It was a tale of two halves for the Brandon varsity basketball team in their return to action Tuesday, Jan. 3.
The Blackhawks overcame a 23-17 halftime deficit to earn a 60-50 win against host Saginaw Heritage in a nonconference game. With the win, the Blackhawks improved to 3-0 on the season.
Brandon took a 12-5 lead after the first period, but Heritage came back to outscore the Blackhawks 18-5 in the second quarter to take command of the game at the half.
Brandon coach Tim Donnan said foul trouble hampered the Blackhawks in the second quarter.
‘Four of our starters had two fouls and one had three,? he said. ‘It was similar to the Goodrich game when our scorers were out.?
In the third quarter, though, the Blackhawks came back to outscore the Hawks 19-11, taking a 36-34 lead at the end of the period. The Blackhawks then held on in the fourth quarter for the win.
The fact that Brandon’s top scorers were on the floor in the third quarter made a big difference, Donnan said. Adam Howard scored all 18 of his points in the second half, while Adrain Harges scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half.
‘When it comes to crunch time, our guys are going to take care of business,? Donnan said.
Although it had been a while since the Blackhawks? previous game, Donnan said the Blackhawks were able to stay sharp because they took part in a scrimmage Dec. 29 against Walled Lake Northern and Mt. Clemens.
‘I think it was easier to deal with than the two weeks between the Goodrich game and Imlay City,? he said. ‘It was more us playing in a tough school on the road. I think it’s a good benchmark game for us.?
In addition to Howard and Harges? efforts for the Blackhawks, Donald Carter contributed 17 points, 13 rebounds and five steals.
Brandon was scheduled to begin a seven-game stretch of Flint Metro League games with a Jan. 6 game at Holly. The Blackhawks? next game is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10 when they host Fenton.