Brandywine girls basketball makes it look easy in regional semifinal win over Hartford

Brandywine only spent 90 seconds in the locker room at halftime. What was there for coach Josh Hood to say after a seemingly perfect first half?

The Bobcats took it to Hartford from the opening tip — literally — dispatching the Huskies, 84-23, in an MHSAA Division 3 girls basketball regional semifinal game Monday at Bronson High School. It’s the most points Brandywine (23-1) has scored in a game this season.

They move on to face Kalamazoo Christian (24-1) in the regional championship contest Wednesday at 6 p.m. back at Bronson. It’s the ninth time the Bobcats will play in a regional final in the last 15 years.

“We have been prepping all year to play in the postseason, and we built a schedule to get us ready,” Hood said. “We talked all weekend about turning the jets on when the ball goes up in the air, and I was really proud that, from the opening tip, we set the tone.”

The Bobcats won the opening tip and scored on a layup from junior Miley Young in the first five seconds. Brandywine led, 39-6, at the end of the first quarter and 60-11 at halftime. It forced 26 Hartford turnovers in the first half, using a full-court pressing defense to cause havoc.

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“This team, the first two years they were on varsity, they kind of fed off of their offense. And when things weren’t going well offensively, sometimes we’d put our head down and that’d affect our defense,” Hood said. “But they have really bought-in this year to the defensive end, and that’s the staple of Brandywine basketball. It’s not about who gets their points, it’s about defense. When you can give up 28 points per game against the schedule we have, you’re doing a pretty good job.”

Offensively, senior Ellie Knapp led the way with 24 points. Freshman Lily Gill had 13 points and Young had 12 to join Knapp in double-figures. Twelve different Brandywine players scored, with the second half being exclusively played by bench players.

The Bobcats now prepare for a showdown with Kalamazoo Christian, which defeated Schoolcraft, 47-30, in the night’s first semifinal Monday. Brandywine finished second in the final Division 3 Michigan Power Ratings and the Comets fourth, making Wednesday a high-profile contest between teams with a combined record of 47-2.

“I think the girls are really excited to play a private school out of Kalamazoo,” Hood said. “People don’t say it enough, but we’re very proud of Brandywine public schools. It’s always exciting to play a private school in the postseason and give them all they want.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Brandywine crushes Hartford, advances to MHSAA Division 3 regional final