Entering Friday night’s Wolverine Conference and home opener, Dowagiac girls basketball coach Floyd Foston was hoping to see improvement.

Dowagiac had dropped a 49-21 decision to Buchanan in its season opener Tuesday night and Foston thought the team played well in spots.

But what Foston got a 51-16 loss to visiting Paw Paw was a team that took several steps backward.

He got a team that turned the ball over 16 times in the opening quarter and 35 times for the game. He got a team that shot 5-of-31 from the field (16 percent) and was outrebounded 37-11.

“We are young,” Foston said. “I am not making excuses, but I guess the bottom line is too many mistakes. We don’t execute out of anything — press break, offense, and defense. That is what we just talked about. We practice. They run the press break in practice the way it was designed to be run. But then we get into a game they act like I never showed them a press break. It is tough. But we are going to keep working and try to get better.”

Dowagiac (0-2, 0-1 Wolverine) scored the first basket of the game, a 3-pointer by Cania Joseph just 44 seconds into the contest.

Paw Paw (1-1, 1-0 Wolverine) would score the next 19 points before Dowagiac would get a free throw from freshman Amiyah Smith with 4:50 remaining in the first half to make it 19-4.

The Redskins would go on to outscore Dowagiac 16-1 over the final four minutes of the second quarter to open up a 35-5 halftime advantage.

Paw Paw scored the first 10 points of the second half to make it 45-5 and put the running clock into motion with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter.

The Redskins led 47-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

Paw Paw would finish the night shooting 19-of-46 (41 percent). The Redskins finished the night with 27 turnovers.

Madison Ball and Mackenzie Newell both finished with 10 points. Brooklyn Walker added nine.

Joseph and Smith both had five points for the Chieftains, who also got three points from Taylor Hulett.

 

PAW PAW 51, DOWAGIAC 16

At Dowagiac

PAW PAW 51

Sam Wanders 2, Hannah Warner 8, Madison Ball 10, Emma Johnson 0, Brooklyn Walker 9, Mackenzie Newell 10, Megan Huggett 4, Rachael Cook 2, Makayla Barnhart 4, Brooke Vantilburg 2. TOTALS: 19 13-19 51

DOWAGIAC 16

Cania Joseph 5, Taylor Hulett 3, Nijah Russell 2, Brittany Strauss 1, Micaela Ruff 0, Taylor Pye 0, Amiyah Smith 5. TOTALS: 5 5-14 16

 

Paw Paw        8          35       47       51

Dowagiac        3          5          6          16

3-point baskets: Paw Paw 0, Dowagiac 1 (Joseph). Total fouls (fouled out): Paw Paw 18 (none), Dowagiac 14 (none). Varsity records: Paw Paw 1-1, 1-0 Wolverine; Dowagiac 0-2, 0-1 Wolverine. JV score: Paw Paw 40 (McKenna Cox 10), Dowagiac 24 (Tania Wilson 15).