Brandywine boys basketball advance into the final four after 71-62 victory over Pewamo-Westphalia

 

PORTAGE, Mich – Brandywine boys' basketball continues to make history in their first ever quarterfinal appearance and win.

It was an even matchup for 32 minutes, as the Pewamo- Westphalia pirates and Brandywine bobcats traded buckets the entire game.

The Eklund brothers of Westphalia made things tough for Brandywine, dropping 53 of the pirates 62 points.

Getting the job done for Brandywine was the freshmen, Nylen Goins contributing 19 points.

Along with Goins, were the palmer twins.

Jeremiah Palmer with 14 points and Jamier Palmer with 11 points.

Towards the end of the game, it came down to defense for the bobcats.

Something Nathan Knapp has preached all season, is that defense has led to Brandywine’s success.

Late in the game when the bobcats needed stops, the defense stepped up and the offense fell into play with big shots, leading the Brandywine bobcats to Michigan State for their first ever final four.

‘I can't believe we're going to Michigan State. I love it for these kids. Just been a dream. It's been a dream and for our school to we want it we want it for them,” Knapp said.

“It's a feeling you dream of as a kid and as a coach. It's a real life for them right now. You just get be in the moment, we talked about it. In the state of Michigan, now there's only four teams left in division three. We're one of them and that's something that we hang our hat on. We're proud. We worked for it every year. We always tried to get a regional title. We never got it. We finally got it this year, and these kids saw their hard work and their resilience,” Knapp added.