By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
The Dowagiac varsity basketball team rebounded from a tough loss last week to Paw Paw with a resounding victory Tuesday night.
The Chieftains (2-1) shot 57 percent in the second half en route to a 66-36 win over visiting Hartford.
Despite leading 28-18 at the intermission, Dowagiac coach Greg Blomgren knew his squad should have been in front of the Lady Indians by much more.
Dowagiac shot just 12-of-31 in the opening half (39 percent), missing several lay ups.
The Chieftains were also outrebounded in the first half by 10 (22-12).
The talk worked as Dowagiac was 16-of-28 in the second half from the field and outrebounded Hartford 24-16.
After hanging with the Chieftains for the first quarter, Hartford was unable to keep pace in the second period and for the remainder of the contest.
Dowagiac grabbed a 10-8 lead after eight minutes of play and then outscored Paw Paw 18-10 in the second quarter to open up a 28-18 halftime advantage.
Dowagiac opened up a four-point advantage to start the second quarter, but Hartford quickly responded to make it a 12-10 contest when Sammy Kimp hit a jumper.
Dowagiac scored back-to-back buckets to increase its advantage to six points, 16-10, when Katy Stuppy and Beth Williams both made lay ups.
Hartford rallied again, cutting the lead to 16-14 with 2:58 remaining in the first half on a lay up by Krista Traver.
Dowagiac would score the next 12 points before the Lady Indians finally stopped the run on a basket with 56 ticks remaining on the first half clock.
Kristy Cooper had a pair of baskets during the run, while Amy Wood had a basket and a steal to help spark the scoring spree.
Dowagiac came out of the lockerroom as hot as it went into it as the Chieftains outscored Hartford 21-9 in the pivotal third quarter.
Hartford opened the second half scoring with a basket by Kimp, but the Chieftains rolled off six straight points to increase their lead to 34-20 with 6:12 remaining in the period.
Back-to-back buckets by Hartford made it a 36-24 contest.
In fact, the Lady Indians cut the lead to 36-27 on a three-pointer by Kimp before the Chieftains shifted into high gear and put the game away.
Dowagiac scored the final 12 points of the third quarter, including three-pointers from Stuppy and Williams, to head into the final eight minutes with a 49-27 advantage.
The scoring run didn't end with the horn in the third quarter as Dowagiac scored the first two points of the fourth period to up its advantage to 51-27.
Hartford managed just nine points in the final stanza, while Dowagiac pumped in 17 points.
Stuppy led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and six steals.
Dowagiac also got nine points from Holly Lowe and Williams, while Cooper finished with eight points.
Kim Luthringer and Jolynn Hawkins chipped in with six points each.
Luthringer finished with a team-high seven rebounds, while Hawkins finished with six rebounds. Hawkins also had five steals.
Hartford got 13 points from Kimp and 10 points from Bethany Smith.
JV basketball
Dowagiac picked up its first win of the season as it defeated visiting Hartford Tuesday night, 33-13.
The Chieftains (1-2) shut out the Lady Indians in the first half, outscoring Hartford 16-0 in the process.
Shardatsha Fitchett led the Chieftains with 12 points, while Sarah Shelton finished with seven points and Allison Frontczak six points.