By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Visiting Niles used a balanced scoring attack Thursday night to hand Dowagiac a 63-37 Big 16 Conference West Division setback.
The Chieftains (2-8, 0-4) did a good job containing the Niles duo of Sarah Dreher and Brandie Radde, however, the Lady Vikings had several other players step up and deliver.
Amanda Pingel, Leigh Tyler and Lindsay Craig combined for 29 points to help the Lady Vikings remain just one game behind Benton Harbor in the West Division standings.
Niles got off to a great start against the Chieftains, scoring 16 points in the first five minutes of the contest.
The Lady Vikings (6-2, 4-1 SMAC West) finished with 23 first quarter points, while defensively, Niles limited Dowagiac to just seven.
Dowagiac began to whittle away at the Niles lead in the second quarter and cut the deficit to just 14 points by the intermission.
He noted that the Chieftains began beating his squad to the ball which they were able to turn into points.
Dowagiac outscored the Lady Vikings by just two points (14-12) in the second quarter, however, the Chieftains set the tone for the beginning of the second half.
Trailing 35-21 entering the third quarter, the Chieftains cut the lead to 12 points with 7:21 remaining in the period on a jumper by Holly Lowe.
Niles would outscore Dowagiac 9-3 over the final seven minutes to take a 45-26 lead into the fourth quarter.
Dowagiac tried to keep pace in the final eight minutes but Niles slowly pulled away as Dreher and Radde took over inside.
Niles held an 18-11 scoring advantage in the final stanza to cruise home with the win.
Blomgren added that the pair of Niles standouts took charge of the game in the fourth quarter and his squad had no answers for them.
Dreher led Niles with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Radde finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Vikings also got 10 points each from Pingel and Tyler. Craig finished with nine points. Jessica Shinsky added six points and grabbed six rebounds.
Niles played without starting guard Megan Scameheorn, who is recovering from an automobile accident. Arnold said that he hopes to have her back on Monday.
Dowagiac sophomore Katy Stuppy led all scorers with 21 points. Holly Lowe finished with five points. Jolynn Hawkins added three points and a team-high four rebounds.
Niles shot 40 percent for the game and outrebounded Dowagiac 34-23. The Chieftains shot just 29 percent from the floor. Dowagiac had 23 turnovers compared to just 14 for the Lady Vikings.
NILES 63
Amanda Pingel 4 0-0 10, Leigh Tyler 5 0-0 10, Brandie Radde 5 0-0 11, Sarah Dreher 2 9-11 13, Jessica Shinsky 1 4-6 6, Shelly Aurand 0 0-0 0, Lindsay Craig 2 3-4 9, Stephanee Schrader 0 2-2 2, Lauryn Gibson 0 0-0 0, Brittney Wolverton 0 0-0 0, Rebecca Teske 0 0-0 0, Baysia Cox 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 18-23 63
DOWAGIAC 37
Kim Luthringer 1 0-0 2, Holly Lowe 2 0-0 5, Amy Wood 0 0-0 0, Katy Stuppy 5 7-8 21, Kristy Cooper 1 0-0 2, Sarah Ostyn 0 2-2 2, Jolynn Hawkins 1 1-2 3, Amber Clark 0 2-2 2, Katelyn Roach 0 0-0 0, Sarah Ausra 0 0-0 0, Becky Cleveland 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 12-14 37
Niles 23 35 45 63
Dowagiac 7 21 26 37
Three-point baskets: Pingel (N) 2, Radde (N), Craig (N) 2, Lowe (D), Stuppy (D) 4. Total fouls: Niles 17, Dowagiac 15. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.