Shots wouldn’t fall and the crowd remained quiet in the first quarter of the girls basketball game between Niles and Dowagiac on Tuesday.

The Vikings led only 2-0 with 1:20 left in the opening quarter when sophomore Emily Gaines awoke the crowd and ignited her team.

Gaines hit two 3-pointers in the final 80 seconds of the first quarter and Niles was on its way to a 56-22 win.

“I thought we rallied off of her and her two big shots,” said Niles girls basketball coach Phil D’Amico.

Gaines had the mindset of an upperclassman when she saw her team struggle to score.

“I just told myself that someone needed to spark the team,” said Gaines. “I put it on my shoulders that we needed a boost and I was able to hit a few shots.”

That type of offensive outburst wouldn’t have been expected from Gaines when she was a freshman. She averaged eight points a game during her first year on the varsity, but hitting perimeter shots wasn’t her strength.

“Last year, I wasn’t a very good shooter,” Gaines said. “I just told myself that it was an area I needed to improve in so I put my mind to it that I wanted to improve.

“I’m surprised how much I’ve improved.”

Through three games, Gaines has made eight 3-pointers and is averaging 11.6 points a game.

The 5-foot-5 shooting guard credits hours of shooting practice and some helpful advice from coaches as the reasons why she’s improved offensively.

“I worked on my shot a lot during the summer and we do a lot of shooting drills in practice,” Gaines said.

“I also worked with my travel league coach during the summer and (Niles varsity assistant coach) Matt (Hunsberger) tweaked my form and technique a little bit and that has helped me a lot.

“I hope to improve my shot even more.”

D’Amico has noticed a big improvement in Gaines’ offensive game.

“Emily is really coming on,” D’Amico said. “She’s really one of the smarter players that we’ve got. She really grasps the offense and can get it going shooting-wise. We’re going to need her, especially when teams play zone against us.”
D’Amico is also seeing a player that gained valuable experience from being on the varsity as a freshman.

“I’m a lot more comfortable on the court this year,” Gaines said. “I have a higher I.Q. and understand what’s going on during a game.”

Gaines isn’t just satisfied with being a good shooter.

“I definitely feel that I need to work on how I handle the ball and eliminate turnovers,” she said. “I also need to work on my passing and getting the ball down in the post.”

Gaines appears to have the blueprint down to accomplish her goals.