..First,there is a REASON....a direct opening on the outside of your house from ground level UP....that allowed the water inside which then you say ran down from the top of the wall in the basement.My advise to you would be to go outside and Find the opening(s) and seal/fix it correctly...whatever allowed the water into the house is....Still Open! Maybe you haven`t had a 'prolonged rain' since...or maybe you have but the wind wasn`t blowing the hard rain against that side of the house...ya follow? Possibilities for openings are....Open mortar joints(look at them real close),loose or cracked bricks,any window(may need caulking or windows with screens can be a problem)..any line that enters the home(elec line,gas line,central A/C line) etc.Or ANY crevices!! Some Bricks can be very porous and can release water downward on long heavier rains! If it`s porous bricks you`ll need a good brick repellant or sealer.OR...you can use a hose on a dry day to do a "water test".This is easier if you have a friend help,one of ya`s stays inside and the other goes outside and runs water starting from ground level...and recreating a heavy rain on a certain area starting low and slowly going up.When you find the opening(s) your friend should see water beginning to come in the same spot as it did last fall.Run the hose(water) hard but just hit certain area`s at a time.Slowly but surely you should find the culprit(s).Also..where the 1st course of bricks sit on top of the basement wall can be the problem(openings) for some.Gl! Let us know!