By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
It wasn't pretty, but Niles played well enough to beat St. Joseph and win the Big 16 West Division.
Niles overcame 22 turnovers Tuesday and poor shooting at times to beat the Bears 54-34. The victory gave the Vikings a 7-1 record in the division, the same as Benton Harbor. Niles has more victories against schools in the SMAC's other two division than the Tigers, thus winning the tie-breaker for the division title.
Had Niles lost the game, Benton Harbor would have won the division. Vikings' head coach Jim Arnold said the must-win game put pressure on his team, forcing them into errors.
The pressure was evident in the first quarter, as the Vikings had one fewer turnover, 10, than points, 11. The Bears had eight turnovers of their own, as they trailed 11-7 after the period.
The second quarter was just messy, as the two teams combined to shoot 29 percent and turn the ball over 12 times. Niles was able to outscore the Bears 12-6, however, and take a 23-13 lead into halftime.
Niles stretched its lead to 16 points after three quarters and 20 points at the end of the game. In the game, the Vikings nearly doubled St. Joseph in rebounds, 42-24.
One of the biggest reasons for Niles' victory was the play of Sarah Dreher. Dreher scored 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Both head coaches acknowledged her presence in the post changed the flow of the game.
Niles didn't shoot well from outside Tuesday, but Dreher's inside scoring bailed out the Vikings, Arnold said.
The Bears started the ball game denying Niles the ball to the inside. In the first quarter, the Vikings had three consecutive turnovers trying to force the ball inside to Dreher. Eventually, the Vikings got her the ball, as 10 of her game-high 22 points came in the first half.
Niles won the West Division for the second year in a row and the sixth time in eight years. The Vikings have one more game, Thursday at Battle Creek Central in an SMAC crossover contest.
The Vikings' junior varsity squad lost 44-34 to the Bears. Kelsey Neilson had eight points for Niles, and Courtney Teske and Kayla Gross added six apiece. The freshmen team won 31-17, guided by Rachel Shinsky's six points.
Niles…………..54
St. Joseph……34
St. Joseph (34) - Rebecca Ziebart 1 0-0 3, Anna Schueneman 0 1-3 1, Katie Ryan 1 0-0 2, Megan Mejeur 4 4-8 12, Molly Emlong 2 2-2 6, Lauren Maddox 0 0-4 0, Melissa Blake 1 0-0 2, Rachel Young 3 2-6 8. Totals: 12 9-23 34.
Niles (54) - Ashley Pingel 0 0-0 0, Amber Peters 3 3-7 9, Meghan Scameheorn 0 0-0 0, Brandie Radde 3 2-2 8, Sarah Dreher 9 4-5 22, Stephanee Schrader 0 0-0 0, Jessica Shinsky 0 0-0 0, Kate Whittaker 2 3-5 7, Becca Teske 0 0-0 0, Melissa Olsen 2 4-4 8. Totals: 19 16-23 54.
St. Joseph 7 13 22 34 - 34
Niles 11 23 38 54 - 54
Halftime score - NHS 23, SJ 13
3-point shooting - St. Joseph 0; Niles 0. Rebounds - St. Joseph 24 (Blake 5); Niles 42 (Radde 9, Whittaker 9). Fouls (fouled out) - St. Joseph 16 (none); Niles 16 (none). Records - St. Joseph 11-8, 3-5; Niles 16-2, 7-1.