Hot-shooting Brickus carries Coatesville past Downingtown West

DOWNINGTOWN >> If you want to beat the Coatesville boys basketball team, you better be ready to do two things.

First, you must somehow match the Red Raiders’ intensity for the full 32 minutes.

Secondly, you have to find a way to slow down the Red Raiders’ dynamic duo of Jhamir Brickus and Dapree Bryant.

Tuesday night at Wagner Gymnasium, that was easier said than done for the host Downingtown West Whippets, as Coatesville came away with a thrilling 73-66 Ches-Mont League National Division win.

Brickus and Bryant combined for 53 of the Red Raiders’ (2-0 Ches-Mont, 3-0 overall) 73 points and Coatesville outscored the Whippets (1-1, 2-3), 44-35, in the second half.

Brickus led all scorers with 29 points, including six 3-pointers, and was looking to shoot the jumper more than he has in his first two years as a Red Raider. Brickus went over the 1,000 point mark last season as a sophomore, and he showed that he can take his game to a another level this season by shooting from outside more often.

“All offseason I worked on my jump shot, and I have a lot of confidence in it, and coach wants me to shoot more,” Brickus said. “And I thought Downingtown got tired in the third when we turned up the defensive pressure.”

The Whippets held a 31-29 lead at halftime, with Will Howard having a big game for West. Howard finished the night with a team-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds, and Cam McCole added 22 for Downingtown West. But, the Whippets couldn’t handle the Red Raiders’ vaunted pressure, as West turned the ball over nine times in the second half and shot just four for 12 from the field in the decisive fourth quarter. In the first half, the Whippets looked like the fresher team with Howard and McCole scoring in tight as the Whippets only turned the ball over six times in the first 16 minutes.

“We turned up the pressure and intensity and they couldn’t match that,” Bryant said. “We really go after them and this year we are looking to shoot the outside shot more and tonight we made them.”

It was a Bryant free throw at the end of the third quarter that gave Coatesville its first lead of the night at 48-47. Coatesville went on a 9-0 run at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth to take control of the game. demure Miller scored six of those Coatesville points, one on a 3-pointer, and Brickus downed the other 3-pointer as Coatesville took a 57-51 lead early in the fourth.

But, Downingtown West did not quit. Howard went strong to the hole, got fouled and hit one free throw to pull the Whippets within 57-54 with 3:02 to play. But Brickus buried his sixth 3-pointer of the night and the Whippets missed two big shots in the lane, and Coatesville opened up a 65-58 lead with just 1:33 to play.

“This is not an equal opportunity offense,” Coatesville coach Fred Thompson said. “Jhamir took the most shots because he is the best player on the team and that is how it works. And, yes, I thought they wore down in the third period when we took charge of the game.”

Coatesville 73, Downingtown West 66

Coatesville 13 16 22 22 – 73
Downingtown West 18 13 16 19 – 66

COATESVILLE (73): J. Brickus 11 1-1 29, Bryant 9 4-4 24, Holmes 1 0-0 2, Santiago 1 0-0 2, Young 1 1-2 3, Miller 4 1-2 10, Proctor 1 0-0 3, D.Brickus 0 0-0 0. Totals  28 7-973

DOWNINGTOWN WEST (66): howard 11 5-8 27, McCole 8 6-7 22, Kaiser 2 2-3 8, Blair 2 3-4 7, Roberson 1 0-0 2, Spann 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 16-22 66.

3-point goals: J.Brickus 6, Bryant 2, Miller, Proctor, Kaiser 2.