If the Niles boys basketball team is going to find any success this season, it is going to have to learn how to finish games.

For the third consecutive game, the Vikings (0-3) have let a game get away in the second half.

Friday night against visiting Portage Northern, Niles led 40-35 at halftime, but wound up on the wrong end of a 73-59 Big 16 West Division score.

Niles led 19-18 after one quarter and had opened up a five-point bulge (40-35) by the intermission.

Senior Tate Brawley had 23 first half points for Niles, but when the Huskies switched to a box-and-one for the final 16 minutes, Brawley got off just two shot attempts and ended up with only five points.

Portage Northern (3-1, 2-1 West) outscored Niles (0-3 West) 17-11 in the third quarter to grab a 52-51 advantage heading to the fourth.

In the final eight minutes, the Huskies exploded for 21 points, while holding the Vikings to just eight.

Brawley finished the night as the game’s leading scorer with 28 points. Donte Murphy added 10 for Niles.

Daryn Snow had 24 points to lead Portage Northern.

 

PORTAGE NORTHERN 73

Blake Therrian 0 1-2 1, Daryn Snow 9 5-6 24, Patrick O’Keefe 4 0-0 8, Tre Humes 2 2-2 6, Adam Ashbaugh 2 1-3 7, Brandon Smith 0 0-0 0, Quinlen Dean 8 0-2 16, Max Schuemann 3 0-0 7, Ben Kaiser 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 30 9-15 73

NILES 59

Matt Miller 0 0-0 0, Tate Brawley 9 7-11 28, Gavin Rasler 1 0-0 2, Ra’Quon Glenn 1 0-0 2, Gabriel Stokes 2 4-4 8, Jeremy Wortham 1 1-2 3, Connor Glick 1 2-6 4, Donte Murphy 6 0-1 12, Adam Langmeyer 0 0-0 0, Jalen Alexander 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 21 14-24 59

 

Northern        18       35       52       73

Niles                 19       40       51       59

3-point baskets: Portage Northern 4 (Ashbaugh 2, Schuemann 1, Snow 1), Niles 3 (Brawley 3). Total fouls (fouled out): Portage Northern 21, Niles 17 (Wortham). Varsity records: Portage Northern 3-1, 2-1 West; Niles 0-3, 0-3 West