By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
BUCHANAN - The Bucks' varsity basketball team needed to make each possession count if they wanted to stay in the game with the Bridgman Bees on Friday night.
In the end, it was a two minute stretch that let a opportunity of upsetting the Lakeland Conference leading Bees, that cost the Bucks the victory.
Bridgman took at 47-37 win over host Buchanan.
The Bucks led the Bees 9-6 at the 3:20 mark of the first quarter. Bridgman's Dan Kunde a hit three-point bucket to tie the game at nine with 2:51 left of the first quarter. Each team remained scoreless to finish out the quarter with the game knotted at nine.
One of two from the free throw line by Marquis Hall gave the Bucks a 10-9 lead early in the second quarter. That lead lasted 18 seconds before the Bees took a 11-10 advantage. That would to be the Bucks final lead of the game.
Buchanan trailed 13-12 with 4:41 in the half from that point, the next two minutes to be exact, the Bees rolled off nine straight points to take a 22-12 lead.
Buchanan finished the quarter adding seven points on a bucket by Hall and Eric Cole's trey with five seconds left in the half to go in at the break down 24-17. The damage had been done as the Bucks couldn't overcome the two minute let down.
Bridgman was able to stretch the lead to 13, 36-23 by the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth the Bucks outscored the Bees 14-11 and narrowed the lead to eight with less than a minute to play on a trey by Avery Brown.
Bridgman scored their last six points from the free throw line - hitting six of seven from the charity stripe.
Buchanan was led by Marquis Hall with 10 points and Jeff Kyles held to eight. Kunde scored a game high 16 points for the Bees and Craig McNees added 12.
Bridgman held the edge in rebounds 26-20. Hall finished the night with eight rebounds and three steals. Damian Bryant led the team with three assist
With the win Bridgman wraps up its second consecutive Lakeland crown remaining perfect in league play at 13-0 with one final league game with Brandywine next week. The Bees are 18-1 overall.