Vikings open the flood gates on Chiefs
Published 4:53 pm Wednesday, January 25, 2006
By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC - Red-hot shooting from behind the arc led the visiting Niles Vikings to a 67-45 Big 16 Conference West Division victory over Dowagiac Tuesday night.
Niles coach Denny Parks said that his team was ready to play prior to Tuesday night's contest and the Vikings came out and proved their veteran coach right.
Niles (7-5, 3-1 West) hit 5-of-16 first half three-point attempts (31 percent) as it built up a 35-23 halftime advantage.
Actually, both teams played well out of the gate.
The Chieftains and Vikings combined for 33 points, however, it was Niles with a late spurt that held a seven-point advantage when the buzzer sounded, 20-13.
Dowagiac tried to keep pace with the Vikings and did a pretty decent job until the final 1:30 of the first half.
The Chieftains (3-7, 0-4 West) turned the ball over three times in the final minute and a half and gave up a three-pointer at the buzzer which extended the Vikings' lead to 35-23.
After turning the ball over with just seconds left on the clock, Niles' Nate Parks buried a three-pointer as the horn sounded.
Both teams shot well from the floor in the first half as Niles connected on 50 percent of its attempts and Dowagiac 46 percent.
But it was the turnovers that hurt the Chieftains in the first half, and eventually the entire contest.
Dowagiac finished with 14 turnovers compared to just 11 by Niles.
The Vikings also held a 28-23 advantage in rebounding.
The third quarter saw the Vikings turn the game into a blowout as Niles outscored Dowagiac 18-10 to open up a 20-point advantage (53-33) heading into the final quarter.
Dowagiac played nearly even with the Vikings, who were substituting liberally during the period.
Niles was led by Nick Etzcorn's 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Vikings also got 13 points from Brandon Thomas and nine points from Tom Robson. Peter Brandstatter added eight points and four rebounds to draw praise from his coach.
Dowagiac was led by Amos Clark's 11 points off the bench. Mike DeRose added 10 points, while Chris Primley was held to just five points. Primley did grab seven rebounds despite limited playing time due to foul trouble.
Niles finished the game shooting 52 percent from the floor. Dowagiac finished the game shooting just 37 percent from the field.
Niles is back in action on Friday when it travels East to take on Battle Creek Central.
The Chieftains will also head East as they play Kalamazoo Loy Norrix.
NILES 67
Pete Brandstatter 2 4-4 8, Nick Etzcorn 8 0-0 16, Ben Hansen 2 0-0 4, Josh Moffitt 1 0-1 2, Nate Orr 2 1-3 5, Jordan Parks 0 0-0 0, Nate Parks 1 1-2 4, Tom Robson 3 0-0 9, Danny Rodts 2 0-0 6, Brandon Thomas 5 2-4 13, Matt Peters 0 0-0 0. Totals: 26 8-14 67
DOWAGIAC 45
Jamere Bacon 0 1-2 1, Chris Primley 2 1-2 5, Mike DeRose 3 2-2 10, Amos Clark 4 3-4 11, David Stuppy 0 0-2 0, Shawn Irvin 3 0-2 6, Oscar Wilson 0 2-2 2, Jamie Simpson 1 0-0 2, Drakkar Allen 0 0-0 0, Toby Montgomery 0 0-0 0, Tony Black 0 0-2 0, Nick File 0 0-0 0, D.J. Edgerly 0 1-2 1, Andy Cuthbert 3 1-2 7. Totals: 16 11-22 45
Niles 20 35 53 67
Dowagiac 13 23 33 45
Three-point baskets: Robson (N) 3, Rodts (N) 2, N. Parks (N), Thomas (N), DeRose (D). Total fouls: Niles 17, Dowagiac 16. Fouled out: None. Technicals: Dowagiac coach. Varsity records: Niles 7-5, 3-1 West Division; Dowagiac 3-7, 0-4