By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES -Nothing seemed to work for the Niles varsity basketball team Tuesday evening.
The Vikings traveled to South Bend Adams for its fourth straight away game and fell in a border battle, 68-33.
The entire first half of the game was very rough for Niles as it struggled to get open shots, stop the Eagles' fast-paced offense and had trouble hanging on to the ball. The Vikes committed 19 turnovers in the first two periods alone. At the end of the contest, Niles had committed 33 turnovers.
"The game got a little physical early on, but we like physical play, so it didn't really bother us. What hurt us was our poor decision making," head coach Todd Pawielski said.
Adams jumped to a 6-0 lead in the first two minutes of play, but the Vikes were able to catch up and take a slight 8-6 lead with just over three minutes left in the first. However, two trips to the free throw line and two buckets allowed the Eagles to take a 14-10 lead into the second. That's when the flood gates opened.
An alley-oop on Adams' end sparked a strong offense performance, as the Eagles went on a 13-0 run to jump ahead of the Vikings, 31-11. Niles' Danny Rodts made the final buckets of the half, nailing two buckets and one free throw, but Adams' lead was already disappointing enough as the Eagles carried a 36-16 lead into the second half.
The second half was no different than the first, as the very physical game resulted in a technical foul from Adams' Anthoney Lee and a personal foul for Rodts of Niles. Lee was ejected form the game, while Rodts was charged after a pushing match took place. Damon Wilder was also given a technical foul and kicked out of the contest for leaving the Eagles' bench.
Adams carried a 52-31 lead into the final period before claiming the win.
When asked if the away games had any affect on his team's performance, Pawielski said he didn't believe so.
"Our guard play has been poor the past four games. They have been dominated by opposition," Pawielski said.
Rodts led the team with 19 points and eight rebounds. Josh Moffitt scored five.
Pawielski was again pleased with the play of senior Mat Peters. Although he only scored one point, Peter's brought down five rebounds and played well on defense.
"Mat did very well for us on the defensive end. He really hustled and played like a senior," Pawielski said.
For Adams, Carl Steen and Aaron Williams each had 15 points.
"Despite the last few games, we are still keeping a positive attitude," Pawielski added.
Niles (5-8 overall) will head to Indiana again on Saturday when they face Mishawaka Penn for an 8 p.m. game.
Junior varsity
The Niles junior varsity basketball team suffered a close loss to South Bend Adams, 49-42.
The Vikings, who trailed only by a few points in the final minute of play, were forced to foul, allowing the Eagles to head to the line 14 times. Adams went 10-for-14 at the free throw line.
Damon Wilder had a game high 22 points for Adams, while Terrance Bridgeman added eight.
Niles' Kenley Fuller had a team high 18 points. Anthony Gladden had 10 points and Zach Payne had eight.
The JV's will travel to Mishawaka Penn on Saturday night for a 6:15 p.m. contest.
The freshmen game was cancelled until Feb. 14.
Niles … 33
South Bend Adams … 68
NILES (33) – Damian Bryant 1 0-0 2, Josh Moffitt 0 1 2-2 5, Seth Jordan 0 0-0 0, Kurt Bourbonnais 0 1 0-0 3, Jordan Parks 0 0-0 0, Mat Peters 0 1-2 1, Demetrius Phillips 0 0-0 0, Taylor Robson 0 0-0 0, Danny Rodts 6 7-9 19, Andre Thompson 0 1-4 1, Taylor Williams 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 10 11-17 33.
ADAMS (68) – Anthony Saunders 1 2-2 4, Aaron Williams 5 5-5 15, Tyran Allen 1 2-3 4, Landon Booker 3 1-2 7, Anthoney Lee 3 4-4 10, Terrance Bridgeman 0 1 0-0 3, Maurice McDonald 5 0-0 10, Carl Steen 6 1 0-0 15. TOTALS: 26 14-16 68.
Niles 10 16 31 33
Adams 14 36 52 68
3-point goals: Niles, 2 (Bourbonnais 1, Moffitt 1), Adams 2 (Steen 1, Bridgeman 1). Total fouls: Niles 16, Adams 14. Technical fouls: Adams, 2 (Lee, Wilder). Rebounds: Niles 22 (Rodts 8, Peters 5), Adams 31 (Allen 6, Lee 6). Turnovers: Niles 33, Adams 21. Varsity records: Niles 5-8, Adams 11-2. Officials: Stan Foreman, Justin Markley, James Robinson.