prep edged Jackson Lumen Christi 31-28, Calumet beat Sanford Meridian 48-33 and Lutheran Northwest defeated Sandusky 35-19.

“When you can shift the focus of a young group of kids to worry more about playing defense than the offensive end, that just says alot about these girls. To be able to hold a team like Calvin Christian to 25 points is championship caliber basketball. I’m very proud of our kids for taking our opponent out of what they wanted to do tonight,” Hood said.

Senior Adeline Gill paced Brandywine in scoring with 11 points. 

“I think we’re all really excited, especially because we get to play the team again that beat us last year. Our defense is the most important part of our success. We’re pretty unique in what we do and as long as we continue to do that we’ll be fine,” Adeline Gill said. 

Karleigh Byrd added nine points for the Lady Bobcats, Lily Gill six, Mackenna Price five and Miley Young had four points.

Brandywine inished the game shooting 16-of-58 (28 percent) from the floor and 8-of-12 (67 percent) at the free-throw line. 

“We do what we always do by going out there and playing fast. Coach stressed to us at halftime about remaining confident in our shots and keeping our teammates up. It takes all five of us out on the court to come up with the win. Anyone on this team can score and lift us up. We know we can play with any team we face now,” Byrd said.

Brandywine used its aggressive nature to outrebound a bigger Calvin Christian 26-23. 

Lily Gill pulled down six rebounds for Brandywine, while Young had five and Byrd added four.

Price also added four steals and Byrd three, while Young handed out five assists.

Addyson Rhodes led Calvin Christian (21-6) in scoring with eight points and Avery Wolcott and Leila Nelson added five each for the Lady Squires, who shot 9-of-42 (21.4 percent) and 4-for-8 (50 percent) at the foul stripe. 

“Brandywine is a very good basketball team. They are a very physical group and their pressure took us out of our groove. It took us the entire first half to adjust to that. We struggled to get into our spaces and that’s a credit to them and Coach Hood. He does a fantastic job with that program and I’m excited to see how far they can go. Our girls played really hard,” said Calvin Christian head coach Ben deWaal Malefyt.

After holding an 11-point (20-9) halftime lead, Brandywine used a pair of six-point runs at the beginning and end of the third quarter to build themselves a comfortable 33-17 lead entering the final eight minutes. 

Keying those two Bobcat mini surges were Adelyn Drotoz with a triple, Adeline Gill with a deuce inside and free throw and buckets inside by Lily Gill and Niyah Mason.

“For our style we don’t always look that great offensively. Sometimes we go through some really bad lulls where we don’t shoot the ball particulary well and miss some layups and free throws. But I thought we did a great job in the third of getting the ball out and running. When you can throw thoroughbreds like Miley, Adeline, Lily, Mackenna, Adelyn and Karleigh and others out there, we are always looking for those six or eight-point spurts. When you are only giving up 24 points a game its hard for opposing teams to be able to overcome those kinds of runs. Our message at halftime was that we were one spurt away from getting back to Michigan State. Thanks to our lock-down defense we get that chance,” Hood said. 

Brandywine outscored Calvin Christian 10-8 in the fourth quarter as they patiently worked the ball around the perimeter looking for better shots and controlling the clock. The Lady Bobcats ended the night by scoring eight of its final 10 points off layups. 

Brandywine didn’t start the game as strong as the Lady Bobcats finished it offensively, shooting just 7-of-32 from the floor in the first half.

Two Adeline Gill free throws, a 5-foot jumper by her younger sister Lily Gill, Byrd’s baseline layup and Ireland Prekert’s jumper put Brandywine up 8-2 at the end of one quarter.

Three pointers by Price, a sophomore, and Byrd and a pair of Adeline Gill layups sent the Lady Bobcats into halftime with a double-digit, 20-9 advantage.  

In looking ahead to Thursday’s rematch with Arbor Prep, Hood stated his ballclub has plenty of motivation to face the Gators once again on the big stage.

“There’s not alot of motivation needed. We talked about it after last year’s loss. We played phenomenal defense against a really good team. Arbor Prep lost a ton of talent and got a new crop of it in. They are always going to be a force in our division with what they are able to do. We are here now though and have 11 of our 13 girls back in that locker room and we know we can play with them. We won’t be intimidated by the name on that jersey, the Arbor Prep Gators,” Hood said. 

“I can guarantee you that the Bobcat Express (community and fans) will be full on Thursday. We’re going to give it our best shot. It’s going to be just like last year, a one or two possession game where you’re going to have to lock down and find a way to win. I have no doubt that we’ll be ready to go.”