Wellers have Eddies seeing double in 46-42 victory

Published 5:43 pm Sunday, January 9, 2022

By Scott Novak

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DOWAGIAC — Visiting Edwardsburg may have thought it was seeing double in a 46-42 Wolverine Conference boys basketball loss at Dowagiac Saturday afternoon.

Twins Cole and Henry Weller combined for 30 of the Chieftains’ 46 points against the Eddies, who lost for the first team since their season opener, and for the first time in conference play.

Dowagiac (3-3, 1-1 Wolverine South) and Edwardsburg (3-2, 1-1 Wolverine South) played a Saturday afternoon contest after Friday night’s game was postponed due to heavy snow throughout Southwest Michigan.

The Chieftains, who were coming off a 61-30 non-league victory over Coloma last Tuesday night, were forced to play without Head Coach Danum Hunt due to illness. Long-time Assistant Coach Mark Jackson took over the sideline duties and was pleased to bring home a win for both the team and Hunt.

“We just talked to him [Hunt], and I am so proud of the kids’ reaction and the way they played tonight,” Jackson said. “We have been talking to them about effort for the last two weeks straight, and tonight we finally got a full effort for a full game. I couldn’t be more excited for the kids.”

Both teams struggled offensively, in part due to strong defensive efforts. After one quarter, Dowagiac was able to grab a 14-11 lead but had to settle for a 23-23 tie at halftime as the Eddies outscored it 12-9 in the second quarter.

Both continued to find it tough sledding at the offensive end of the court, but the Chieftains, behind the play of the Wellers from the outside, along with the effort of Jordan Hardin in the paint, were able to open up a 36-32 lead in the losing stages of the third quarter.

The Eddies kept the pressure on in the final eight minutes as Luke Stowasser and Jacob Pegura got inside for baskets that kept Edwardsburg within striking distance.

In the end, Dowagiac was able to work time off the clock while still scoring and keeping the Eddies at bay.

Henry Weller finished with a game-high 17 points, while Cole Weller added 16 points. Hardin finished with seven points.

“Today, with got a contribution from everybody, and that’s important to us,” Jackson said. “For once, we weren’t waiting on Henry. They did a terrific job today.”

Stowasser led the Eddies with 14 points. Pegura finished with 11 and Isaac Merrill added seven.

Dowagiac will host Vicksburg in a non-divisional Wolverine Conference contest Tuesday night.

 

Girls basketball

Coming off its first win of the season, host Dowagiac was able to hold Edwardsburg 27 points below its season average in a 50-28 loss to the Eddies Saturday afternoon.

Edwardsburg, which will head to Otsego Tuesday night for a battle of undefeated teams, rolled to a 30-3 lead over the Chieftains in the first half, which included Dowagiac being shutout in the second quarter.

“We were down 30-3 at half, and I went in and challenged them to hold them to 50, and we did,” said Dowagiac Coach Jason Turner. “In the half, we were playing individual basketball. We came out in the second half, and we were making extra passes and swinging the ball. It worked out for us.”

Turner said the first half did not look like it, but the team he watched looked like the one that played against Coloma last Tuesday night in the second half.

“We have to realize we need to play as a team,” he said. “We cannot just dribble through everyone, but play together as a team and make those extra passes. We need to listen to what the coaches are telling them to do and if we do, I think we will continue to make improvements the rest of the year.”

The Chieftains outscored the Eddies 25-20 in the second half.

Katie Schaible led Edwardsburg and all scorers with 19 points. Macey Laubach, who got into early foul trouble, finished with nine points, while Ella Castelluci added eight points.

Alanah Smith led Dowagiac with 12 points. Makayla Hill and Josie Lock scored eight and seven points, respectively.

The Chieftains travel to Vicksburg for a non-divisional Wolverine Conference game Tuesday.

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