By By DAN WEISS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- The first of two challenging matchups this week turned into an 11-point victory for the Niles varsity basketball team as the Lady Vikings beat Marshall 45-34 Tuesday night.
The win lifted Niles to 12-2 on the year and dropped Big-16 East Division-leading Marshall to 11-5 overall.
Niles hosts Loy Norrix, which is ranked No. 9 in Class A, for another Big-16 contest Thursday night.
Despite a strong defensive performance, it wasn't until the third quarter that Niles was able to pull away for good.
Marshall tied the game at 21 apiece on a jump shot by Jenna Williams one minute into the third quarter.
A 3-pointer by Niles' Brandie Radde, though, started a 10-4 run that left Marshall trailing 31-24 at the end of the period.
Marshall was playing without starting sophomore center Paige Dickerson who is averaging 10 points per game. She is nursing an ankle injury.
Two Marshall players fouled out in the fourth quarter and Niles made 12-of-16 free throws in the final period.
Ashley Spriggs and Amber Peters led the Vikings with nine points apiece. Ashley Pingel came off the bench to score eight points and Radde finished with seven.
Peters and Sarah Dreher each grabbed six rebounds.
Arnold credited Pingel and Melissa Olsen for their play in relief of the Viking starters. Both made key free throws in the fourth quarter.
Konkle was happy with her team's defensive effort, but saw the difference in Marshall's lack of ability to put points on the board.
Williams led all scorers with 17 points but was the only Marshall player with more than six points.
The Niles junior varsity team beat Marshall 49-27. Chardae Ross led the Vikings with 16 points and Jessica Shinsky added 10 points.
The Niles freshmen team beat Marshall 38-34. Katie Sebastian paced the Vikings with 10 points while Alex Ranft and Shalayla Thompson each added seven.
Niles……….45
Marshall….34
Niles: Jessica Johnson 1 0-2 2, Brandie Radde 2 2-4 7, Sarah Dreher 1 4-8 6, Amber Peters 1 7-9 9, Ashley Spriggs 4 1-2 9, Melissa Olsen 1 2-2 4, Ashley Pingel 3 2-2 8, Kate Whittaker 0 0-0 0, Megan Scameheorn 0 0-0 0. Totals: 13 18-29 45
Marshall: Jenna Williams 7 2-4 17, Anna Braner 1 0-1 3, Kelly Hughes 0 0-0 0, Sarah Richardson 2 0-0 4, Meagan Mackey 1 2-2 4, Andrea Phillips 0 0-0 0, Elizabeth Neidlinger 0 0-0 0, Allison Willis 0 0-0 0, Salina Michael 2 2-2 6. Totals: 13 6-9 34
Niles 11 10 10 14--45
Marshall 11 6 7 10--34
3-point shooting: Niles 1 (Radde), Marshall 2 (Williams, Braner). Team fouls (fouled out): Niles 16 (none), Marshall 22 (Rachardson, Mackey). Team records: Niles 12-2, Marshall 11-5