Most nights, it doesn’t take much to draw a crowd when the Brighton and Howell boys basketball teams get together.
Tonight will be an exception.
Bragging rights are always important, of course, but tonight[s meeting will also impact the race for the KLAA West Division title.
The game will be broadcast on the Livingston Post beginning at about 6:50 p.m. Click here for the link.
Brighton currently sits in first place,in the division, a ga,e ahead of Howell and Canton. A Brighton win would keep the Bulldogs alone in first place, while a howell victory would creat t lest tie for first with Howell, with Canton included should the Chiefs beat last-place Salem.
“It’s a good place to be in, for sure.” Brighton coach ike Griest said. “We’ve talked about getting to that position, and now that we’ve gotten it, we want to try to keep it.”
The Bulldogs (13-2 overall, 7-1 KLAA West) will try to do so against the only division team to defeat them this season. Howell (9-4, 6-2) beat Brighton 55-52 in overtime last month. Brighton led mot of the way, only to see the Highlanders tie it near the end of regulation.
Both teams are looking to get off to fast starts, and bot4h coches re expecting defensive challenges from opponents who have multiple shooters. The Highlanders feature Logan Leppek and Jaylen HIcks as scoring threats, but Andrew Weber and Arik Pietila have had their moments; both were in double figures in Tuesday’s win over Canton.
“They have a couple of kids who are really shooting it,” Griest said. “We have to make sure they don[t feel comfortable, and the same goes for their other guys. They hve a lot of guys who can score. We’d love to jump out to a big lead, biut you know, we did that in the last game.”
Howell faces similar challenges. Eddie Millington and Ashton Tomassi lead the Bulldogs in scoring, but forward Ben Anderson has been a force inside while regularly scoring in double figures in recent contests.
A large crowd is expected.
“We’ve had some good battles over the years,” Griest said. “This is the last game we’re scheduled to play this season. so it’s important to both teams. We’re familar with each other, and I think that familiarity will be an dvntge for both teams. It could come down to who uses that familiarity more to their advantage.”
