By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
BENTON HARBOR – There was hope that the Niles varsity basketball team just might take a win over Benton Harbor in Friday's SMAC West Division game.
The Vikings only trailed the Tigers by one point at halftime, 40-39, and did a fine job of staying with Benton Harbor in the second quarter. However, it was lights in the second half as the orange and black Tigers opened the flood gates at the 3-point arc and grabbed an 86-58 victory.
Benton Harbor's Kevin Moore bombed four back-to-back three's in just two minutes in the third period to extend the Tigers' lead and push them ahead for good.
In his first game on the varsity level, Benton Harbor freshman Jerome Winbush also had a solid quarter of shooting in the fourth, nailing four 3-pointers and adding a bucket to contribute to the win.
"That says a lot for their future," Niles coach Todd Pawielski said of the freshmen. Pawielski also commented on Moore's 3-point shooting, saying it seemed never ending.
"I was pretty disappointed that we couldn't find him and let him get that many open shots. Our defense was not real impressive in the second half," Pawielski said.
Moore outshot the entire Niles team, 16-8 in the second half. He ended the night with a game high 27 points.
"Benton Harbor got it rolling tonight. They had all the momentum they needed and they are just a tough team. They showed us the team we want to be."
The Vikings dug a hole early, trailing the Tigers 21-12 after the first quarter. A strong second half allowed Niles to pick up the pace and even take control of the game, going ahead by five points two different times in the period. But the fired up Tigers put the game to rest as Niles' frustration set in.
"We were playing really good basketball for about four weeks and now we are in a hole," Pawielski said.
Leading Niles in scoring was Danny Rodts, who ended the night with a team high 13 points and five rebounds.
"Danny continues to be our most consistent player," Pawielski said of the senior.
He also commented on the performance of senior Mat peters. "He is playing excellent basketball for us right now."
Peters ended with five points and nine rebounds.
Other scorers for the Vikes were Jordan Parks with nine points, all from 3-pointers, Damian Bryant finished with seven points and Andre Thompson added six.
For the Tigers, Larry Bell ended with 20 points, while Winbush scored 16.
The Vikings are back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Dowagiac. Tip off for the varsity game is set for 7:30 p.m.
Junior Varsity
The Niles junior varsity basketball team fell to Benton Harbor, 60-33.
Kyler Shearer and Justin Williams each scored five points for the Vikings.
Niles will face Dowagiac on the road Tuesday at 5:45 p.m.