By By DAN WEISS / Niles Daily Star
BENTON HARBOR -- For the second straight game the Niles varsity basketball team suffered a tremendous letdown after halftime and sustained a lopsided loss to a Big 16 West Division foe Friday night.
After shooting 48 percent (12-of-25) in the first half and trailing by just six points, the Vikings scored just eight points in the entire second half and lost 79-49 to the host Benton Harbor Tigers.
In its last two games, Niles has been outscored 77-21 after the halftime break.
Friday's loss dropped the Vikings to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in West Division play. The Tigers improved to 5-2 and 3-0.
Niles turned the ball over nine times in the first half but gave it away 17 times in the second half. The Vikings shot just 2-of-12 (17 percent) from the field in the second half.
Benton Harbor, meanwhile, shot 69 percent (18-of-26) from the floor in the second half and turned the ball over only seven times the entire game.
Junior center Wilson Chandler scored a game-high 24 points for the Tigers. Rodney Alexander added 12 while Joique Bell and Justin Webb each added 10 points.
Senior center Brian Ketchum came away with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Vikings, but was the team's only double-figure scorer. Nate Parks added nine points and four assists. Ivery Cross had five rebounds.
Niles outrebounded the Tigers 20-17 in the first half and limited Chandler to just four boards. In the second half, however, Benton Harbor outrebounded Niles 16-7 and Chandler grabbed five more for a total of nine.
The Niles junior varsity also lost, 73-54.
Niles travels to South Bend (Ind.) Washington on Tuesday.
Benton Harbor….79
Niles………………..39
Benton Harbor: Jermaine Sanders 1 0-0 2, Larry Edwards 1 0-0 2, Jay McCree 2 1-2 5, Lonzale Hill 0 0-0 0, Antwan Price 0 0-0 0, Wilson Chandler 10 4-6 24, Demetrius Gordon 4 0-0 8, Joique Bell 3 4-5 10, Rodney Alexander 4 4-6 12, Justin Webb 4 0-1 10, Steve Williams 3 0-0 6. Totals: 32 13-20 79
Niles: Karyce Pulliam 0 0-0 0, Scott Quaye 0 0-0 0, Marcus Lawshea 2 0-0 5, Ivery Cross 1 0-1 2, Stacy Caskey 0 2-2 2, Nate Parks 3 2-3 9, Paul Wreggelsworth 0 0-0 0, Adrian Davis 0 0-0 0, Ben Landgraf 0 0-1 0, Lonnie Jones 1 0-0 2, Jason Rutkowske 0 0-0 0, Andrew Foster 0 0-0 0, Nick Etzcorn 0 3-6 3, John Kessick 1 0-0 2, Brian Ketchum 6 2-4 14. Totals: 14 9-17 39
B. Harbor 17 19 18 25--79
Niles 11 20 4 4--39
3-point shooting: Benton Harbor 2 (Webb 2), Niles 2 (Lawshea, Parks). Team fouls (fouled out): Benton Harbor 16 (none), Niles 16 (none). Team records: Benton Harbor 5-2 (3-0 Big 16 West), Niles 1-5 (0-3)