By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - One of the toughest games in the Division 3 district tournament will not happen in the championship game, but in the semifinals.
Brandywine and Buchanan will face off at 10 a.m. on Saturday in Bridgman. Both teams ended the Lakeland Conference tied for first place with a record of 13-1.
Bobcat head coach Jim Myers said his game plan will be simple - “just like normal.”
The two teams have been neck and neck throughout the regular season.
When the Lady Cats and the Bucks met on April 25, both were then tied for first in the LAC. Brandywine won the first game, 3-1 and Buchanan took the second 7-6.
Unfortunately, one of these two teams will have to end its season short on Saturday as only one can move on. The winner will face either Bridgman or River Valley in the championship game, which is slated to start at 2 p.m.
Niles will also have a tough game on its hands Saturday as the Lady Vikes meet with St. Joseph at 10 a.m. in Coloma.
Niles did defeat the Bears in one game during the regular season, 2-1, however, a second game was not played due to the injury of St. Joe pitcher Jordan Goslee.
The Vikes gave St. Joe its only run of the game and defensive errors on the Bears' end allowed the Vikes to score the winning runs.
The winner of that game will move to the finals to play the winner of the Coloma/Lakeshore game, which is set for noon.
In baseball action, it appears Niles will also have a tough game on its hands as the Vikings face St. Joe at noon.
The Bears took 1-0 and 3-0 wins over Niles in during the regular season. The winner of this game advances to the finals at 2 p.m.
When Brandywine and Buchanan met on the baseball field during the regular season, the outcome was not good for the Bucks.
The Bobcats had three home runs alone in the first game to help post a 21-1 win over Buchanan. In the second game, the Bobcats had one home run and a strong at bat performance to post an 18-8 win.
Brandywine ended the season fifth in the Lakeland Conference, while the Bucks finished seventh.
The two teams will meet at noon in Bridgman. The winner will advance to the finals at 2 p.m.