By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
OTSEGO - One down, two to go.
The Dowagiac varsity basketball team moved a step closer to an undisputed Wolverine Conference championship on Friday night with a 66-41 victory over host Otsego.
The Chieftains (15-3, 13-2 Wolverine) withstood an emotional first quarter for the Bulldogs, who were celebrating Senior Night.
Otsego tossed in four out of its five 3-pointers in the opening eight minutes to give Dowagiac fits.
The Chieftains were able to corral the Bulldogs and ended up taking a 17-16 lead into the second quarter.
Dowagiac outscored Otsego 12-3 in the second quarter to take a 29-19 lead at halftime.
The Chieftains continued their onslaught in the third quarter as they exploded for 22 points. Dowagiac's defense continued to stymie the Bulldogs, holding them to just eight points.
Leading 51-27 heading into the final period, Dowagiac pulled the plug on its starters midway through the quarter and cruised home with the 25-point victory.
The win kept Dowagiac a half-game ahead of Gull Lake in the conference standings. The Chieftains will attempt to lock up at least a share of the league title on Tuesday night when it hosts Three Rivers.
Amos Clark led Dowagiac with 18 points, nine assists, five steals and three rebounds.
The Chieftains also got 11 points and 12 rebounds from Chris Primley, while Andrew Cuthbert and Oscar Wilson both netted 10 points.
Jamie Simpson had a big night on the backboards as he grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds. Simpson also chipped in with nine points and two assists.
Alex Sleeman led the Bulldogs with 12 points as he became only the third player in Otsego history to top the 1,000 point plateau.
Daryl Kuipers finished with 11 points.
DOWAGIAC 66
Andrew Cuthbert 4 1-2 10, Jamie Simpson 3 2-4 9, Oscar Wilson 4 0-0 10, Amos Clark 6 4-5 18, Chris Primley 3 5-10 11, Kevin Mitchell 0 1-2 1, Ronnell Grady 2 0-0 5, Glenn Hammond 0 0-0 0, Romero Reed 1 0-0 2, Chuck Mersereau 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 13-23 66
OTSEGO 41
Scott Cook 1 0-0 3, Joe Allen 2 0-0 6, Alex Sleeman 4 3-4 12, Thomas Hollman 1 0-0 3, Daryl Kuipers 4 3-5 11, Derek Trobeck 0 0-0 0, Zach Grantham 0 0-0 0, Jonathan VanDann 2 0-0 4, Brett Russell 0 0-0 0, Ryan Smith 0 0-0 0, Matt Janke 1 0-0 2, Bart Hoppener 0 0-0 0, Josh Jubenville 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 6-11 41
Dowagiac 17 29 51 66
Otsego 16 19 27 41
3-point baskets: Cuthbert (D), Simpson (D), Wilson (D) 2, Clark (D) 2, Grady (D), Cook (O), Allen (O) 2, Sleeman (O), Hollman (O). Total fouls: Dowagiac 13, Otsego 13. Fouled out: None.
Technical fouls: None. Records: Dowagiac 15-3, 13-2 Wolverine; Otsego 2-17, 1-16 Wolverine