Niles coach Todd Pawielski has seen this too many times this season.

His team played hard, and seemed to make all the right moves, only to have the opponent steal the victory away from the Vikings in the closing seconds.

Niles junior Chris Brown had other ideas.

After Portage Northern’s Cam French had hit the game-tying 3-pointer, Brown took the inbounds pass and raced to the other end of the court to score the winning basket with second seconds remaining in the Vikings’ 54-52 Class A district basketball opener Monday night.

“Deja vu all over again and again,” Pawielski said. “Goofy turnovers, and the opponent makes a big dagger 3. Luckily for us, there was just enough time and Chris was able to push it down the floor and we didn’t have to go into overtime.

“So many times this year, when an opponent needed a 3, they’d hit it. I saw that last shot and it was right in the center. Fortunately, it drifted.”

Instead of suffering another crushing defeat, the Vikings live to fight another day as they advance to the district semifinals to face No. 8-ranked Kalamazoo Central. Tipoff is set for approximately 7 p.m.

Brown looked as though he had been through a war as he sat on the training table outside the Niles locker room. His arm had a wrap on it from a cut sustained earlier in the game and his lip was bloody from the game-winning drive to the basket.
None of that bothered the Niles point guard as he savored the moment.

“All I could really think was ‘not again,’” Brown said. “Last time, he did the same thing and I made a mistake that cost us. I didn’t want to let the team down again. I saw no one was in front of me, so I went for it. It felt too good when it went in.”

Pawielski said he never thought about taking a time out to set up a designed play.

“Chris is good in transition,” he said, “so, if it’s under 10 (seconds), we get it and go. We were going to settle for whatever shot we got and trust the kids to make it work.”

After a slow first half, which Northern (9-12) led 25-22 at the break, the two teams heated up in the third quarter.

The tempo of the game picked up and so did the scoring.

Niles (6-15) kept it close, trailing 41-39, heading into what could have been the final eight minutes of their season.

“We started pressing more,” Pawielski said. “We were saving that for later in the game, trying to hit a home run with it. Tre Gray was great defensively for us and that was a big part of our success there.”

Niles used a 12-2 third quarter run that extended into the start of the final quarter.

Brown’s layup with 4:15 remaining in the contest gave Niles a 48-43 lead.

The Vikings still led by five with 1:55 to play, but Devin Marshall’s baseline drive and score cut the advantage to 52-49.

Niles turned the ball over on an inbounds play, which allowed French to hit the 3-pointer to tie the contest at 52-52.

Brown, Alex Harpenau and Tre Gray all scored 12 points for the Vikings.

Duane Jackson had 16 points to lead the Huskies and all scorers. Devin Marshall added 12.

In the opening game of the doubleheader, St. Joseph (11-10) defeated Mattawan 57-39 to advance to tonight’s semifinal against Portage Central. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

 

NILES 54, PORTAGE NORTHERN 52

At Niles

PORTAGE NORTHERN 52

Devin Marshall 12; Parker Simon 8; Jason Erhardt 2; Duane Jackson 16; Kareem Williams 5; Cameron French 9. TOTALS: 21 4-7 52.

NILES 54

Chris Brown 12; Dawson Clemens 4; Austin Brookins 0; Bryce Lake 0; Jacob Hamm 3; Alex Harpenau 12; Keegan Neumann 2; Tre Gray 12; Austin Curran 9. TOTALS: 22 6-8 54.

 

Northern       12       25       41       52

Niles               11       22       39       54

3-point baskets: Northern 6 (Marshall, Jackson, Williams, French 3), Niles 4 (Gray, Curran 3). Total fouls (fouled out): Northern 11 (none), Niles 9 (none). Varsity records: Niles 6-15; Northern 9-12.