Brandywine boys basketball player Andrew Boocher had a rewarding and painful Senior Night Tuesday against Watervliet.

Boocher scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, had two blocked shots and two steals to lead the Bobcats past the Panthers, 65-34.

Boocher paid for the price going for a rebound with 1:33 left in the second quarter. The 6-5 senior dove into the base of the stands going for a rebound and he laid on the floor for several minutes after the hustle play.

The injury wasn’t serious as Boocher returned to start the third quarter and he scored Brandywine’s first six points in the third. Those points highlighted a 14-0 run to start the third for the Bobcats, who extended their lead to 41-18.
“On any given night any one of these kids can erupt,” said Brandywine coach Nathan Knapp, whose team finishes the regular season with a 13-7 record. “We have a great team from top to bottom. We’re getting better and things are going in the right direction for us.”

Other seniors that played well were Andrew Duckett, who had 12 points and 13 rebounds and Zach Schmidt, who contributed 11 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Boocher, Duckett, Schmidt, Matt Vaughn, Drew Krueger and Tim Batchelor were playing their last home game.

“It’s going to be tough to replace the seniors,” Knapp said. “It’s a great group of kids. The underclassmen look up to them.”

Ten different players scored for Brandywine and eight different Bobcats had at least three rebounds. Brandywine finished with a 46-24 rebounding advantage.

“That’s what we’ve been focusing on since the Bridgman game (a 64-58 Bridgman win on Feb. 21),” Knapp said about the rebounding. “We felt we lost that game because they jumped on us in the rebound battle. We went to Bronson and outrebounded them 49-21.”

Brandywine took the lead for good at 11-10 after getting a 3-pointer from Hunter Slaughter with 1:16 left in the first quarter.

The Bobcats now have three more wins than the last two years combined (10).

“It’s the kids,” Knapp said. “They’ve worked hard and bought into the system. I think the program is headed in the right direction.”

 

BRANDYWINE 65, WATERVLIET 34

Watervliet 34

Zach Kiefer 2, Bradley Alden 14, Kevin Pantelleria 2, Dylan Moser 2, Blake Kiekenapp 0, Jake Shafer 0, Matt Winter 0, Chris Leblang 0, Brandon Legon 6, Ivan Winkler 5, Alex Lefor 3, Kyler Kiekenapp 0. TOTALS: 14 3-4 34

Brandywine 65

Andrew Boocher 14, Andrew Duckett 12, Drew Krueger 4, Tim Batchelor 2, Zach Schmidt 11, Austin Knapp 8, Hunter Slaughter 6, Vinny Peel 4, Marquise Davis 0, Cole Searles 2, Zach Grishaber 2. TOTALS: 28 4-8 65

 

Watervliet                  10       18       21       34

Brandywine               14       27       45       65

3-point baskets: Watervliet 3 (Legon 2, Lefor), Brandywine 5 (Schmidt 2, Duckett, Knapp, Slaughter). Total fouls (fouled out): Watervliet 10 (none), Brandywine 11 (none). Shooting: Watervliet 14-of-55 for 25-percent, Brandywine 28-of-62 for 45-percent. Rebounding: Watervliet 24 (Alden 5), Brandywine 46 (Duckett 13). Turnovers: Watervliet 14, Brandywine 16. Varsity records: Watervliet 3-16, Brandywine 13-7