By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
Sophomore Katy Stuppy hit three of four free throws with one second remaining Tuesday night to lift the Dowagiac varsity basketball team to a 48-47 Big 16 Conference non-divisional victory over visiting Sturgis.
Dowagiac trailed 47-45 when Stuppy drove to the basket and was fouled with one second remaining on the clock.
Stuppy missed the first free throw, however, Sturgis coach Dwayne LeClaire was called for a technical foul which stemmed from his displeasure over the resetting of the game clock with 10.4 seconds remaining.
Stuppy hit the second of her free throw attempts to cut the lead to 47-46.
Stuppy then stepped to the line and sank both technical foul free throws to give the Chieftains their first win in six games.
Stuppy missed a free throw in the Lakeshore game that would have tied the contest for the Chieftains. She was told by her coach that she would get plenty of more opportunities like that to win the game and not to worry about it.
Tuesday night's game was a back-and-forth affair throughout.
The Chieftains and Lady Trojans traded the lead frequently with Sturgis opening up a 47-43 advantage with 25 seconds remaining on a layup by Sarah Thomasma.
Dowagiac cut the lead to 47-45 with nine tickets left on the clock as Kim Luthringer scored on a layup off an assist from Stuppy.
Luthringer was fouled on the play, but was unable to convert on the free throw, leaving the Chieftains down by two.
The game clock was reset to 10.4 seconds after reading 9.3 after the missed free throw.
Sturgis officials complained about the time on the clock for several minutes before the officials ruled that it was correct and put the ball in play.
Dowagiac fouled on the inbounds play and Sturgis' Alexa Middleton had a chance to put the game on ice with two free throws.
Middleton missed the front end of the one-and-one with Katie Roach grabbing the rebound for the Chieftains.
Dowagiac immediately called time out and worked the ball up the floor with Stuppy driving to the basket.
After Stuppy missed the first free throw attempt, LeClaire walked down in front of the scoring table and slammed his fist down on it which drew a technical foul.
Dowagiac led 17-13 after one period of play and led 28-27 at halftime.
The Chieftains (3-7) outscored Sturgis 9-6 in the third quarter to take a 37-33 lead into the final eight minutes.
The Lady Trojans outscored Dowagiac 14-11 in the fourth quarter, but came up a point short in their comeback bid.
Stuppy led all scorers with 28 points. She also had five rebounds.
Holly Lowe added nine points, all in the first half. Dowagiac also got five points from Kristy Cooper.
Amy Wood and Roach finished with five rebounds each.
Sturgis (5-5) was led by Middleton's 14 points. Thomasma added 11 points.
Dowagiac will have Thursday night off before returning to action next Tuesday when it hosts Portage Northern in another Big 16 non-divisional tripleheader.
JV basketball
Dowagiac picked up a 44-39 victory over Sturgis Tuesday night.
Dowagiac jumped out to a 7-2 first quarter lead and led 20-17 lead at intermission.
The Chieftains were outscored 15-9 in the third quarter by the Lady Trojans, which gave Sturgis a 32-29 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Dowagiac rallied and outscored Sturgis 15-7 in the final eight minutes to pick up the victory.
Beth Williams led all scorers with 25 points. Dowagiac also got eight points from Sarah Shelton and six points from Kathy Lindt.
Dowagiac will host Portage Northern next Tuesday night.
Freshmen basketball
Dowagiac nearly pulled off the sweep Tuesday night, but fell to Sturgis, 34-27.
Dowagiac led 6-5 after one period of play, however, the Lady Trojans outscored the Chieftains 12-6 in the second period to take a 17-12 lead at the intermission.
Dowagiac outscored Sturgis 11-6 in the third quarter to tie the game at 23 heading into the final stanza.
The Lady Trojans held a 9-6 scoring advantage in the final period to squeak out the victory.
Katie Wood led Dowagiac with 13 points. Linzy Kling finished with four points.
Dowagiac will be back in action next Tuesday afternoon against visiting Portage Northern.