The fourth quarter has not been kind to the Niles boys basketball team this season.

The Vikings can look back at lost opportunities through their first 19 games.

But Tuesday night, Niles was able to put together a great finish on Senior Night to knock off visiting Benton Harbor 65-61 in SMAC West Division action.

“This might give us some momentum,” Niles coach Todd Pawielski answered when asked how big the win was. “We had a lot of heroes tonight. All of our seniors contributed.”

Pawielski challenged his team between the first and second quarters. The Vikings were getting beat on the glass, which resulted in a 15-9 Benton Harbor lead.

“We just asked the kids what we said we were going to do tonight?” Pawielski said. “What did we work on in practice? We said we were going to lean on them before and not stand and stare. I thought we got a little more contact before they jumped.”

The result was a complete turnaround over the final three quarters.

The Vikings (6-13, 1-9 SMAC West) outscored the Tigers (14-6, 7-3 SMAC West) 21-11 in the second quarter to take a 30-26 halftime lead.

Benton Harbor grabbed the early second half momentum, but could not keep it as Niles came storming back and the two teams traded the lead back and forth in the third quarter.

Benton Harbor took a 48-47 advantage into the final eight minutes, but could not deny Niles on this night.

The Vikings were the aggressor the entire game and ended up with a 38-30 advantage in rebounding. Niles also took care of the basketball, committing just five second half turnovers.

“We had a lot of kids play well tonight,” Pawielski said. “Tyler Phillips hit some shots late, Gavin Rasler was outstanding tonight.”

Rasler finished with 14 points and six rebounds, while Phillips added 10 points and five rebounds.

Viking guards Gabe Stokes and Ra’Quon Glenn were also key to the victory as they were able to break the Benton Harbor pressure defense, which led to easy baskets.

Stokes had a 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, while Glenn finished with five points, three rebounds and three assists despite foul trouble.

Stokes’ two free throws with 2:15 to play gave Niles the lead for good at 56-54, while Phillips and Rasler combined to go 5-of-6 at the line in the last 34 seconds.

Jaton Gunn led all scorers with 24 points, which included several long-range 3-pointers in the closing minutes of the game.

Malik Hall and Curtis Dawson added 16 and 11 points respectively for the Tigerts.

Niles will travel to Buchanan for a non-league game Thursday to wrap up the regular season.

 

NILES 65, BENTON HARBOR 61

Benton Harbor 61

Tommie Miller 1 0-0 2, Malik Hall 7 2-5 16, Curtis Dawson 3 3-8 11, Jaton Gunn 9 2-2 24, Roy Anderson 0 0-0 0, Jaylin Lee 4 0-0 8, Willie Wilson Jr. 0 0-0 0, LeQuell Welch 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 24 7-15 61

Niles 65

Jalen Alexander 1 0-1 2, Gavin Rasler 7 0-0 14, Adam Langmeyer 0 0-0 0, Ray Glenn 1 2-4 5, Gabe Stokes 7 4-4 21, Tyler Phillips 3 4-8 10, Derek Brown 0 0-0 0, Sammy Rodts 3 1-1 8, Dontae Murphy 0 5-6 5, Devin Kuemin 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 22 16-24 65

 

Benton Harbor          15       26       48       61

Niles                            9          30       47       65

3-points baskets: Benton Harbor 6 (Gunn 4, Dawson 2), Niles 5 (Stokes 3, Rodts 1, Glenn 1). Total fouls (fouled out): Benton Harbor 19, Niles 14 (Glenn). J.V. score: Benton Harbor 71, Niles 64. Varsity records: Benton Harbor 14-6, 7-3 SMAC West; Niles 6-13, 1-9 SMAC West