Palmer brothers put on a show in Brandywine boys basketball's regional semifinal win
WATERVLIET — There was little doubt who was going to win between No. 1 Brandywine and Union City when the third quarter rolled around.
That didn’t prevent the Palmer brothers from putting on a show.
In an otherwise uneventful game, the Bobcat senior twins combined for a highlight reel play. Jamier passed it toward the net, with Jaremiah catching it for a tomahawk dunk. Even the Union City fans in attendance acknowledged the spectacle of a play with a reaction of their own.
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Brandywine won, 77-43, Tuesday to advance to a MHSAA Division 3 regional championship game Thursday at Watervliet High School. They will play Schoolcraft (22-3), who won Tuesday’s second semifinal game over the host Panthers, 61-50.
“I wasn’t surprised that he threw it,” Jaremiah said. “I was more surprised I caught it. He can throw good passes, but lobs can be iffy, so I didn’t know if it was going to be close enough to the rim for me to get it. Luckily, I went up and got it. It hyped everyone up; turns the energy up and everything. The defense and offense both get better.”
The Palmer brothers were in-sync all night, including back-to-back plays in the second quarter that saw each of them assist the other on layups.
Jaremiah finished with a game-high 23 points, while Jamier had seven points and a team-best four assists.
“They’re just playmakers, and they love it,” said Brandywine coach Nathan Knapp of the Palmer twins. “We came into the locker room, and I said, ‘Nice pass. Nice setup.’ (Jamier) was like, ‘Yeah, it was like (Chris) Paul to (Blake) Griffin.’ They bring a lot of energy, and it’s fun.”
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Brandywine (22-3) scored the first 13 points of the game and never looked back. It was the opposite of how last week’s district final went, where the Bobcats had to scratch-and-claw to a 55-46 win over White Pigeon.
“The way we played (Friday), we found a way to win, but it was ugly,” Knapp said. “And then we had a rough start to practice Monday. Our first half of practice wasn’t really good, and I was starting to think it was mental. And then, all of a sudden, something sparked, everything came together, and it carried over. They’ve got to quit thinking so much and just start playing because they’re good.”
Senior Byron Linley had 13 points, sophomore Nylen Goins 12 and senior Robert Whiting seven to compliment the Palmer brothers.
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It’s the second-straight year Brandywine will play in a regional championship game. It advanced all the way to the final four of D3 a season ago.
“We’ve had that target on our back all season,” Knapp said. “I know what their goals are. We don’t want to jinx it, so we’re going one game at a time. … That’s been our goal every game: one step. We have an opportunity to accomplish another one of our goals Thursday night.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Palmer brothers put on a show in Brandywine's regional semifinal win
