By By MARK ANDERSON / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The Niles Lady Vikings trounced Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills 55-24 in varsity basketball Saturday.
It was never much of a contest. Niles jumped out to a 12-2 lead at first quarter's end and widened the gap to 25-10 at the half, meaning that almost half of Ottawa Hills' points were scored early in game.
Niles' junior forward Sarah Dreher, with 21 points herself, nearly matched Ottawa's game total. She led all scorers in the game. It was her third straight game with 21 points.
Moreover, Niles' Brandie Radde, a 5-10 junior guard/forward who's known for great all-around playing, was out with an injury. She rarely gets through a game without netting at least 17 points, said Viking coach Jim Arnold.
Arnold said he wasn't sure if Radde, the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers, would be available for Tuesday's home game against Benton Harbor.
Niles other top scorers were senior Amber Peters with 12, and seniors Kate Whittaker and Melissa Olson with six points apiece.
Dianna Jordan led Ottawa scorers with eight points.
Niles led 42-17 at the end of the third period, setting the stage for a 13-point fourth quarter, compared to seven points for Ottawa Hills.
Free throws were again a strong-suit for Niles. Although both teams committed 16 fouls in the game, the Vikings went to the free-throw line almost twice as frequently as Ottawa Hills.
The Vikings hit 18-of-29 shots from the line, while Ottawa Hills made 9-of-16.
Niles had 16 total fouls, as did Ottawa Hills. There were no foul-outs.
Niles forced Ottawa Hills into 31 turnovers in the contest. The Vikings, however, turned the ball over 23 times themselves, an exceptionally high number for them, Arnold said.
With the victory, the Vikings remain perfect on the season at 7-0.
The victory was also Arnold's 298th of his career. He goes for 299 Tuesday.
Niles………………….55
Ottawa Hills……….24
OH - Dianna Jordan 2 3-5 8, Ebony Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Ashley Nesby 0 0-0 0, Courtney Banks 1 0-0 2, Tabetha Harvey 0 0-0 0, Rashawnda Gates 0 5-7 5, Quistelle Williams 3 1-2 7, Kendra James 0 0-0 0, Danielle Davis 1 0-2 2. Totals: 7 9-16 24.
NHS - Ashley Pingel 1 0-0 2, Amber Peters 4 3-6 12, Meghan Scameheorn 1 0-2 2, Leigh Tyler 1 0-0 2, Sarah Dreher 5 11-14 21, Stephanee Schrader 0 0-0 0, Jessica Shinsky 1 1-2 3, Kate Whittaker 3 0-0 6, Becca Teske 0 0-1 0, Melissa Olsen 2 2-2 6, Amanda Pingel 0 1-2 1. Totals: 18 18-29 55.
OH 2 10 17 24 - 24
NHS 12 25 42 55 - 55
Halftime score - NHS 25, OH 10
3-point shooting - OH 1 (Jordan); NHS 1 (Peters). Turnovers - OH 31; NHS 23. Fouls (fouled out) - OH 16 (none); NHS 16 (none). Records - OH 3-5; NHS 7-0. JV - NHS 49, OH 39.