PAW PAW — It is not about how you start, but where you finish.

The Dowagiac boys basketball team learned that lesson Friday night against host Paw Paw in a Wolverine Conference non-divisional contest.

That lesson could come in handy as the Chieftains get set to begin the postseason on Monday at Edwardsburg.

At this time of the year, there is no such thing as a good loss. The time for that is long gone. The focus now is about winning and building momentum.

“The game was a lot closer than I would have liked it to be,” said Dowagiac coach Danum Hunt. “Paw Paw is very competitive. We made our runs, but they fought their way back into it. Those are the kinds of games we need in preparing for the tournament. Hopefully, we can build off of that going into Thursday’s game.”

Dowagiac will travel to South Haven to take on the Rams in its Wolverine Conference crossover contest.

“One thing about the Wolverine Conference is that teams are going to be competitive night in and night out,” Hunt said. “They are going to give you 100 percent maximum effort.”

The Chieftains will need every ounce of momentum heading into the Division 2 districts. Dowagiac was upset by Edwardsburg in the second meeting between the two schools in February.

“We need to be more consistent,” Hunt said. “We have not shot the ball well as of late. Hopefully, we come out of our slump shooting wise.”

In the 72-67 win over Paw Paw, senior Dashawn Brooks scored a game-high 19 points, Trae Brookins scored 18 points, and D.J. Lanier added 14 points.