Charlotte outlasts Olivet behind Brandt, defense down the stretch
CHARLOTTE – Wednesday night's district semifinal saw two seniors go back and forth in the second half, trying to will their teams to a spot in Friday's district final.
Charlotte senior guard Cutler Brandt and Olivet senior guard Bo Lincoln both poured in 25 points, but it was Brandt, who hit two fourth-quarter 3-pointers and went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch, who did just enough to lift the Orioles to a 59-54 victory.
"We never lost the dog in us, and you saw that in the fourth quarter. I can't say enough about these guys," Charlotte coach Tom Fleming said. "To have the team respond like that was impressive, and we'll have another dogfight Friday.
"It's going to be a show, and tonight was a show," Fleming added. "If you're a fan of high school basketball, you had to love that. (Brandt) is a winner, and he refuses to go down and he's got the skill to back it up. Watching him and (Lincoln) go at it tonight was a real treat."
Brandt scored 18 of his 25 in the second half, with 15 of them coming in the fourth quarter. He was the go-to-guy down the stretch for the Orioles, who defeated Olivet all three meetings this season despite trailing at halftime in two of those affairs, including Wednesday.
Now Charlotte has the chance to win back-to-back district titles for just the second time in school history.
"I'm just going to keep shooting. It would mean a lot for us to go back-to-back," Brandt said. "It was electric here tonight and we had guys step up."
Senior guard Greyson Seavolt scored 15 points while senior guard Maliki Garza scored all 10 of his points in the second half for Charlotte. Olivet senior guard Bryce Wine had 12 points and senior forward Tayven Feldspauch added 11 for the Eagles.
Seavolt, who filled in for injured starting sophomore guard Evan Colosky the last time Charlotte faced Olivet, has been a big piece for the Orioles while Colosky continues to work to be 100 percent healthy.
"He's a senior and he's been with the program and he's lightning quick," Fleming said. "I told him yesterday in practice we have all the confidence in the world and if he gets that ball, he should look to score because he can. You talk about someone stepping up, he's been huge."
Charlotte (18-6) will face Lansing Sexton (18-4) in the district final on Friday at Charlotte High School. Sexton was 2-0 against Charlotte in the regular season, including a 51-48 win on the road.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Charlotte outlasts Olivet behind Brandt, defense down the stretch
