BROWNSTOWN
Try as they might, the Braves’ basketball team just couldn’t finish their comeback on Friday night against North Harrison.
Down by as many as nine in the fourth quarter, the Braves whittled the deficit down to one multiple times, but could never take the lead.
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Senior Isaiah Wineinger had a one-handed 3-point heave at the buzzer to try and force overtime, but his attempt went wide left and the Cougars earned their second straight win over the Braves in Brownstown 45-42.
Brownstown Central coach Dave Benter applauded his team’s effort to get back into the game late, but too few made buckets and too many turnovers is what caused his group to drop their third Mid-Southern Conference game of the year.
“We never gave up and we continued to battle,” he said. “We got the ball down two and had a chance to tie or take the lead, but we turned it over. We could have folded it up then, but we kept battling and got ourselves back into it to tie or take the lead a couple of times.”
The Braves might not have needed a 3-point heave to force overtime had an intentional foul call not gone against them. With less than 30 seconds to go, Wineinger was deemed to not be going after the ball allowing the Cougars to go to the line and push the lead back to three.
The spark in the first half for the Braves came from a player not even listed on the varsity roster.
Sophomore Aidan Schroer put the team on his back, scoring eight of the Braves’ 16 first-half points. The 6-foot-5-inch sophomore was the only big option for the Braves among the trees in the North Harrison frontcourt.
Benter liked what he saw from Schroer up against some tough competition.
“We kind of fed him to the wolves tonight,” Benter said. “Hatton is one of the best big guys, not just in Southern Indiana, but in the state. I thought our guys really went after him tonight and battled against him defensively.”
Hatton finished with 11 points to lead the Cougars and was the only North Harrison player in double figures. He was kept quiet in the first half before getting his total in the second.
“We felt that we had to take him, [Braden] Jenkins and [Logan] McIntire away,” Benter continued. “I thought we executed really well taking them away, but we’ve just got to make shots.”
Wineinger led the Braves with 13 points and Clay Chastain was the only other Brave player in double figures with 11.
Schroer added eight points; Lucas Hines, Levi Stahl and Jalen Tiemeyer each scored three, and Derek Thompson rounded out the scoring with two.
In junior varsity action, the Braves walloped the Cougars 64-28 behind a massive second quarter in which BC outscored North Harrison 23-3.
The JV Brave defense was out for blood also holding the Cougars to just three points in the fourth quarter.
Sam Schepman led the Braves’ JV with 13 points followed by Kiernan Tiemeyer’s 12. The duo were the only players in double figures.
Brandon Reynolds and Carter Waskom each tallied eight, Brady Waskom had six, Ethan Davis scored five, Levi Stahl and Carson Darlage added four each, and Ethan Fultz and Aidan Schroer chipped in two each.
The Braves host Mitchell tonight at 7:30 p.m. Before the varsity tipoff, Brownstown Central High School’s athletic department will induct 2004 graduate Chris Baker into their hall of fame.
BC will have one more game before Christmas, taking on Class A No. 2 Barr-Reeve in the first game of the North Daviess Tournament on Monday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m.