By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The beat goes on for the Lakeshore Lancers.
Lakeshore has won every one of the SMAC Team Wrestling Tournaments held at the Battle Creek Kellogg Arena.
Friday night was no different.
The Lancer defeated Niles in the championship match 39-21 to win their fourth SMAC championship.
Kalamazoo Central was third with Portage Northern finishing fourth, Coldwater finishing fifth and Dowagiac finishing sixth.
Seventh went to Battle Creek Lakeview, while Sturgis finished eighth. St. Joseph was ninth and Mattawan 10th, while Battle Creek Central, Portage Central, Battle Creek Harper Creek, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Marshall and Benton Harbor rounded out the order of finish.
Lakeshore has never lost a dual match since the tournament was inacted for the 2002-03 season.
Lakeshore was never headed on Friday as the Lancers went 3-0 in pool play and won by an average score of 68-10.
In the semifinals, the Lancers dispatched Portage Northern 43-17.
Niles also wrestled well on Friday as the Vikings were 3-0 in pool play - having defeated Sturgis (61-10), Marshall (62-15) and Battle Creek Central (54-18).
In the semifinals, the Vikings defeated Kalamazoo Central 66-12.
Dowagiac did not fare as well at the Kellogg Arena.
The Chieftains were 2-1 in pool play, their victories coming against Harper Creek, 51-24 and St. Joseph, 32-31. Dowagiac won the tiebreaker with most major decisions. The Chieftains lost to Kalamazoo Central, 37-23.
In the fifth place group, Dowagiac defeated Sturgis 52-22.
In the match for fifth place, however, the Chieftains fell to Coldwater 38-31.
SMAC Team Wrestling
Tournament
Championship Round
First Place
Lakeshore 39, Niles 21
Third Place
Kalamazoo Central 37, Portage Northern 31
Fifth Place
Coldwater 38, Dowagiac 31
Seventh Place
Lakeview 40, Sturgis 27
Ninth Place
St. Joseph 40, Mattawan 28
11th Place
B.C. Central 43, Portage Central 37
13th Place
Harper Creek 48, Loy Norrix 21
15th Place
Marshall 60, Benton Harbor 18
Semifinals
First Place Group
Lakeshore 43, Portage Northern 17
Niles 66, Kalamazoo Central 12
Fifth Place Group
Coldwater 46, Lakeview 24
Dowagiac 52, Sturgis 22
Ninth Place Group
Mattawan 54, Portage Central
St. Joseph 51, B.C. Central 8
13th Place Group
Loy Norrix 30, Benton
Harbor 15
Harper Creek 48, Marshall 36
Pool Play Round 1
Lakeshore 73, Loy Norrix 6
Lakeview 57, Portage Central 20
Niles 61, Sturgis 10
B.C. Central 39, Marshall 36
Portage Northern 37,
Mattawan 31
Coldwater 81, Benton Harbor 9
Dowagiac 32, St. Joseph 31 (wins tiebreaker)
Kalamazoo Central 45,
Harper Creek 34
Round 2
Lakeshore 74, Portage Central 6
Lakeview 54, Loy Norrix 20
Niles 62, Marshall 15
Sturgis 39, B.C. Central 36
Portage Northern 75, Benton
Harbor 6
Coldwater 50, Mattawan 27
Dowagiac 51, Harper Creek
Kalamazoo Central 35, St.
Joseph 32
Round 3
Lakeshore 58, Lakeview 18
Portage Central 39, Loy
Norrix 22
Niles 54, B.C. Central 18
Sturgis 43, Marshall 34
Portage Northern 34,
Coldwater 30
Kalamazoo Central 37,
Dowagiac 23
St. Joseph 45, Harper Creek
Mattawan 80, Benton Harbor
Pool Standings
Pool A
Lakeshore 3-0, Battle Creek Lakeview 2-1, Portage Central 1-2, Loy Norrix 0-3
Pool B
Niles 3-0, Sturgis 2-1, Battle Creek Central 1-2, Marshall 0-3
Pool C
Portage Northern 3-0, Coldwater 2-1, Mattawan 1-2, Benton Harbor 0-3
Pool D
Kalamazoo Central 3-0, Dowagiac 2-1, St. Joseph 1-2, Battle Creek Harper Creek 0-3