Dowagiac and Edwardsburg may be worlds apart when it comes to their records, but at least for one night, the Chieftains were able to play with the Eddies.

The defending Class B district championship Eddies needed a big fourth quarter to put away the pesky Chieftains 45-34.

Dowagiac, just 4-17 on the year, kept the pressure on Edwardsburg (19-2) throughout the contest and led 19-16 late in the first half.

A 3-pointer by Samantha Ekanayake, her only points of the contest, tied the game at 19-19 heading into the intermission.

The Eddies took a 29-28 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Chieftains refused to go away.

Dowagiac trailed 37-32 with 2:40 remaining in the district semifinal and 38-34 with 1:44 to play.

Edwardsburg outscored Dowagiac 7-0 over the final minute and a half to advance to the finals where it will face Three Rivers, which defeated Vicksburg 46-30, for the district championship at 7 p.m. Friday night.

“We talked about getting the game to halftime,” said Dowagiac coach Brent Nate. “We talked about getting it to the third. We did everything we wanted to do. To their credit, that is why they are the conference champs and the defending district champs. They made some shots down the stretch.”

While the Chieftains were able to contain one of the Eddies’ top scorers in senior Savannah Dixon, sophomore Kaitlyn Zarycki and senior Brayden Curtis combined for 26 points.

“We could not knock down any outside shots,” Edwardsburg coach Jon Pobuda said. “They (Dowagiac) played hard. They came ready to play. They got all the loose balls and all the 50-50 balls. They wanted it tonight.

“I do not know if our girls overlooked them based on what we have done the past couple of games. They came ready to play and I give them all the credit. Fortunately for us down the stretch, a couple of our seniors stepped up and made some big plays to kind of get a little bit of separation.”

Dixon scored five of her seven points in the fourth quarter, while Curtis scored seven of her 14 points in the final eight minutes.

Dowagiac sophomore Amiyah Smith led all scorers with 18 points, while senior Taylor Hulett finished with nine points and 12 rebounds.

“She is a warrior,” Nate said about Hulett. “She is a three-sport athlete. That is what she brings every night. Her heart and the way she plays is immeasurable. It is a blue print for our sophomores.”

Edwardsburg is 2-0 against Three Rivers this season.

The Eddies defeated the Wildcats 42-25 on Jan. 27 and 54-50 Feb. 13.

The winner advances to the Class B regional at Three Rivers beginning Tuesday.

 

EDWARDSBURG 45, DOWAGIAC 34

At Edwardsburg

DOWAGIAC 34

Tania Wilson 2, Taylor Hulett 9, Kellyn Daly 0, Taylor Pey 2, Amiyah Smith 18, Hayden First 0, Tamia Wilson 3, Micaela Ruff 0. TOTALS: 13 8-16 34

EDWARDSBURG 45

Erzsabet Widman 0, Michaela Ritschard 2, Alexa Markel 0, Kaitlyn Zarycki 12, Katie Kanaby 0, Savannah Dixon 7, Chloe Bartz 2, Noelle Kraus 5, Brayden Curtis 14, Samantha Ekanayake 3. TOTALS: 18 6-14 45

 

Dowagiac                    8          19       28       34

Edwardsburg             12        19       29       45

3-point baskets: Dowagiac 2 (Hulett, Tamia Wilson), Edwardsburg 1 (Ekanayake). Total fouls (fouled out): Dowagiac 17 (none), Edwardsburg 17 (none). Varsity records: Dowagiac 4-17, Edwardsburg 19-2.