The Brandon varsity girls basketball team could not take advantage of the opportunities presented to them against Clio Oct. 11.
As a result, the Mustangs prevailed in a 44-37 contest, dropping the Blackhawks to 7-4 overall and 3-3 in the Flint Metro League.
The two teams played evenly through the first half, with the Blackhawks leading 7-5 after the first quarter and 16-15 at halftime.
However, the Mustangs gradually pulled away for the win. Despite Brandon making six three-pointers in the game, it was free throw shooting that ultimately made a difference in the game’s outcome.
Brandon shot a subpar 6-for-27 from the free throw line (22.2 percent), while Clio shot 18-of-29 (62.1 percent).
Savannah Stedman led Brandon in scoring with 14 points, while Chelsea Wengren added eight points.
In a seesaw Flint Metro game Oct. 6 at Brandon, the Blackhawks triumphed in the end, defeating visiting Linden 47-44.
The Eagles led at the end of each of the first three quarters, but couldn’t quite put the Blackhawks away. Linden led 18-17 at halftime and 35-30 at the end of the third quarter.
However, the Blackhawks put together a 17-9 run in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory.
The Blackhawks were the more aggressive team in getting to the free throw line, shooting 15-of-24 (62.5 percent) compared to Linden’s 4-of-4 performance from the charity stripe.
Stedman had another solid all-around game for the Blackhawks with 20 points, eight rebounds and five blocks.
Brooke Schaefer added eight points for the Blackhawks, while Mikki Nuccio scored six.