The dilemma has vexed every opponent of the Dreher High School boys basketball team this season.

“You have to pick your poison, and there’s a lot of poison to pick,” Brookland–Cayce coach Ricky Bouknight said Tuesday night following the Blue Devils’ 75–67 victory.

For the Bearcats, the fatal poison was Dreher guard Chris Brown. The senior scored 22 first–half points including 14 in a row in the second quarter.

“Chris is a good player by himself,” Dreher coach Jon Richards said. “So, I measure his development by how much he makes his teammates around him better. Sometimes, that means being out on the wing to draw defenders out and open space for other players. Sometimes, it means diving for loose balls and hustling back on defense.”

Against Brookland– Cayce, it meant picking up points from jumpers on the wing and layups in transition.

“It may have looked a little crazy to be playing a zone against them because they are such an outstanding shooting team, but it gave us the best shot of getting a hand in their faces and cutting off penetration and the interior,” Bouknight said.

Dreher (14–3, 2–0) spotted the Bearcats a 7–2 lead before embarking on a 19–5 run. The lead expanded to 13 at intermission and 21 late in the third quarter before the Blue Devils’ play turned ragged. Brookland–Cayce (2–10, 0–2) clawed back within six with about a minute to play.

“We just didn’t take care of the ball,” Richards said of the late comeback by Brookland–Cayce.

Brown finished with a game–high 24 points. Quayshun Hawkins finished with 16. Dominic Boyd and Tyler Harris contributed 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Jonathan Rumph led Brookland–Cayce with 17 points but was held without a basket for the 11 minutes and four first–half points.

“We wanted to come out and force Rumph right the whole game and limit his scoring,” Brown said. “We wanted to run our plays on offense. And we did both.”

In addition to Rumph, Tevin Lyles scored 15, and Curtis Barber added 12. John Coughlin finished with 12. The four double–figure scorers represent one of the most balanced games the Bearcats have played this season.

“That was probably Tevin’s best game, and Coughlin did a nice job stepping up,” Bouknight said. “If we can continue to get contributions like that and continue to play hard, we have a chance to be competitive in our region (5–3A).