Slow Start for Western Ends With 81-71 Loss to Dow

Corey Arnold lead Western with 26 points while dealing out 10 assists

December 28, 2008
By: John Keuvelaar

Western came out attacking Midland Dow with fast pace, push it up the floor basketball Monday night, December 15. While the strategy can lead to quick baskets, it can also backfire if the balls are not dropping as the Warriors found out. As a result, Western found itself in a big hole by the second half leading to a 81-71 loss to Dow.

Western attacked from the opening tipoff looking to push the ball up the court at every opportunity. This causes an exciting fast pace game for the first quarter. But when the Western shots didn't drop, Dow capitalized by reversing the flow for easy baskets of their own. By the end of the first quarter, the Chargers held a 30-21 lead..

The second quarter saw much the same basketball as the Warriors looked to chip away at the 9 point hole. Adding three point shots to the push it up style only resulted in more total points as they finish the quarter being outscored by 5, 21-16 and down by 14 at the break, 51-37..



The mark of a good team is to learn from what is working and what isn't, make the adjustments and execute. Western realized that while the fast pace created some scoring opportunities, they needed to be patient and work their offense, looking for their shots. The lesson paid off as the Warriors chipped away at the Charger lead, moving to within 4 with a 19-9 quarter..

Dow made some adjustments of their own. The two teams swapped baskets through most of the quarter and with two minutes to play, Dow still owned a 5 point lead. This forced Western to take chances and play the foul game in hopes of climbing back. But the plan backfired as the Chargers shot 83% from the charity stripe for the night, 19 of 23, to pull away with a 81-71 win..

Corey Arnold lead Western with 26 points while dealing out 10 assists to go along with 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Jacob Boileau pumped in 13 points to go with his 10 rebounds with Caleb Boileau adding 14 points and Travis Tithof chipping in 10 points..

Brad Ostergren for Dow matched Arnold's 26 points to go along with his 13 rebounds. Spencer Jennings poured in 24 points, 12 from the free throw line, adding 10 rebounds and 6 assists of his own. Luke Vanderzouven scored 17 to round out much of the Chargers' scoring.