By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC - It was over almost before it got started.
Top-ranked Benton Harbor outscored Dowagiac 21-2 in the first quarter en route to a 76-28 Big 16 Conference West Division victory Friday night.
Dowagiac did not fare well against the Benton Harbor starters at all Friday night.
In the second half when the starter's returned to the line up, the Chieftains (2-17, 0-8) were outscored 17-0.
However, Dowagiac did play well against Benton Harbor's second unit and coach Greg Blomgren feels that his squad took some positives out of the game.
Dowagiac did not reach double digits in scoring against Benton Harbor until the fourth quarter.
The Chieftains were outscored 18-9 in the second period as Benton Harbor opened up a 39-11 halftime advantage.
In the third quarter Dowagiac was outscored 24-6 by the Tigers despite a running clock halfway through the period.
Benton Harbor held a 13-11 scoring advantage in the final eight minutes.
Mr. Basketball candidate Wilson Chandler led all scorers with 17 points. Chandler also had eight rebounds.
Rodney Alexander and Larry Edwards chipped in with 14 and 10 points respectively.
Dowagiac was led by Chris Primley and Jamie Simpson, both of whom scored six points.
Benton Harbor shot 57 percent from the field and was 9-of-15 from the foul line.
Dowagiac shot 30 percent from the floor and was 5-of-10 from the charity stripe.
The bigger, faster Tigers held a 40-14 advantage in rebounds.
Dowagiac will wrap up the regular season on Friday night when it hosts Sturgis in a Big 16 Conference Challenge Game.
The Chieftains upset the Trojans last Tuesday, 51-47, to pick up its second victory of the season.
The tripleheader is scheduled to begin at 4:15 with the freshmen contest. The junior varsity game is set for approximately 5:45 with the varsity contest set for 7:30 p.m.