Dowagiac thumps Allegan

Published 3:32 pm Wednesday, October 25, 2006

By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
A quick start helped the visiting Dowagiac girls' varsity basketball team to a 66-35 Wolverine Conference victory over Allegan on Tuesday night.
The Chieftains got off to a 12-0 start against the Lady Tigers and took a 17-8 lead into the second quarter.
"It was a better start," Dowagiac coach Greg Blomgren said. "It was an aggressive start, which is a good sign for us. It has been something we have been trying to focus on. We aren't just settling for 3-point shots. We are penetrating and getting to the foul line. We are penetrating and kicking it out for 3-pointers."
Dowagiac connected on 10 3-pointers, five each from freshman Torie Lowe and junior Katy Stuppy.
The Chieftains (10-5 overall, 10-3 Wolverine Conference) got to the free throw line plenty against Allegan, but uncharacteristically Dowagiac hit just 8-of-20 attempts.
"We could have done a little better job at the line tonight," Blomgren said. "And we usually do."
The Chieftains continued to pour in the points as they outscored the Lady Tigers 20-15 in the second quarter. The five-point scoring advantage left Dowagiac with a 37-23 halftime lead.
Things didn't get any better in the second half for Allegan.
"We knew the Allegan girls would play hard," Blomgren said. "We didn't let the girls forget what happened to us up here last year. They hammered us pretty good. That was kind of a motivating factor for us. I thought we kept our focus all night."
Dowagiac scored 18 more points in the third quarter while holding Allegan to just five points. In fact, the Lady Tigers scored just 12 points in the second half.
Dowagiac had 29 points in the second half, which allowed the Chieftains to coast home with the victory.
Stuppy led all scorers with 25 points. Lowe added 22 points, while freshman Britnee Allerton added six points and sophomore Tasia Diaz five points.
Paige Barnhardt led the Lady Tigers with 15 points. No other Allegan player reached double figures.
The Chieftains return to action on Thursday when they host Comstock in another Wolverine Conference contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
Dowagiac continues to play without senior starter Holly Lowe. Lowe is scheduled to undergo a MRI today. Results of the test will not be known for several days according to Blomgren.
DOWAGIAC 66
Beth Williams 0 0-0 0, Jaskarin Kaur 0 0-0 0, Lindsey Truitt 0 0-0 0, Torie Lowe 7 3-6 22, Kristy Cooper 0 0-2 0, Sada Nealey 0 0-0 0, Katy Stuppy 8 4-5 25, Katie Roach 2 0-2 4, Sara Ausra 0 0-0 0, Shardatsha Fitchett 2 0-2 4, Tasia Diaz 2 1-3 5, Britnee Allerton 3 0-0 6. Totals: 24 8-20 66
ALLEGAN 35
Paige Barnhardt 5 1-1 15, Lisa White 2 0-0 5, Carly Stone 0 0-0 0, Kylee Porterfield 0 0-0 0, Kristin Forstner 1 0-0 2, Andrea Simonds 0 2-2 2, Kaitlind O'Reilly 0 0-0 0, Abby Arado 1 2-2 4, Ashley Payne 0 0-0 0, Heather Scofield 0 0-0 0, Megan Byers 1 0-0 2, Lindsay Simonds 2 1-2 5. Totals: 12 6-7 35
Dowagiac 17 20 18 11
Allegan 8 15 5 7
3-point baskets: Lowe (D) 5, Katy (D) 5, Barnhardt (A) 4, White (A). Total fouls: Dowagiac 15, Allegan 18. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None. Record: Dowagiac 10-5, 10-3 Wolverine