Special to the Enquirer
Brewer’s Michael Childers shoots over the top of Priceville’s No. 2 Seth Hood.

By Russell Frye For the Enquirer

To quote the famous author Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This is the best way to describe the Brewer and Priceville boys basketball game Thursday night.

Brewer started the first quarter playing lights out on the defensive end of the floor. The Patriots forced three quick turnovers inside the first two minutes of the game as they built an early lead.

However, that was as good as it would get for the Patriots in the first half. Priceville outscored the Patriots 8-2 over the final few minutes of the quarter and led 8-6 heading into the second quarter.

The Bulldogs dialed up long distance in the second quarter as they nailed four three-pointers. Tyon Jones made two of the long-distance shots.

The Bulldog defense held Brewer to nine points in the quarter and extended the lead to 11 points, 26- 15, at the halftime break.

During the first half, Priceville played an unselfish brand of basketball, as they had nine assists on their 10 made baskets.

For Brewer, it was the worst of times; for the visiting Bulldogs, it was the best of times.

The third quarter started with Brewer determined to switch roles with the Bulldogs. Behind some hot shooting from Brewer, and Priceville going ice cold to start the third, the Patriots went on a 16-2 run over the first six minutes. The run allowed the Patriots to come back from the 11-point deficit.

The Bulldogs, however, scored a couple of baskets late in the third to take a 32-31 lead into the fourth.

The Patriot defense forced several turnovers early in the quarter to help Brewer come back to take the lead. In the middle of the quarter, Priceville scored a couple of baskets to take a two-point lead.

The final couple of minutes saw the Bulldogs miss three shots inside of five feet. The Patriots took advantage of the missed shots to come back and take the lead for good with a little more than a minute left.

Brewer outscored Priceville 9-4 in the final stanza to win the game by a final score of 40-36.

To complete the story, the second half was the best of times for the Patriots, and it became the worst of times for the Bulldogs.

Brewer was led by three players scoring in double digits. Levi Kelley scored a team-high 12 points; Michael Childers added 11 points; Conner Hall scored 10 points.

The Bulldogs were led by Jones, who scored 12 points, while Trey Summers added nine points. The Patriots improved to 6-14, while Priceville fell to 6-14.

Girls

Special to the Enquirer

Priceville’s No. 24 Jenna Walker looks to drive around Brewer’s No. 14 Leisha Steger in second half action.

The Priceville Lady Bulldogs traveled to Florette to play the Brewer Lady Patriots for the second time this season. Brewer won the previous matchup, played at Priceville, by a score of 39-36, holding the Lady Bulldogs to 12 points in the final two quarters.

In what is becoming a storyline for the Lady Bulldogs the past three games, they got off to a slow start again as Brewer took a 9-6 lead heading to the second quarter.

The Priceville defense took over the game in the second, holding the Lady Patriots to five points. The Lady Bulldogs scored 12 points to take an 18-14 lead into the halftime break.

The third quarter was dominated by both defenses. The Lady Bulldogs held Brewer to four points in the quarter; however, the Lady Patriot defense kept the game close by only allowing eight points.

The final eight minutes of the game made up the offensive quarter for both teams. The Lady Bulldogs allowed six baskets and made three baskets. The difference in the quarter and ultimately the game was Priceville hitting 14 out of 16 free throws to just four made free throws for the Lady Patriots.

Priceville was led by Kathleen Wheeler’s double-double, 12 points and 10 rebounds. Skyler Benson added a game-high 13 points. Other Lady Bulldogs who scored were Jenna Walker (7), Abigail Garrison (6), Brianna Marquette (4), Lannah Johnson (3) and Olivia Duran (2).

Brewer was led by Jacie Andrews, who scored eight points. Evaiah Burrows, Hannah Graves and McCarley Northway each added six points.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 16-4 for the season. The Lady Patriots fell to 12-7.