Key Rebound, Putback in Breslin Return Help Send Brandywine to 1st Final
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 14, 2024
EAST LANSING — It couldn’t have been more ironic for Niles Brandywine that on a day when it was dominated in the rebounding category, it ended up getting the rebound that was most important of all.
Trailing McBain by two points during the final seconds of regulation in a Division 3 Semifinal on Thursday, Brandywine appeared to be done after senior Jaremiah Palmer missed a jumper that would have tied the game.
But senior Byron Linley was there for an offensive putback just before the buzzer sounded to tie the game and send it to overtime.
After seeing McBain score the first four points of the extra period, Brandywine answered with the next seven, the last three on a 3-pointer by senior Ja’Torian Smith with 18.9 seconds remaining that was ultimately the difference in a 51-48 Brandywine victory.
The Bobcats will make their first trip to a Final at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Breslin Center.
“Byron was at the right place at the right time,” Brandywine head coach Nathan Knapp said. “Thank goodness for him. He’s one of our better shooters, and he’s in a little funk right now. That kind of lifted him a bit.”
McBain scored the first four points of overtime on consecutive baskets by freshman Clayton Heuker, but Brandywine answered with four straight of its own to tie the game at 48-48 with 1:04 remaining in the extra period.
After getting a stop with under a minute left, Brandywine moved the ball around and got an open look from 3-point range for Smith, who drained the shot from the left side of the floor to give Brandywine its final three-point lead with 18.9 seconds remaining.
“It is really just a confidence thing,” Smith said. “I shoot this shot 100,000 times. So it’s just following through and being confident with it.”
McBain turned the ball over on its next possession, giving Brandywine the ball back with 3.7 seconds remaining.
The Bobcats inbounded the ball and missed the two free throws following a foul, but there wasn’t enough time left for McBain to get off anything but a full-court heave that fell short just before the buzzer sounded.
“Once we get our kids with their backs to the wall, they’re resilient,” Knapp said.
Brandywine advanced despite being outrebounded 43-22 and shooting just 4 of 21 from 3-point range. The Bobcats made up for those deficiencies by forcing 27 McBain turnovers.
Smith scored 19 points, and Palmer added 12 for Brandywine (24-3).
Heuker scored 14 points and senior Evan Haverkamp added 12 for McBain (25-2).
“They did a great job,” McBain head coach Bruce Koopman said. “All year long, they just kept making me believe and believe. I wasn’t sure we were this good. They just battled every game and showed me so much this tournament.”
Brandywine also advanced to the Semifinals last season before falling to Traverse City St. Francis. The Bobcats didn’t lead Thursday until Smith drained a 3-pointer with 6:24 remaining to give his team a 36-35 lead.
McBain responded, answering with a 9-2 run over the next 3:31 to take a 44-38 lead with 2:53 left.
McBain held a 28-22 lead with 4:19 remaining in the third quarter, but Brandywine outscored the Ramblers 10-5 the rest of the quarter to cut the deficit to 33-32 going into the fourth.
The Ramblers started off strong, holding Brandywine to 16.7-percent shooting in the first quarter and taking a 16-8 lead after eight minutes. They then built their lead to 20-8 with 6:27 remaining in the second quarter before Brandywine found some rhythm on both ends.
The Bobcats ended the quarter on a 12-4 run to cut the McBain lead to 24-20 at halftime.
PHOTOS (Top) Brandywine's Nylen Goins (1) gets up a shot under the basket during his team's Division 3 Semifinal win Thursday. (Middle) The Bobcats' Ja'Torian Smith (12) shoots a 3-pointer as McBain's Evan Haverkamp defends. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
'Running' Raiders Pull Away with Scoring Bursts, Stifling Defense
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
March 15, 2024
EAST LANSING – All it took for North Farmington to roll into the MHSAA Finals was staying calm.
Well, maybe it was also a puzzling defense and a handful of mini-runs on offense that contributed to Friday's 58-39 downing of Zeeland West in a Division 1 Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
Whatever it was, the win earned North Farmington (24-2) another crack at Oakland County rival Orchard Lake St. Mary's (26-1) in Saturday's 12:15 p.m. final. St. Mary's has ousted North Farmington from the last two MHSAA Tournaments.
While the Raiders did much right, it's easy to start with an offense which produced points in runs.
"We talk about runs all the time," said North Farmington coach Todd Negoshian, whose teams have won more than 200 games during his 13 seasons. "We want them to end other teams' runs and extend ours. We preach that it's a game of runs, which is important for us."
North Farmington scored the game's first seven points, and then when Zeeland West closed to within 13-11 early in the second quarter, the Raiders scored 12 of the next 18 points. They all but clinched the win with a 23-14 advantage in the third quarter.
At least some of those runs can be attributed to the team's demeanor, Negoshian said.
"At the start of the second quarter we calmed down and played within ourselves," he said. "We did a better job of calming down. It was very important in the second quarter that we kept our momentum going and stayed on the right track."
The other side of the coin was defense. North Farmington held Zeeland West (20-8) to just 30.8 percent (12 of 39) shooting from the floor, and only five 3-pointers in 21 attempts.
"Forty points is our benchmark," Raiders senior guard Landon Williams said. "Coach preaches that every day. Giving up 10 points a quarter is what we do. (Defense) is something we keep in perspective. We know that's what it takes to win games."
"We feel like we wear people out," Negoshian said of the defense. "Wearing people out is a big part of our success. It's a big key defensively."
Senior guard Tyler Spratt led North Farmington with 19 points and six rebounds. Williams had 14 points, five assists and three steals.
"We preach that basketball is a game of runs," Spratt said. "It's something we try to do every game – limit the other team's runs."
Zeeland West coach David Klyn said his team never did solve the Raiders' defense.
"They play a style of defense that is very difficult to go against – and they amped it up a level," he said. "They're hard to beat. You can credit that to chaos. It's the most difficult defense I've ever seen. When you get down against them, it's hard to come back."
"It's one of the most difficult defenses I've faced," said Dux Mr. Basketball Award finalist Merritt Alderink, who was held to nine points, four below his average. "It's hard to get anything going because they're all over the place."
Negoshian and his players are plenty familiar with their next opponent.
"They're four miles down the road, and the players know each other well," he said. "Trey (St. Mary’s star McKenney) is the best player in the state, and we know it's running the gauntlet to play them."
PHOTOS (Top) North Farmington’s Landon Williams (10) gets a shot up over the outstretched arm of Zeeland West’s Trenten Bolhouse. (Middle) The Raiders’ Rob Smith (1) finds an opening in the post. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)