Defending FAA Tournament champion Brunswick School of course, has hopes of adding another league title to its collection this season, so it’s important for the Bruins to have the best regular season record in the FAA and earn the home court advantage heading into the postseason.

That’s why Wednesday’s game against FAA foe St. Luke’s School had extra significance to the Bruins, who are aiming to once again, be the team to beat in the FAA.

This matchup between longtime FAA rivals was close during the opening portion of the first half, but the Bruins imposed their will as the game progressed. By halftime, Brunswick held a 15-point lead and they added on to its advantage in the second half on its way to recording a convincing 72-53 home win.

The victory improved Brunswick’s record to 2-1 in the FAA and 3-6 overall. The Bruins lost to King School in their FAA-opener, but have defeated league opponents Rye Country Day School and St. Luke’s since.

In Wednesday’s gave versus the Storm, sophomore point guard Jack Stevens turned in a sensational performance, scoring a game-high 20 points, 17 of which came during the pivotal first half.

Junior center Matty Augustine, a co-captain, posted 14 points and helped power the Bruins on the defensive and offensive backboards.

“It was good, we’ve had a rough start to the season, but it was nice to get a good league win at home,” the 6-foot-7 Augustine said. “We had a really strong season last year, winning the league, so was important to come out and dominate.”

Sophomore guard/forward Connor Robinson scored eight points, six of which came in the second half, while junior guard Ethan Long and junior power forward JP Pray added seven points apiece for the Bruins.

“The aspects that pleased me most in this game was our defense and the way that we moved the ball offensively,” Brunswick coach Steve Juricek said. “We shared the ball and made the extra pass.”

The Bruins led 44-29 at halftime, the increased their lead to more than 20 points for most of the second half. Their man-to-man defense and 2-3 zone were effective throughout against the Storm.

“The first four minutes were really key,” Augustine said. “I thought we were active all-around on defense. Our press, man and 2-3 – all three were great defensively.”

“The intensity we played with from start to finish was great,” Juricek noted.

St. Luke’s received nine points from senior point guard Gavin Sommers and eight points from junior guard Asher Abeles-Tierney. The lead changed hands several times during the first eight minutes of the game, before the Bruins took the lead for good at 22-19 when Stevens swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 7:15 remaining in the first half, prompting the Storm to call a timeout.

Three-pointers from Long and Stevens built the Bruins lead up to 29-21 at the 5:30 mark of the opening half. Junior Will Graves got loose on a fastbreak and threw down a dunk, upping Brunswick’s advantage to 31-21 late in the first half. Robinson tipped in a missed shot in transition and Stevens converted a layup while being fouled, then sank the foul shot, putting the hosts ahead, 40-25, with approximately two minutes to play in the opening half.

Despite leading 44-29 at halftime, the Bruins knew they still had to be at their best in the second half against one of their FAA rivals.

“Everybody in the FAA is tough and well coached, so you don’t really have a night off against an FAA team,” Juricek said. “We were preparing for them this week. They’re great shooters, they play tough defense and it doesn’t matter what the lead is, they never quit.”

Robinson sparked the Bruins in the second half, effectively running the floor and scoring six second-half points. Augustine grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, then Stevens converted a 3-point shot, to start the second half scoring for the home team.

“It was a team win, everyone was having fun and passing the ball,” Stevens said. “Defending, getting out in transition and giving up the ball were the keys to this win.”

Graves scored five points, Bryce Davis had four points, Will Schmitz totaled two points and London Ulysse posted two points in the winning effort. Caden Bowling scored on a fastbreak dunk and Lee Huffard made a free throw for the victors. Kaelon Commodore contributed seven points for the Storm.

Last season, Brunswick defeated new neighborhood rival Greenwich Country Day School in the championship game of the FAA Tournament. The league was balanced one season ago, with each team being competitive and it seems to be the same this year.

“I think everybody is doing a good job in the league,” Juricek said. “Everybody in this league can beat anybody else on any given night.”

Said Augustine of the team’s win against the Storm: “We had a rough start to one of our league games against King, but we were here to show everyone what we can do and I thought we were as strong as we were last year.”