It might be a bit of an understatement to call the Dowagiac girls basketball team an underdog in tonight’s Class B District opener at Benton Harbor.

After all, the Chieftains are 3-18 on the season and their opponent, the host Tigers, are 16-4. Tip-off is set for approximately 8 p.m.

As if Benton Harbor needed any more motivation against Dowagiac, the Tigers are coming off a 42-40 loss to rival Lakeshore Friday night. It was the second time this season that the Lancers had defeated the Tigers.

Dowagiac is led by Rayven Brown, who is averaging just over 10 points per game. The Chieftains will also need a solid effort from point guard Creiona Rodgers and the other members of the team if they want to be competitive against Benton Harbor.

The Tigers are led by All-State sisters Kyrse and Kalabra Gondrezick. Kyrse currently leads the area in scoring at an average of 29.4 points per game.

Lakeshore (15-3) will face Berrien Springs (2-18) in the other game tonight.

The Lancers are led by Lauren Clem, who is averaging 12.4 points per game and 11.8 rebounds.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Admission is $5 per person and no league passes will be accepted.

 

Class B at Sturgis

Edwardsburg also faces a tall task in advancing to the district title game.

The Eddies (12-7) have to face two-time Wolverine West Division champion Three Rivers, which defeated Edwardsburg twice during the regular season.

The second match-up was much closer as Edwardsburg lost to Three Rivers 52-42.

The Eddies are led by Olivia Hack and Alexis Blake, both of whom are averaging over 10 points per game.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

The winner advances to Wednesday’s semifinal against Coldwater.

 

Class C at River Valley

Cassopolis will meet defending champion Brandywine for the fourth time this season as the River Valley district opens up tonight with games at multiple sites.

The Rangers and Bobcats were originally scheduled to play this game in Cassopolis, but do the gym floor being replaced after water damage, the contest was moved to Brandywine.

The Bobcats (18-0) are after their sixth consecutive district championship. The No. 4-ranked team in Class C had little trouble with Cassopolis (6-11) the first two meetings, beating the Rangers 46-24, 65-15 and 56-38.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

The winner faces Bridgman (5-14) in Wednesday’s semifinal.

 

Class A at Loy Norrix

After hitting a bit of a lull, the Niles girls basketball team appears to have recaptured its early season success as they turned up for the tournament with a pair of big wins last week.

Friday night, the Vikings (12-8) blew out Portage Central behind a career performance from Tatyanna Goodson. Goodson, a transfer from Flint, scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the 67-39 victory.

Niles drew host Kalamazoo Loy Norrix (3-16) for tonight’s opening round game in Kalamazoo.

The winner will face St. Joseph (7-13) in Wednesday’s semifinals.