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DOWAGIAC — Threes were a significant number for the Dowagiac girls and boys basketball teams Tuesday night.

The Chieftain girls basketball team ran its winning streak to three straight with a 40-28 win over former Wolverine Conference foe Three Rivers, while Dowagiac’s boys basketball team snapped its three-game losing streak on the road against the Wildcats, 56-48.

 

Girls basketball

Three Rivers (3-13) led most of the first half against a sluggish Dowagiac squad.

The Wildcats led 10-8 after one quarter and then shutout Dowagiac in the second quarter to lead 15-8 at halftime.

“It was nice to deal with some adversity tonight and handle it,” said Dowagiac Coach Jason Turner. “We started off slow and struggled to rebound the ball. We also struggled to slow down and play under control.”

Dowagiac opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 16-15 lead. The two teams would battle back and forth the remaining of the third, but the Chieftains would lead 25-23 heading into the final eight minutes of play.

“We talked at halftime about some adjustments and the main focus was calming down and picking up the defensive intensity,” Turner said. “We came out quickly in the second half and were able to tie it up rather quickly. It was great leadership from Audrey [Johnson] with her defensive intensity at the top of our zone as well as Marlie [Carpenter] They did great at the top of the zone and running the court.”

Dowagiac finally found some offensive rhythm in the fourth quarter and defensively forced Three Rivers into turnovers, which it turned into baskets. The Chieftains outscored the Wildcats 15-5 to earn their ninth win of the season.

Carpenter led Dowagiac with 13 points, while Johnson added 11 points. Dowagiac also got seven points from Maggie Weller and six points from Rebecca Guernsey.

Allie McGlothen had 14 points to lead Three Rivers.

The Chieftains return to action Friday night when No. 3-ranked Brandywine comes to town for a Lakeland Conference contest. The league-leading Bobcats are coming off their first loss of the 2023-24 season.

 

Boys Basketball

Dowagiac and Three Rivers battled in the second half of their non-conference contest after the two squads were deadlocked at 20-20 at the intermission.

The Chieftains (7-9) did lead 13-10 after the first quarter, but the Wildcats came back to tie the score at halftime.

Dowagiac reclaimed the lead after three quarters, 38-35, and then kept Three Rivers (3-13) at bay in the final stanza.

Gianna Villalobos scored 17 points to lead the Chieftains, who also got 13 points from Isaiah Fitchett and 11 points from Brayden Diaz.

Mason Awe led the Wildcats with 10 points.

Dowagiac will host No. 2-ranked Brandywine in a league contest Friday night.