Brandon’s varsity boys basketball team faced another tough non-league foe Jan. 11.
The Blackhawks started out competitive against visiting Haslett, but the Vikings blew past the Blackhawks in the first quarter on their way to a 58-34 win.
With the victory, the Vikings, who are ranked sixth in the state in Class B, improved to 9-0 on the season, while the Blackhawks fell to 1-8 overall.
During the first four minutes of the first quarter, the Blackhawks hung tough with the Vikings, and the game was tied at four at one point.
However, the experienced Vikings (who have six seniors, compared to one for the Blackhawks), seized command of the game with 13 straight points to close out the quarter and take a 17-4 lead. Brandon coach Tim Donnan tried substituting different players in an effort to stop the Vikings, but nothing worked.
The second quarter was more of the same, as Haslett outscored Brandon 19-7 to take a decisive 36-11 lead at halftime.
Senior forward Aaron Miller led the Vikings with 16 points, while junior Gary Glasby led Brandon with 10 points.
The Blackhawks had much brighter news Jan. 7, defeating visiting Linden 53-28 to earn their first win of the season and improve to 1-2 in Flint Metro League play.
Brandon started off strong, outscoring the Eagles 10-4 in the first quarter, then seized command of the game by outscoring Linden 18-5 in the second quarter, taking a 28-9 lead at halftime.
Junior Adam Howard sparked the Blackhawks? win with a team-leading 18 points. Howard was solid from the free throw line, connecting on 9-of-11 shots (81.8 percent).
Andrew Koenig added nine points for the Blackhawks, while Jerry Cronk contributed seven points and Erik Allar six.
Donnan said despite the Blackhawks? early-season stuggles, the Martians are still keeping a positive attitude. He said the Blackhawks will be well-tested once they get into the thick of the Flint Metro League schedule.
‘We play a tough non-league schedule so we can play well within the league,? he said.