CASSOPOLIS — A late fourth-quarter rally by the Niles Brandywine boys’ basketball team fell short in a 45-39 loss to Bridgman Friday in the Division 3 district finals at Cassopolis. 

Bridgman (18-6) advances to face the host school in next week’s Schoolcraft Regional semifinal on Tuesday. 

After trailing Bridgman 32-22 at halftime, Brandywine gave up three quick baskets in the third quarter as its deficit grew to as many as 16 points, 38-22.

Nathan Knapp’s Bobcats used a 11-0 run though to finish the period and pulled within five, 38-33 entering the fourth after Richard Ryder scored off an inbounds play for the Bobcats.

Ethan Stine drained a triple on Bridgman’s first possession of the fourth to give the Bees a 41-33 lead. 

Brandywine’s Elijah Burt scored two straight baskets, including a triple to bring the Bobcats within three points, 41-38 with 4:42 left. 

Jared Schroeder’s pair of free throws with 20.3 seconds left lifted the Bees’ lead to five, 43-38. 

Nylen Goins then hit the first of two free throws bringing the Bobcats back within four. But Brandywine was forced to foul and Pagel drilled both free-throw tosses to seal up the win.

Brandywine had a few opportunities down the stretch by couldn’t get a shot to fall.

“Our kids played really hard tonight. It was a ypung group this year and the growth out of them this year was amazing. This was a tough way to go out,” Knapp said. 

Nylen Goins, Brandywine’s leading scorer and all-state candidate, finished with 14 points for the Bobcats. His first bucket of the night put him over the 1,000 point barrier. Goins posed with Knapp for a quick photo with a banner commemorating the occasion at the end of the quarter. Goins’ career point total now stands at 1,012 with his senior year left at Brandywine.

Burt added eight points for the Bobcats, while Hubbard, Brandywine’s 6-foot-4 sophomore center, tossed in six.

Brandywine ended the game shooting 15-of-50 (30 percent) from the floor and made 5-of-8 (63 percent) free-throw attempts.

Andrew Mabry topped Bridgman with 13 points, while Stine and Pagel added 11 apiece for the Bees, who were 17-of-42 (40.4 percent) from the floor and 7-for-8 (88 percent) at the foul stripe.

Bridgman earned a 33-25 rebounding advantage over Brandywine. 

Ryder pulled down nine rebounds for the Bobcats and Hubbard added six and Gogley four. 

Senior center Will Haskins pulled down 10 rebounds for Bridgman. 

The two teams traded buckets to start the contest. Stine’s basket and free throw for the Bees tied it momentarily at 10-10. Pagel drove into the lane to hit a deuce and Mabry added a bucket moments later to put the Bees in front 14-10. Brandywine’s Hubbard scored inside to make it a two-point game. But Pagel tallied another two pointer to put his team back up by four. Goins, though, drained the second of his two tripes in the opening period to lessen the Bobcats’ deficit to one, 16-15 entering the second quarter. 

Sophomore Emerson Gogley hit a bucket in the lane to start the second stanza and put Brandywine up 17-16. But the Bees outscored the Bobcats 16-5 the remainder of the period to built itself a double-digit lead entering halftime, 32-22. 

“We had a bad second quarter where we gave them some uncontested layups off back-door cuts. For some reason our spacing was off, maybe our youth  showed up there again. I think the momentum shifted there and we kind’ve got the deer in the headlights look. We didn’t come out flat there, I think we were just overplaying and they would get that cut,” Knapp said. 

“Basketball is a game of runs. We did a nice job of making them attack the basket all nights. Hats off to Bridgman. I hope they can make a run and represent our area. Our kids grew from this season and now they have to decide to put the time and effort into getting better for next season.”

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