NILES — A pair of first-year coaches squared off when Chaney visited Niles on Monday.

After a tight first quarter, the Red Dragons opened up a double-digit lead at halftime and walked away with a 38-25 victory.

“Kids are always the same wherever you go,” Niles coach Bernard Bolha said. “They always want to do well. But, here at Niles the kids really show the effort. They believe that they can do well. I’m proud of their effort in practice and in the games.”

The Red Dragons (2-2) led 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. Then, Anjelisia McKinney swished one from behind the arc for Chaney.

However, Niles started playing some physical basketball to open up a lead. Katie Heinselman drew a charge on defense. Alaina Thigpen (8 points) pulled down a rebound and took it to the hoop. Gianna Wagner had a strong take, and the Dragons were up 24-14 at the break.

Senior Abbey Reed scored 13 of her career-high 22 points in the first half. She was a presence in the paint all night for Niles.

“It was really fun,” said Reed. “There was definitely a lot of help from my guards. They were looking for me and getting me the ball. Making my free-throws was really big. We’re looking good. We’re starting the year off strong. I’m really excited.”

Lexi Pete (8 points) dribbled coast-to-coast for a lay-up. Madonna Jones (team-high 10 points) banked in a 3-pointer from long distance, but Chaney still trailed 29-20 heading to the fourth quarter.

Dwight Berry, who was the 2010 All-Colorado Girls Basketball Coach of the Year, has come back home to Ohio to coach Chaney (1-3) this year.

“We’re going to build the program the right way,” Berry said. “We’re young. Our basketball I.Q. is pretty low. The young ladies continue to work hard. They’re going to figure it out.

“If a few more shots would’ve fallen, it might have been a different game. We’re going to stay positive and represent Chaney High School.”

Reed had a nice finger roll in the fourth. Brionna Bash was stingy on defense with a couple of steals, and Hannah Grimm finished the game by scoring underneath.

“It was another win for us,” Bolha said. “The girls are always happy to get a win. Every game that we play, we see things that we can work on. We see how we can get better. That’s how we need to approach it. Just get better every day.”

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