By Staff
It's been an unusual winter that is for sure.
Scheduling and weather has made for some long layoffs for the Dowagiac varsity basketball team.
Through it all, the Chieftains have maintained focus and remain in the hunt for the Wolverine Conference championship.
Dowagiac started off with five games before Christmas. The Chieftains went 4-1 and wiped out the Wolverine Conference "contenders."
Then came the holiday break.
Dowagiac was forced to wait 24 days before playing their sixth game of the year. Due to the fact that you play 18 league games, that doesn't leave time for a holiday tournament.
Instead, Dowagiac chose to open its season with Lakeshore and play rival Niles for its two non-league contests.
The Chieftains played well in a loss to Lakeshore. That loss doesn't look so bad now that we see just how good the Lancers really are. Lakeshore is ranked No. 3 in Class B and has not lost a game this season.
Dowagiac played the Lancers tough and were down just a few points with five minutes left to play.
Coming off the break, the Chieftains did not play well in a loss to Vicksburg.
Dowagiac certainly should have defeated the Bulldogs, but a combination of poor play and bad luck combined to deal the Chieftains a setback at the buzzer.
Dowagiac was looking forward to getting its revenge against Vicksburg.
Weather stepped in, however, and the Chieftains and Bulldogs were forced to wait until tonight for the rematch.
After a mild December and January, Mother Nature decided it was finally time to bring in winter.
Dowagiac has now lost three games to the snow and cold.
The Chieftains were able to make up one of those games on Saturday night when they defeated South Haven. Dowagiac will face Vicksburg tonight, weather permitting, and then finally play Comstock on Feb. 21.
I am not looking forward to any more nights off. The schedule is starting to get pretty full and the end of the season is quickly approaching.
Dowagiac has a very good chance to duplicate what the Chieftain girls' team did back in the fall – win the league title.
It can take a huge step in that direction on Friday night when it hosts Gull Lake in a Wolverine Conference showdown.
The Blue Devils are currently a game and a half ahead of the Chieftains, but tied in the loss column with two each.
A win on Friday night would vault the Chieftains into first place, if they take care of business against Vicksburg.
If you haven't gotten out and seen the team yet, they have several home games in a row. Come out and watch some exciting basketball.
I guarantee you will enjoy yourself.