Brighton boys basketball coach Taylor Langley ducked his head during a full sprint into the visitor’s locker room where he was swarmed with water, loud cheers and elation following a satisfying 55-42 victory over bitter rival Howell Friday night.
Beating Howell on the road still matters for Brighton (8-1 overall, 3-0 in the KLAA) even though the bigger goal is to win the conference, make a deep run in the MHSAA state playoffs and join Michigan’s upper crust of boys basketball.
“Winning on the road at Howell means a lot to our kids,” Langley said. “When you have communities that touch each other. These kids grew up around each other. They grew up competing against each other. I am a coach that encourages us to celebrate those moments, because so few teams win their last game of the season, I think it is better to enjoy the process and the journey along the way. Our guys earned the right to celebrate and enjoy that moment.”
Brighton wore down the spunky Highlanders (6-4, 1-2) during a bone-crushing 28-18 second half scoring advantage in which 6-foot-7, 220-pound center Dylan Edgeworth (17 points) escaped the inside pounding of the Highlanders to step outside and hit two important three-point shots as Brighton broke away from a 32-29 slugfest to win going away.
Overall, Edgeworth hit four three-point shots and added five rebounds. Brighton remains a football school although Langley is hoping to change that.
Brighton is in an early three-way tie atop the conference along with Hartland and Canton.
Edgeworth is one of the best tight ends in the state and plans to attend Grand Valley to play football in the fall. It’s wall to wall football at Brighton although Edgeworth and football pal Brandon Lovejoy (20 points) escape the grid iron grind to put up shots and work on basketball, a sport they hope becomes elite at Brighton.
“We’re getting close although there is always room for improvement, especially on the defensive end,” Lovejoy said. “We’re almost there. We are playing really well right now.”
Avery Livermore paced Howell with 14 points.