Midland Dow vs. Heritage

Saginaw- Friday night was the season opener for Midland Dow and it was 6-3 Becca Mills first chance to show the state her vastly improved skills.  The junior, who committed to Michigan State during the off season, dominated Heritage in a 48-37 Dow win.

It came to no surprise that Mills would have such a high impact on the game but what was surprising was the way she did it.  Mills’ stat line read- 17 points, 13 rebounds, 7 steals, and 3 blocks.  Mills gave Heritage just as many problems on the perimeter, as she did in the paint.  Mills opened the game with a 3-pointer and a midrange jumper to give Dow a 5-0 lead.  She scored Dow’s first nine points to give her team a 9-4 lead. 

Heritage is a much smaller team this year, so the Hawks will depend on their full court pressure to stay in games, which was the case verse Dow.  Forced turnovers helped lead to transition baskets and Heritage cut the deficit to 12-10 early in the second quarter.

Dow answered back by bringing Mills up, getting her the ball, and letting the 6-3 center dribble the ball up herself.  She was the only Dow player who wasn’t rattled by the Hawk’s pressure.  Heritage point guard, Davi’elle Thomas, picked up her third foul with 5:30 to play in the first half giving the momentum back to Dow as the Chargers went on a 10-0 run to take a 22-10 lead.

That 10-0 run gave Dow the cushion they needed to keep Heritage playing catch-up the remainder of the game.  Dow was never able to pull away with a halftime lead of 25-16 and a 37-23 lead heading into the fourth, however Heritage was never able to cut the lead to single digits to make an honest threat of a comeback. 

Mills is set to have a huge season as she is called upon to do almost everything for her Chargers.  But for Dow to have a solid season others will have to step up.  You shouldn’t have to have your 6-3 center bring the ball up the floor when you have four guards on the floor. 

Heritage should improve as the season continues.  They did a good job with their full court pressure and were able to keep Dow off balance.  Senior guards Thomas and Abbey Miller are the standouts but Heritage does have some depth as Coach Tim Conley shuffled players in and out on every horn.  Thomas led Heritage with 10 points.