THOMASVILLE- The Brookwood Warriors continued their region dominance on Wednesday night, as they defeated the number two-ranked Deerfield Windsor Knights in a resounding 64-33 win. 

The Warriors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 matchups by 20 points or more this season. 

While the win seemed a large margin of victory, the game was much closer than the resulting score appeared. 

The Knights came out strong, ending the first quarter only 3 points shy of tying up the game. 

However, the Warriors would not let up and continued to pour on the points. Headed into the half, the Knights would be down 12 points, but Brookwood Warriors Head Coach Nate VanDuyne felt DWS could still make a comeback. 

“We felt we were in control, but a margin of a 12 is not that significant, they could still come back,” he said. 

Knowing that the Warriors lit up the scoreboard in the third quarter. 

“They played fantastic,” VanDuyne said. “We outscored them 27-5.” 

The significant outscoring made it impossible for the Knights to overcome the deficit with the Warriors icing the game in the final quarter. 

This was the Warriors’ eighth straight win at home, pushing their record to 23-2. But, for the Knights, it was a sad loss. The Warriors ended their 11-game streak of away game wins, dating back to last season, bringing their record to 21-2. 

However, VanDuyne said with the scheduling, the battle for the Region title isn’t over yet, with the teams likely set to face off in the Region Championship one final time. 

“It’s really difficult to play against them, because when you come here, you have to play at our pace and they are used to slowing things down, and we want to speed it up,” VanDuyne said. “For us, it’s about whoever dominates that first quarter has the upper hand.” 

Even though the first quarter was a close one, VanDuyne pointed out that the Knights did not have the offensive firepower or defense to contain the Warriors, resulting in the team putting up 15 points on the board, which they would continue to do in every quarter. 

“At the same time, if we don’t put up those points, it’s going to be a knockdown- drag out, because they (DWS) are incredibly physical,” VanDuyne said. “This rivalry game is really the battle of wills because they are well-coached and well-prepared.” 

VanDuyne has prepared all of his players for the final region stretch, including his freshman, who got some key minutes in the final quarter of the game. 

“Any time you can get a guy some quality game time reps, it’s great,” VanDuyne said. “Once you get to a varsity game, there’s crowd size and pressure and the margin of victory plays a role in the ranking system, so all of the minutes are valuable.” 

This experience carries over into future games and the years to come, but it’s all part of VanDuyne’s larger plan to build a program and not just one team. 

With the JV team set to go undefeated for the season, VanDuyne feels he has achieved that goal and built great depth for future seasons. 

Those JV players will become integral, as Brookwood says goodbye to two seniors, Walker Jackson and Brydie Bryan, who were honored during Thursday night’s game against Tiftarea. 

“The longer you’re at a place, the cooler this night becomes,” he said. “I’ve really watched them grow as not only basketball players and people.” 

VanDuyne applauded Bryan and Jackson’s competitive endurance to make it to Senior Night, as year after year he watches kids give up after camp or even in middle school. 

“Team sports are not easy,” he said. “You have to sacrifice, you have to work card. There are a lot of ends that are undesirable, so it would be easy to pick something else, so to make it to this point speaks a lot to the character of the individual.” 

VanDuyne spoke about Jackson and Bryan’s different journeys, commenting on Jackson’s remarkable growth. 

“As a sophomore, he didn’t play very much, but he didn’t quit,” VanDuyne said. “He took a lot of hard coaching and beatings at practice, and just kept getting better.” 

Jackson was named Region Player of the Year last year, and VanDuyne looks forward to seeing him succeed at the next level, as he continues to develop into his own person. 

VanDuyne will also miss Bryant and his athleticism, which has been integral to the team’s success. 

“He’s just one of those guys who is a playmaker and makes plays,” VanDuyne said. “He just has a natural feel for the game.” 

With such a successful season, VanDuyne has continued to remind the seniors and their teammates to remain humble, as the biggest duels are ahead of them. 

“It’s time to peak,” he concluded.