BROWNSTOWN
It’s not always about how you start games, but how you finish.
After struggling in the first half against visiting Corydon Central, the Brownstown Central boys basketball team found new life in the final 16 minutes of play to earn a 53-36 Mid-Southern Conference win Saturday.
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Neither team could find much offense in the opening quarter, as the Braves took a 7-6 lead.
Brownstown senior Cole Borden put his team up 13-10 with 4:29 in the second quarter. However, the Panthers’ Timothy Wiseman answered with a 3-pointer on the following possession to tie the game.
Wiseman hit another shot from behind the arc with 2:10 left in the half to give the Panthers their first lead of the game at 16-15.
Tied at 16-16, Tyler Stauth hit a trey at the buzzer to put Corydon Central up 19-16.
Jacoby Shade set the tone for the remainder of the game on the Braves’ first possession following halftime.
Shade collected two offensive rebounds after a missed shot and finished for a layup.
The Braves then went on a 6-0 run to take a 22-19 lead with the clock at 5:23.
A basket by the Panthers’ Mitchell Frederick gave his team its last lead of the game at 23-22.
From 4:25 to 2:05 the Braves scored nine straight points while holding the Panthers to zero.
Shade converted an and-one with 1:27 remaining before the fourth quarter to put the Braves up 34-25.
Another and-one opportunity proved successful for Carson Lambring at the end of the third quarter, as the Braves led 39-27.
“(At halftime) I questioned their toughness, I didn’t think we were very tough in the first half,” Brownstown head coach Dave Benter said. “I thought we defended OK in the half court. We came out that third quarter really energized. We got some turnovers and saw the ball go in the basket a couple times and gained some confidence.”
Against a tough Panthers’ half-court defense, the Braves looked to create opportunities in their transition game.
“We mixed up our defense a couple of times in that third quarter,” Benter said. “The big thing was that we just played with more energy, and then when we got the ball we were attacking and weren’t on our heels. They’re really solid defensively in the half court, we felt like we had to get some baskets in transition.”
Midway through the final quarter, the Braves went on a 7-0 spree to take a 49-31 advantage, sealing the game.
“We were able to get some advantage on some two-on-ones and three-on-ones in transitions,” Benter said. “The first half, we were just kind of standing around and not moving. We put them on their heels a little bit more with our ball movement.”
The Braves (14-2), who are on a five-game winning streak, will return to action Friday when they host Clarksville.