A fast start provided enough of a cushion for Brownstown Central’s boys basketball team during a 65-51 victory over Seymour on Friday night.

Powered by senior Jack Benter, the Braves scored 25 first-quarter points and jumped to a 12-point advantage over the Owls. Over the balance of the game, BC never pulled away from Seymour. The Owls, likewise, could never make a serious charge at the Braves.

“It turned into a choppy, no-flow game,” Brownstown head coach Dave Benter said. “We never felt in danger, but at the same time, we never put them away. When we had a 15-point lead, we couldn’t make it a 20- or 25-point game. Seymour outcompeted us at times.”

Brownstown’s offense went dormant in the second quarter, only scoring seven points. But Seymour managed just 10 points during the same stretch.

An 8-1 run allowed the Owls (2-1) to narrow the score to 32-25 when the halftime buzzer sounded.

Brownstown (3-0) responded, however, by opening the second half with an 8-0 burst to restore its lead to 40-25. Seymour never got closer than 11 points over the remainder of the game.

“They got the first couple of buckets in the third quarter, and now, we’re stuck pushing the boulder up the hill,” Seymour head coach Kirk Manns said.

Benter led Brownstown with a game-high 32 points on 10-for-24 shooting, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range. He also made eight of 10 foul shots.

In the game’s opening minutes, the 6-foot-6 senior crashed to the floor after a drive to the basket and was forced to depart with a sore right knee.

“I think someone landed on me,” the younger Benter said. “It hurts, but it’ll be all right.”

The knee didn’t appear to slow Benter too much. Moments after returning to the floor, he traveled the length of the court and dunked the ball following a Seymour turnover. Then he drained three consecutive 3-pointers, one from NBA range.

Though he showed signs of discomfort, Benter finished out the game, adding five rebounds and three blocked shots.

“He’s a special player,” Manns said. “You’re not going to Purdue and getting ready to do the things that he’s preparing to do without being a special player.”

With his 32-point effort, Benter finished with 133 points in four games against the Owls. He scored 29, 36 and 36 points in his previous intracounty rivalry games, all of them Brownstown wins.

“This is a cool gym,” Benter said of his experiences at Seymour’s Lloyd Scott Gymnasium. “It’s a big gym. The atmosphere is great. It’s loud. It was a really cool experience to play here.”

Brownstown center Colby Hall was nearly as difficult for Seymour’s defense to handle. The junior finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. His six points around the basket in the first quarter helped stabilize BC’s offense while Benter was out of the game.

“I thought Colby was really good tonight,” the elder Benter said. “It was nice to see him play his best game so far this season.”

Parker Hehman, Chace Coomer and Micah Sheffer each chipped in five points. Sheffer was a workhorse on the boards with seven rebounds, helping Brownstown to a 33-22 rebounding advantage that included an eye-opening 19 offensive rebounds (hat tip to statistician Lance Hubbard).

Seymour countered with a tremendous effort by junior guard Michael Brooks, who scored 22 points on efficient 7-for-11 shooting and 8-for-10 foul shooting.

Bret Perry followed Brooks with 10 points. Seymour’s leading scorer, Jaylan Johnson, was mired in foul trouble and was limited to six points. Brady Harpe added seven points. Parker Thompson came off the bench and contributed two assists.

Friday’s loss was Seymour’s first after opening the season with wins over Corydon Central and Columbus North. The Owls head to Franklin tonight.

Brownstown, meanwhile, improved to 3-0 on the season and extended its winning streak over Seymour to 15. The Owls last beat the Braves in 2007.

The weekend only gets busier for Benter and the Braves. They travel to Brownsburg to take on Lawrence North (1-0), the Class 4A No. 1 team according to this week’s coaches poll. The game is part of the Sneakers for Santa Shootout charity event that features six games running throughout the day.

“Of all the teams I saw this summer, they were the best team in the state,” coach Benter said. “They’re No. 1 for a reason. It’s going to be a different kind of challenge. Tonight, Seymour wanted to turn the game into a war. Tomorrow’s going to be an athletic challenge for us. And they’re skilled. They play five skilled guys who can shoot it. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”

High School Basketball

Brownstown Central 65, Seymour 51

Brownstown Central;25;7;22;11;—;65

Seymour;15;10;16;10;—;51

Brownstown Central (3-0): Jack Benter 10 8-10 32, Colby Hall 7 4-5 18, Parker Hehman 0 5-5 5, Chace Coomer 2 0-0 5, Micah Sheffer 2 1-4 5, Adam Stahl 0 0-0 0, Pierson Wheeler 0 0-0 0, Gregory Hutcheson 0 0-0 0, Caiden Gwin 0 0-0 0, Lane Pendleton 0 0-0 0, Carter Covert 0 0-0 0, Totals 21 18-24 65.

Seymour (2-1): Michael Brooks 7 8-10 22, Bret Perry 4 1-1 10, Brady Harpe 2 2-2 7, Jaylan Johnson 1 4-4 6, Ethan Silcox 2 0-0 4, Parker Thompson 1 0-0 2, Evan Unterseher 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 15-17 51.

3-point goals: Brownstown 5 (Benter 4, Coomer), Seymour 2 (Harpe, Perry).

Rebounds: Brownstown 33 (Hall 9), Seymour 22 (Perry 5).

Turnovers: Brownstown 9, Seymour 16.

Fouls: Brownstown 12, Seymour 22.

Junior varsity

Brownstown Central 65, Seymour 27

Brownstown Central (3-0): Lane Pendleton 26, Brock Dean 12, Carter Covert 9, Linkan Brittain 8, Kye Trueblood 5, Owen Wischmeier 3, Preston Garrison 2.

Seymour (0-3): Nate Fritsch 8, Mack Longmeier 7, Max Coates 4, Traysean Hawkins 3, Nolan Bartels 2, Jake Dowell 2, Jack Broughton 1.