NILES — For at least one day, the constant pressure of chasing a conference championship was released from the Dowagiac golf team.

The Chieftains have a two-point lead over Sturgis in the Wolverine Conference standings, but Monday afternoon was about seeing some teams that they do not usually compete against and just having fun according to Dowagiac coach Bob Turner.

Dowagiac did not win the Viking Cup at Orchard Hills Country Club on Monday, but the Chieftains gave it their best shot before falling to Mattawan out of the SMAC. Host Niles finished third, with Lakeshore placing fourth and Edwardsburg fifth.

“Yesterday was very nice,” Turner said. “We played a nice course with quick, tough-to-read greens and did well. The weather was great, and the girls enjoyed the format. We had the opportunity to see some schools that we had not seen before (Mattawan) and a couple that are in our regional (Niles and Lakeshore).”

The Wildcats shot 259 as a team in the best ball and scramble format tournament. The Chieftains finished 10 strokes back at 269, while the Vikings shot 297, the Lancers 309 and the Eddies 321.

Dowagiac’s Rebecca Franklin and Rubby Maggert did earn medalist honors as they shot a score of 80.

The teams played the first nine holes under the best-ball format and the back nine at Orchard Hills using the scramble format.

Monday’s tournament also served all the teams well in that they have upcoming conference tournaments and then the postseason. Both of those tournaments are 18-holes, so it was good according to Turner to have to play beyond the customary nine holes.

“With the conference championship and regionals quickly approaching, we need to work on grinding out the 18 hole matches and learning to make minor adjustments as we go through an 18-hole match,” he said. “We get another chance to do that next week at the Sturgis Invitational.

Niles was led by Willow Brawley and Maddie Lister, who shot a 91. The Eddies were paced by Ashley Low and Libby Hunsberger, who finished with a 100.

Dowagiac and Edwardsburg back on the links Tuesday as it competed in the Wolverine Conference jamboree hosted by Vicksburg, while the Vikings return to action today when they play in a SMAC jamboree at The Moors in Kalamazoo.