By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
For the second straight game, the Dowagiac varsity basketball team has gotten off to quick start.
As a result, the Chieftains roared to a 57-42 Wolverine Conference victory over visiting Comstock on Thursday night.
The win improved Dowagiac to 11-5 overall and 11-3 in the conference. The Chieftains remained tied with Otsego and Plainwell for first place. Both the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Trojans were winners on Thursday as well.
Dowagiac tossed in 24 points in the opening eight minutes, while holding the Lady Colts to just nine points. The Chieftains were red-hot from the field, hitting 50 percent of their 18 attempts from the floor.
Point guard Katy Stuppy poured in 13 of her game-high 28 points in the opening eight minutes.
"The last two games we have really gotten out of the gate quickly," Dowagiac coach Greg Blomgren said. "When you can come out and put 24 on the board right off the bat, it really takes a lot of energy out of the other team."
The Chieftains remained hot in the second quarter as they again hit 50 percent from the floor. Dowagiac was 6-of-12 from the field as it built up a 20-point halftime lead.
The Chieftains held Comstock to just 4-of-13 shooting from the field as they opened up a 37-17 halftime advantage.
The big lead, combined with the knowledge of their 62-26 win over Comstock earlier this year, may have led to the Chieftains coming out flat in the second half.
As hot as Dowagiac was in the first half, the Chieftains were ice cold from the field in the final 16 minutes.
Dowagiac hit just 3-of-12 shots from the field in the third quarter, but were 6-for-6 from the free throw line. The Chieftains still managed to outscore the Lady Colts 13-12 to take a 50-29 lead into the final eight minutes.
Comstock was finally able to outscore Dowagiac in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.
The Lady Colts held a 13-7 advantage on the scoreboard, but never could get any closer than the final score.
Dowagiac held a comfortable 19-point bulge for most of the quarter.
While Stuppy was handling most of the outside scoring for the Chieftains, Dowagiac was able to use a combination of four players to score 20 points in the post.
Shardatsha Fitchett and Britnee Allerton, a freshman, scored six points each, while Kristy Cooper and Katie Roach chipped in with four points apiece.
"The box score for us tonight was good," Blomgren said. "It shows that our inside play was as good as it has been all year."
Taylor Reed led Comstock with 10 points. Angela Vargas added nine points.
Dowagiac is back in action on Tuesday when it hosts Plainwell in a Wolverine Conference clash. Tip-off is set for 7:15 p.m.
COMSTOCK 42
Sarah Wetzow 0 0-2 0, Courtney Burnett 3 1-3 7, Asiah Gardner 3 2-2 8, Lezah Sellers 0 2-2 2, Shameila Taylor 1 0-0 2, Taylor Reed 3 4-4 10, Tiffany Basore 0 0-0 0, Casey Klein 2 0-0 4, Jen Young 0 0-1 0, Angela Vargas 2 5-7 9. Totals: 14 14-21 42
DOWAGIAC 57
Beth Williams 0 0-2 0, Jaskarin Kaur 0 0-0 0, Lindsey Truitt 0 0-2 0, Torie Lowe 1 4-6 7, Kristy Cooper 1 2-2 4, Sada Nealey 1 0-0 2, Katy Stuppy 7 10-12 28, Katie Roach 2 0-0 4, Sara Ausra 0 0-0 0, Shardatsha Fitchett 3 0-1 6, Tasia Diaz 0 0-0 0, Britnee Allerton 3 0-0 6. Totals: 18 16-25 57
Comstock 9 17 29 42
Dowagiac 24 37 50 57
3-point baskets: Lowe (D), Stuppy (D) 4. Total fouls: Comstock 21, Dowagiac 21. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None. Record: Dowagiac 11-5, 11-3 Wolverine