RAMSEY
Following a lackluster first half, Brownstown Central’s boys basketball team put together their best quarter of basketball on the season.
Stingy defense, crisp ball movement and accurate shooting were just a few of the descriptions coach Dave Benter used to describe the team’s third quarter performance.
The Braves outscored Mid-Southern Conference foe North Harrison 22-8 before pulling away for a 70-47 win Friday.
In the first quarter, Cougars junior Jake Book stole the spotlight scoring nine of the team’s 15 points.
After the Braves’ Jordan Peters opened the game with a basket, the Cougars went on a 7-0 run behind four points from Book.
BC’s Carson Lambring hit a pair of free throws and added a basket to cut the deficit to 10-9 with 3:05 on the clock.
Five points by Cody Waskom concluded the Braves’ scoring in the opening period, as they trailed 15-14.
The Cougars (3-3, 1-2 MSC) went on a 9-2 at the start of the second quarter with four different scorers.
An and-one conversion by Waskom ended the run, with the Braves down 24-19 at the 4:36.
A 3-pointer by Lambring and free throw from Derek Rieckers got the Braves offense back on track, as they would go on to outscore the Cougars 10-3 in the final 3:53 of the first half.
At intermission, the Cougars led 29-28: led by 13 points from Book.
Both sides emptied their bench in the opening 16 minutes — in part of 22 total fouls called — with Brownstown playing 11 different players and North Harrison calling 10 athletes to the court.
Following traded baskets, the Braves went on a 15-0 streak from the 6:45 to 3:06-mark in the third quarter.
BC drilled three consecutive 3-pointers in the stretch, with Waskom hitting one and Ty Maxie sinking a pair.
At the buzzer, Waskom added another trey to put the Braves up 50-37.
“The third quarter was, what I thought, the best quarter of basketball we’ve played all year,” Benter said. “They were making good shots. Our ball movement was probably the best it has been all year. Defensively, I thought we really turned it up. The guys were really taking some pride.”
The Braves held the Cougars to just five points in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter before going on a 8-0 scoring string to lead 68-45 with one minute left in the game.
Waskom topped the Braves’ scoring with 20 points and Lambring added 16.
Book scored 21 points to lead the Cougars, and Benter was happy with how a pair of guards defended the scorer in the second half.
“Gavin Bane and Michael Boshers did a great job on (Book) in the second half,” Benter said. “We were forcing him to take shots a little more. We got the ball out of his hands with pressure on both sides of the court. Mike and Gavin expended a lot of energy frustrating (Book).”
On the boards, the Braves won the rebounding battle 29-20. Brownstown committed 11 turnovers to the Cougars’ 19.
With the win, the Braves (5-0, 3-0 MSC) stay undefeated on the season as they travel to Mitchell tonight.
“I think North Harrison is one of the better teams in our conference,” Benter said. “Going on the road, you never know what’s going to happen.”