When Brookside and Amherst square off, their high-powered offenses are fun to watch.
After a close first half, the Comets were the ones having fun in the second half as they pulled away for a 94-71 win on Jan. 31.
Holding a 55-54 lead midway through the third quarter, Amherst (11-7) went on a 37-8 run and led by as many as 30 points late. After losing the night before to Olmsted Falls, the Comets ended their week on a high note.
On the flip side, Brookside’s seven-game win streak came to an end. The Cardinals dropped to 13-3 with all three losses coming to Southwestern Conference opponents.
“We’ve been talking about it. We’ve been emphasizing we got to share the ball,” Amherst coach Pat Bray said. “How many times did you see us make that extra pass tonight and knock down 3’s? I told them it’s a lot easier to shoot a 3-pointer when you got a guy five steps away than two steps. That’s what we’ve been preaching and they bought into it tonight. It was nice to see a lot of shots go through the rim.”
PHOTOS: Amherst vs. Brookside boys basketball, Jan. 31, 2026
Both teams like playing fast and no lead was safe because of it. Amherst got out to a quick 9-2 lead with seven points from Stanley Robinson, but Brookside got 12 points from Ethan Blythe in the first quarter to rally and take a lead of its own. The Comets led after eight minutes, 23-21.
The Cardinals (13-3) never led in the second quarter, but Danny Fries caught fire from beyond the arc to keep them in it. The junior knocked down five 3-pointers in the frame and made six for the game to finish with 18 points.
Facing a 43-35 deficit, Fries and Blythe sparked a 7-0 run late in the half to make it a one-point game. Cy Christensen made a pair of free throws in the final seconds to give Amherst a 45-42 halftime advantage.
“Ethan’s like our fourth scorer. He has had some good games this year. Danny started hitting some shots against last night and has had a few good games. He’s capable,” Brookside coach Larry Babics said. “We feel like all seven of our guys that play a lot all have that capability of doing it in different ways. We trust them all.”
The back-and-forth action continued in the second half before Robinson got going once again. The senior quickly got into a rhythm and knocked down four 3’s in the third quarter. Two baskets from Robinson and a 3-pointer from Peyton Leibacher culminated in a 10-2 run for the Comets. They took a double-digit lead and never looked back.
“When I make one, I always keep shooting,” Robinson said. “Everyone has been telling me I need to get more shots up because I haven’t been shooting that much. … Everyone was making shots. We started playing better defense in the second half. We turned it up on defense.”
Jack Coleman got going late for Amherst. He scored 13 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. Robinson finished with 19 points and Cole Scanlon poured in 17. The Comets’ offense was ready for the challenge.
“It felt great. This was a really good team win,” Coleman said. “We pushed the ball up the court, we shared the ball. It was really fun.”
Blythe scored a game-high 24 points for Brookside and Fries provided a lift with his lights-out shooting. However, the Cardinals only got 20 combined points from Mason Waechter, Zeke Lind and Alex Arra — their top three leading scorers. That proved to be the difference as the trio averages nearly 50 points per game.
“Your best players have to play well against good teams. When they don’t, you have zero chance,” Babics said.
Both teams are back in action on Feb. 3 as Amherst hosts Elyria in a pivotal SWC clash while Brookside looks to stay undefeated in LC8 play at home against Black River.
The score
Amherst 94, Brookside 71