By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
The St. Joseph varsity golf team got a leg up on the rest of the Big-16 Conference West Division schools as it captured the first jamboree of the season hosted by Lakeshore on Tuesday.
The Bears finished two strokes ahead of Niles and four shots better than the host Lancers at The Oaks in St. Joseph.
St. Joseph shot 166 compared to 168 for the Vikings and 170 for the Lancers. Dowagiac shot 177 to finish fourth and Benton Harbor shot 288 to finish fifth.
St. Joseph received 10 points in the division standings by virtue of its victory. Niles has eight points with Lakeshore having six points. Dowagiac and Benton Harbor have four and two points respectively.
St. Joseph's Justin Fulmer grabbed medalist honors on Tuesday as he finished a stroke ahead of Niles' Josh Flock with a 38.
Niles also got a 40 from Matt Molnar, a 42 from Ben Landgraf and a 47 from Daren Martin to account for their team score.
Also playing for the Vikings on Tuesday, but not figuring in the final outcome were Brandon Hoyt with a 48 and Scott Majerek with a 49.
Dowagiac was led by David Maxey who shot 40. Kyle Owen finished with a 45, while Scott Wilkinson and Ken Franz both shot 46. Also playing for the Chieftains were Ken Scott, who shot 48, and Adam Carlson, who shot 50.
Lakeshore was led by a trio of golfers who shot 42. They were Kevin Vandermolan, Jeff Ott and Steve Gathright. Benton Harbor was paced by Justin William, who shot 59.
The West Division will tee it up again on Monday when Dowagiac hosts the next jamboree at Hampshire Country Club. The event is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.