HANOVER— The shooting clinic started shortly after the opening tip and continued until the mercy-rule running clock kicked in late in the third quarter.

Brownstown Central’s boys basketball team made 17 3-pointers and thoroughly dismantled host Southwestern, 73-49, in the semifinal round of the Class 2A Southwestern Sectional on Friday night.

Seven different players contributed at least one 3-pointer. Chace Coomer got his team started by nailing his first two long shots inside the game’s first two minutes.

Parker Hehman and Jack Benter (twice) joined the demonstration as BC connected on five of its first seven 3-point attempts and raced to an early 17-7 lead.

The Rebels (21-4) never recovered, trimming the Braves’ lead to less than 10 points only one time thereafter.

Brownstown ended the game shooting 45 percent from behind the line (17 for 38). Benter made six of his 11 tries, followed by Coomer’s 4-for-9 night from long distance.

“We kept talking about paint touches, but when we got our paint touches, they were really collapsing and giving us wide-open threes,” Brownstown head coach Dave Benter said. “We’ve got enough guys who can hit those shots and with our team shooting percentage, a wide-open three is better than a contested two. If teams are going to give us that, we’re going to take it. They protected the paint and we were able to capitalize on that.”

The Braves carried a 39-21 lead into halftime, then started the third quarter with a game-sealing 17-3 run.

Benter scored nine straight points to open the third period. Coomer added two more 3s and Benter followed a steal with a dunk to complete the run.

Pierson Wheeler’s 3-pointer from the left side with 3:12 to go in the third quarter swelled Browntown’s lead to 62-26 and tripped the 35-point mercy-rule running clock.

Benter finished with a team-high 29 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the floor. The senior now owns 2,418 career points and sits one point behind former IU star Alan Henderson, who occupies the No. 15 spot on the state’s all-time boys scoring list.

Coomer followed in the scoring column with 12 points. Hehman, Wheeler, Micah Sheffer and Lane Pendleton each contributed six points.

The Braves played without starting forward Colby Hall, who hurt his right ankle in Wednesday night’s first-round win over Henryville. The 6-foot-6 junior wore a walking boot on Friday. Dave Benter said Hall’s availability for the sectional final and beyond is undetermined.

“It’s going to be a game-time decision,” Benter said. “He’s rehabbing. The doctor said as soon as he can, he can get back, so we’re hoping tomorrow night’s a game-time decision.”

Adam Stahl, a 6-5 senior, filled in for Hall against Southwestern, but the game was driven mostly by outside shooting. Stahl finished with two points and three rebounds.

“We talked before the game about controlling what we can control, and that’s defending, not turning the ball over, and rebounding,” Benter said. “We’ve played so many different styles playing the schedule that we have. We feel that we can play different ways, and tomorrow night’s going to be different than tonight.”

Friday’s victory moves BC (23-4) into tonight’s anticipated championship game, where Providence (18-3) awaits. The Pioneers dispatched Austin, 66-31, in the other semifinal game.

Brownstown Central will attempt to win its 17th sectional title and fourth in the last five seasons. The Braves and the Pioneers met in November in each team’s opening game. BC won 68-55.

“Providence is going to be a grinded-it-out game,” Benter said. “They’re going to guard us, be physical with us, slow it down. They’re going to pass the ball 50 times on offense, and we’ve got to be willing to play that way at times. They’re going to foul us. They’re going to hold us, bump us. Our guys can’t get frustrated. The big thing is we’ve got to be strong with the basketball and take care of the basketball.”

Southwestern Sectional

Brownstown Central 73, Southwestern 49

Southwestern;10;11;11;17;—;49

Brownstown;19;20;28;6;—;73

Southwestern (21-4): Jamison Lewis 9 7-8 30, Peyton Cloud 3 2-2 9, Brady Cook 2 0-0 5, Landon Kidwell 2 1-2 5, Jackson Trayler 0 0-0 0, Adam Traylor 0 0-0 0, Braxton Lewis 0 0-0 0, Isaac Watson 0 0-0 0, William Stockdale 0 0-0 0, Caleb Goode 0 0-0 0, Landon Higgins 0 0-0 0, Caleb Seals 0 0-0 0, Totals 16 10-12 49.

Brownstown Central (23-4): Jack Benter 11 1-1 29, Chace Coomer 4 0-0 12, Parker Hehman 2 0-0 6, Micah Sheffer 2 1-2 6, Pierson Wheeler 2 0-0 6, Lane Pendleton 1 3-6 6, Caiden Gwin 1 0-0 3, Adam Stahl 1 0-0 2, Greg Hutcheson 1 0-0 2, Preston Garrison 0 1-2 1, Owen Wischmeier 0 0-0 0, Carter Covert 0 0-0 0, Totals 25 6-11 73.

3-pointers: Southwestern 7 (J. Lewis 5, Cloud, Cook), Brownstown 17 (Benter 6, Coomer 4, Hehman 2, Wheeler 2, Gwin, Sheffer, Pendleton).

Rebounds: Southwestern 22 (Cook 5), Brownstown 27 (Benter 5, Coomer 4, Stahl 3, Wheeler 3, Sheffer 3, Hehman 3, Hutcheson 2, Pendleton 2, Team 2).

Turnovers: Southwestern 8, Brownstown 4.

Personal fouls: Southwestern 14, Brownstown 14.