BROWNSTOWN — Two highly rated teams carrying extended winning streaks faced off in Brownstown Central’s packed Pit on Friday night.

Figuring out which streak would extend and which would end didn’t take long, however. Brownstown pulled ahead in the opening minutes and then generated a persistent double-digit lead thereafter to claim a comfortable 66-41 victory.

The win bumps Brownstown’s streak to 10 consecutive, while Orleans’ six-win run ended. The Braves have now defeated the Bulldogs 13 straight times, going back 2012.

Orleans entered the contest ranked No. 2 in Class A, but the Braves didn’t seem to notice. They jumped ahead 11-5 in the opening six minutes and then overwhelmed the Bulldogs (20-3) by hitting four 3-pointers during the second quarter.

Jack Benter and Micah Sheffer combined to hit three consecutive 3s to open the second period to push BC ahead 22-7. A Chace Coomer long shot nudged the Braves ahead 27-13 moments later.

Brownstown closed the first half by scoring the final six points, a run punctuated by an alley-oop dunk by Benter (courtesy of a perfect pass from Parker Hehman).

“I thought we defended very well in the first half,” Brownstown head coach Dave Benter said. “I actually thought we gave away a few offensive possessions in the first half, but we were able to go into halftime up by 17.”

The Braves added six more 3-pointers in the second half and were never threatened by Orleans. Jakob Arthur’s layup with 1:51 left in the third period gave BC a 21-point lead. Another Sheffer 3 in the fourth quarter swelled the advantage to 30 with two minutes left in the game.

“Last year, they were hitting shots on us and kept it close the whole game,” Arthur said. “So we knew they were a good team. Our focus was mainly for our defense to take control.”

Benter led all scorers with 21 points. The Braves finished with 11 3-pointers, led by Sheffer and Hehman, who each had three.

Friday marked the final home game for BC seniors Arthur, Carson Darlage and Bryce Neal. Arthur ended with seven points and seven rebounds. Darlage added four points and five rebounds. Neal was unable to play due to injury.

“Our seniors are blue-collar guys who do all the little things that help your team,” Benter said. “Carson and Bryce keep everyone loose. Jakob, on the other hand, brings intensity. Those guys came to practice every day and did everything we asked.”

Arthur said it was impossible not to be a little emotional heading into his last home game.

“As a senior going out there, it was really nerve-racking,” he said. “But once we got going, it was just basketball. We just wanted to play hard and take care of business.”

Friday’s performance is further evidence that the Braves (19-4) are ready to take care of business as they head into next week’s sectional tournament. BC hasn’t lost in five weeks, last losing at Greensburg on Jan. 20. In the 10 wins since then, nine of them have come by greater than 10 points.

Box score

At Brownstown Central

Braves 66, Bulldogs 41

Orleans;5;11;12;13;—;41

Brownstown Central;13;20;17;16;—;66

Orleans (20-3): Blake Love 4 2-2 12, Carter Allen 3 0-0 6, Rylan Crocker 1 2-2 5, Hunter Williams 1 0-1 2, Ian Hall 1 1-2 4, Bryce Jones 1 0-0 2, Bryce Berning 1 0-0 3, Xavier Alston 1 1-2 3, Nate Graves 0 2-2 2, Jackson Freed 1 0-0 2, Totals 14 8-11 41.

Brownstown Central (19-4): Jack Benter 7 5-6 21, Parker Hehman 3 0-0 9, Carson Darlage 2 0-0 4, Micah Sheffer 3 0-0 9, Jakob Arthur 3 0-2 7, Chace Coomer 3 0-0 7, Colby Hall 4 0-0 9, Totals 25 5-8 66.

3-point goals: Orleans 5, Brownstown Central 11 (Hehman 3, Sheffer 3, Benter 2, Arthur, Hall, Coomer).

Rebounds: Orleans 22, Brownstown Central 28 (Arthur 7).

Turnovers: Orleans 9, Brownstown Central 7.

Fouls: Orleans 8, Brownstown Central 10.

Junior varsity

Brownstown Central 54, Orleans 51

Brownstown Central (14-5): Lane Pendleton 24, Gregory Hutcheson 11, Pierson Wheeler 7, Preston Garrison 6, Caiden Gwin 3, Owen Wischmeier 3.