KALAMAZOO — Defense travels.
It’s also the key reason that the Brandywine High School girl’s basketball team is headed back to the Final Four.
The tenacious Bobcats packed their defense and that work led to a 50-38 win over Hart in a Division 3 MHSAA quarterfinal contest Tuesday night at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School.
Fab freshman Zaya Price was brilliant for the second straight game with a team-high 17 points as the Bobcats improved to 26-1 with their 11th straight win.
Coach Josh Hood’s team, which lost in the Final Four a year ago, will return to the Breslin Center on the Michigan State campus in East Lansing for a semifinal game. The Bobcats will face Jackson Lumen Christi (23-3) at 2 p.m. Jackson Lumen Christi beat Plymouth Christian Academy 64-32 Tuesday night.
The semifinals begin Thursday at noon with Roscommon (21-3) taking on Pewamo Westphalia (25-2), followed by the Bobcats vs. Titans. The Thursday winners then play for a state title Saturday at 4 p.m.
Hart, which played in Division 2 last season, sees its campaign end at 16-10.
Brandywine is just the third area girls’ basketball program to make three straight trips to the Final Four. It joins Lake Michigan Catholic (1986-88) and St. Joseph’s (1992-94).
“I’m just so proud of these kids, our school, our coaches and our community,” said Brandywine coach Josh Hood in a phone interview Tuesday night as the team made its way back home. “Our girls have never wavered. The standard is the same here. It never graduates.
“I’m so proud of the daily commitment of all of our players, one through thirteen, on this team and our coaches. Our preparation for this game was unbelievable and that’s a credit to our other kids who don’t get a lot of press or a lot of playing time.
“But this is what can happen when everyone checks their egos at the door. This is the 100th win by our senior class. It’s the 79th for us in the past three years. We proudly represent Southwestern Michigan. We don’t get a lot of credit for the basketball around here, but there is some phenomenal basketball, and we are proud to represent our area.”
The Bobcats shook off a slow start and used a big second quarter effort to take control. Brandywine led 7-5 after the opening period as both teams struggled to score. A 9-0 run to end the opening half though pushed the Brandywine lead to 20-8 at intermission. The Bobcats built on the lead even though Zaya Price had a pair of fouls and sat most of the second period. Lily Gill had five key points in the quarter.
Brandywine did not score in the opening frame until a pair of free throws by Gill tied the contest at 2-2 with 3:30 to play. The first Bobcat bucket of the game came on a jumper by junior Mackenna Price with 2:27 left that gave her team a 5-4 lead.
Brandywine, known for its all-out pressure on the defensive end, simply stymied the Pirates in the second period. Hart had just one basket in the quarter, a trey by junior guard Rilynn Porter and turned the ball over nine times in the pivotal stanza.
“Everyone knew from day one 17 years ago when I took over the program that our staple is our defense,” Hood said. “It’s what separates us and it’s what wins championships.”
The Bobcats, who were state runner-up in 2024, stretched the lead to 23-10 one minute into the final half on a trey by senior Karleigh Byrd. Brandywine had misfired on 11 of its 3-point shot attempts in the opening half.
Hart, which lost to Brandywine 62-52 two years ago in a regular season game in Niles, cut the lead to 31-23 at the end of the third period. Porter scored 13 of her team’s 15 points in the period.
The Bobcats, who have not missed a beat despite losing seven seniors from a 27-1 team, saw their lead cut to six at 38-32 with 3:49 to play. Brandywine never flinched as Zaya Price scored seven clutch points in the final period. Junior Lily Gill went 4-of-6 from the free throw line and Byrd was 3-of-4 to seal the deal.
Hood is now 376-39 in his 17th season as the Brandywine girls coach. The Bobcats are 100-7 over the past four seasons and Hood, who played at Brandywine, now has 501 career coaching wins.
Zaya Price, a 5-9 freshman, led the way with 17 points. She had 22 points in the 62-50 regional title game win over Kalamazoo Christian on March 11.
“Zaya is only a freshman by her year in school on the roster,” Hood remarked. “Her confidence never wavers. We’ve had a lot of great players go through this program but if Zaya keeps working, and I know that she will, she will be one of the best wev’e ever had.
“Zaya is relentless in her pursuit of greatness, just like all of her teammates.”
Porter led Hart with a game-high 21 points. She entered play Tuesday night leading her team in scoring at 15.3 ppg. and had hit 59 treys. She hit three triples Tuesday night.
The Pirates had won their regional title game last week by a 51-49 count as Reese Smith scored 21 points
Byrd finished with 12 points and Gill scored 11 points for the Bobcats.
Both Gill, who averages 13.7 ppg., and Byrd (9.3 ppg.) were starters on the team that lost 31-29 to Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in the semifinals a year ago on a pair of free throws off a controversial foul call with just two seconds to play.
Mackenna Price finished with seven points and senior Mary Pellow added three for the Bobcats.
Hart finished the game with 21 turnovers.
Hood was stoked that his squad and fans will make another trip to the Breslin Center.
“I can’t wait for little, small school Brandywine to make the trip to the Breslin Center again,” Hood emphasized. “Our fans know the way there. There’s no GPS that’s going to be required for them.
“And we are going to be ready to rock on Thursday.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Defense carries Brandywine girls basketball back to the Final Four
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
