PORTAGE – Coming into Monday night’s Class A Regional semifinals, Niles coach Todd Pawielski knew his team had to stop Okemos’ Chris Harrison-Docks and Taylor Moton.

Harrison-Docks, who is headed to Butler University next season, scored a game-high 30 points, including 18 in the third quarter as the Chieftains defeated the Vikings 62-50.

The standout Okemos guard did much of his damage in the third quarter when he went 6-of-6 from the field, had four 3-pointers and was 2-of-2 from the free throw line for 18 of the Chieftains’ 22 points.

“It was just too much Chris Harrison-Docks tonight,” Pawielski said.

“We obviously had a hard time with their big guy in the lane. We knew once Harrison-Docks got into the lane it was going to be difficult for us.”

The third quarter proved to be the difference as Okemos turned a 26-26 tie at the half into a 48-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

In the final eight minutes, the Chieftains went inside to Taylor Moton, who is 6-6, 270 pounds and headed to Western Michigan University to play football.

Moton scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as Okemos sealed the victory and advanced to the regional finals Wednesday night, when it will face Ottawa Hills, a 59-58 winner of Jackson.

Niles did not shoot the ball well throughout the contest, with the exception of the second quarter when it got back into the game.

In the third quarter, the Vikings were just 3-of-14 and finished with eight points.

After a slow start shooting, the Vikings bounced back in the second quarter to knot the score at 26-26 by halftime.

Niles shot just 3-of-15 in the opening quarter and ended up on the wrong end of a 14-10 deficit.

Myles Busby got the Vikings off to a 3-0 lead with a triple just eight seconds into the contest.

The Chieftains then went on an 8-0 run to take an 8-3 lead with less than two minutes gone in the opening quarter.

The Vikings chipped away at the lead and took a 10-8 lead on a 3-point by Austin Parks with 2:37 to play in the period.

Okemos would score the final six points of the quarter to take the 14-10 advantage.

Niles shot 5-of-9 in the second quarter, including hitting four of their final five shots.

After the Chieftains went up 16-10 early in the quarter, Niles whittled down the lead, finally tying the contest at 26-26 on a Busby free throw with 3.3 seconds showing on the clock.

The Vikings’ got half of their 16 second-quarter points by Matthew McLaughlin, who finished with eight and had 10 points for the half.

OKEMOS 62
Jacob Rabideau 0 0-0 0; Darius Morris 0 0-0 0; Andrew Leute 0 0-0 0; Chris Harrison-Docks 8-10 30; Denny Hodge 1 0-0 2; Jarred Motley 1 0-0 3; Nathan Janick 0 0-2 0; Peter Nichols 0 0-0 0; Austin Delano 0 1-2 1; Corbin Polec 2 0-0 6; Jackson Miller 2 0-1 4; Nate Lafayette 0 0-0 0; Taylor Moton 7 2-2 16. TOTALS: 21 11-17 62

NILES 50
Myles Busby 3 2-5 11; Matthew McLaughlin 6 6-6 20; Austin Parks 3 0-0 8; Logan Harpenau 2 0-0 5; Aaron Pierce 0 0-0 0; Arias Williams 0 0-0 0; Anthony Bice 0 0-0 0; Taylor Campbell 0 2-2 2; Quintin Irby 0 0-0 0; Jeremy Wortham 0 0-0 0; Mitchell Dehn 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16 10-13 50

Okemos 14 26 48 62

Niles 10 26 34 50

3-point baskets: Okemos 9 (Harrison-Docks 6, Motley, Polec 2), Niles 8 (Busby 3, McLaughlin 2, Parks 2, Harpenau). Total fouls (fouled out): Okemos 14 (none), Niles 19 (Harpenau). Varsity records: Okemos 16-5, Niles 19-5