The Brandywine girls’ basketball team had no problem securing a victory for its final home game of the season Tuesday evening, with a dominating 60-9 home win over visiting River Valley on Senior Night.

Mia Stella, Cassie and Chelsie Luczkowski and Makena Bowen combined for 19 points in the game, were showered with gifts, and honored in front of a packed Brandywine gym.

“It has been quite a journey with the other seniors,” Bowen, a four-year varsity player, said. “We have played together since seventh grade and have been through so much together on that gym floor. I will miss it. It was a night I will never forget. The crowd was awesome and everyone on our team got to play and contribute.”

All nine of Brandywine’s players scored in the contest, with Zakiyyah Abdullah leading the way with 17 points. The Bobcats ended the night with 13 3-pointers, with eight of the nine players sinking buckets from the arc.

Brandywine opened the game with a 20-5 lead at the end of the first period, and kept the Mustangs scoreless in the second to sail to a 40-5 advantage at halftime. River Valley scored its only four points of the second half in the third quarter, and trailed the Bobcats 47-9 entering the fourth.

Other top scores for the Lady Cats were Madison Bailey, who ended with 11, and Bowen, who finished with eight.
After weeks of battling its shooting game, Brandywine coach Josh Hood was pleased that it finally came to life.

“Over the last month, we haven’t shot the ball well, so I was glad to see it there tonight and see things really starting to mesh with our girls,” Hood said.

The win bumps the Cats’ record to 15-4 overall, something Hood said he credits to the leadership of the seniors.

“At the beginning of the season, the talk was that we’d be lucky to win four or five game,” Hood said. “But here we are sitting at 15-4 and it’s because of the leadership and experience those four seniors have provided that we are where we are. They have really helped guide our younger girls and I couldn’t be more proud of those four.
As one last highlight for her final home game, Bowen had the privilege of singing the national anthem alongside her grandfather, Jay Crouch, who played trumpet. Crouch is a former band director at Brandywine High School.”

“That is a moment I will never forget,” Bowen said. “We sang together during my sophomore year, but tonight was just that much more special.”

Brandywine will head to Parchment Friday evening for its final home game of the season before starting district play.

The Bobcats drew Watervliet for their first-round game Feb. 27.
BRANDYWINE 60, RIVER VALLEY 9
At Brandywine High School
BRANDYWINE 60

Mia Stella 0 1 0-0 3, Cassandra Luczkowski 0 1 0-0 3, Madison Bailey 1 3 0-0 11, Makena Bowen 1 1 3-4 8, Nicole Sachman 1 1-2 3, Megan Schmidt 0 1 1-2 4, Kennedy Byrd 0 2 0-0 6, Zakiyyah Abdullah 3 3 2-2 17, Chelsie Luczkowski 0 1 2-2 5. TOTALS: 6 13 9-12 60

RIVER VALLEY 9

Katharine Kersey 1 -0 2, Emma Springer 2 1-3 5, Rose Keefer 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 4 1-3 9.

 

Brandywine               20       40       47       60

River Valley                5          0          9          0

 

3-point shots: Brandywine 13 (Stella 1, Cassie Luczkowski 1, Bailey 3, Bowen 1, Schmidt 1, Byrd 2, Abdullah 3, Chelsie Luczkowski 1). River Valley 0. Total Fouls (fouled out) Brandywine 5, River Valley 13 (none).