Brandon Lovejoy is used to grabbing the spotlight on Brighton’s boys' basketball team. He once again was the trigger man as he scored 11 of his critical 16 points in the second half of a furious 50-49 district comeback win over heartbroken Hartland Wednesday in the Brighton district semifinals.
This rivalry game wasn’t decided until 24 seconds remained when another junior C.J. Sageman hit the game-winning three-point shot from the corner.
There is another side to this story. Head coach Taylor Langley witnessed many of the Tom Izzo led practices at Michigan State where shoulder pads were more common than pats on the shoulder. Tough guys played. The weak sat.
Langley reminded his team at half time of what Brighton basketball is made of. It is part physical toughness, a dab of mental toughness and a whole lot of heart. Until that point the Bulldogs were being tossed around like rag dolls against the Eagles who stormed to a 26-9 halftime lead.
“We were frustrated, “junior forward Dhylan Edgewood said. “Those are our rivals. It was not just another game.”
Brighton shot 20 percent in the first half, but Lovejoy warmed up in the third quarter. He initiated a 15-4 run that sliced Hartland’s lead to 30-26 with three three-point baskets.
“As soon as I hit the second one I was feeling it,” Lovejoy said. “I knew the rest would go in.”
There is a reason. He has a beautiful shot. It is not Steph Curry beautiful. It is Chris Mullins beautiful.
Brighton (15-8) advances to Friday’s district final (6 p.m.) against Milford (17-6) which beat Howell (13-10) 56-52 in the other semifinals game.
However, the real heroes of the Brighton-Hartland game were junior forwards Tristan Provancher and Edgeworth who pounded the glass and found second and third chances for Lovejoy and Sageman to shine.
Edgewood played with an edge that earned him early foul trouble but also allowed him to flex his muscles.
Brighton took the lead for the first time in the second half on a Lovejoy three, 41-39 early in the fourth quarter. A Sageman trey from the corner game Brighton the lead for good, 50-49 with 23.8 remaining.
Hartland (11-13) is a young team making steady improvements. It is led by junior Parker Sundman (19 points) who is driving the ball to the basket more in addition to hitting three-point shots. He had a chance to win it at the end, but his double clutch shot in the paint missed. It came after the buzzer anyway.
“Our offense isn’t always going to be there,” Langley said. “But your defense and rebounding is. As long as you do that you have a chance.”