Saturday, 12-11-2004 in Porter Township

CROWN POINT (52) Hannah Plumley 4-2-10, Jill Weiand 6-1-13, Kaitlyn Sertich 3-3-9, Cassie Pruzin 2-6-11, Michelle Lipton 0-0-0, Courtney Perry 1-1-3, Anjellica Respond 2-0-4, Jackie Clements 0-2-2, Kaitlin Sautter 0-0-0, Stephanie Poulos 0-0-0.
TOTALS: 18-15-52

BOONE GROVE (57) Lani Marsh 1-2-4, Kara Kessler 4-0-10, Becky Keller 6-0-13, Cortney Flanigan 1-0-3, Karissa Walter 6-5-19, Danielle Jacobs 4-0-8, Sara Martinovich 0-0-0, Megan Dewell 0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-7-57.

FREE THROWS: CP (15-24, 62.6%) Plumley 2-4, Sertich 3-6; Perry 1-3, Weiand 0-1, Pruzin 6-6, Clements 2-2, Lipton 0-2. BOONE GROVE (9-14, 64.2 %) Marsh 2-2, Walter 5-6, Kessler 2-4, Dewell 0-1, Jacobs 0-1.

REBOUNDS: CP (29) Weiand 9, Sertich 4, Plumley 4, Clements 3, Perry 4, Respond 2, Lipton 2, Sautter 1.

BOONE GROVE (21) Walter 5, Jacobs 4, Keller 4, Marsh 3, Kessler 3 Martinovich 2.

ASSISTS: CROWN POINT (11) Pruzin 6, Sertich 2, Perry 2, Plumley 1.

BOONE GROVE (13) Walter 6, Kessler 2, Keller 2, Marsh 1, Dewell 1, Jacobs 1.

STEALS: CROWN POINT (9) Lipton 3, Pruzin 3, Sertich 1, Perry 2

BOONE GROVE (6) Walter 4, Kessler 1, Keller 1.

BLOCKED SHOTS: CROWN POINT (7) Perry 3, Respond 2, Clements 1, Sertich 1; BOONE GROVE (3) Keller 2, Jacobs.

THREE-POINT GOALS: CROWN POINT (1) Pruzin; BOONE GROVE (4) Walter 2, Keller, Flanigan

FOULED OUT : BOONE (1) Cortney Flanigan (:56 left - 3^rd quarter); CP (1) Cassie Pruzin (:43 left – OT)

Friday, 12-10-2004 in Crown Point

LAKE CENTRAL (38) Tiana Georgiefski 1-0-3, Jenelle Kaeplinski 0-0-0, Alyssa Duncan 1-2-4, Katie Mitchell 4-4-15, Angie Funston 6-0-13, Lisa Kruse 0-3-3, Brooke Lail 0-0-0. Ashley Michalski 0-0-0. TOTALS: 12-9-38.

CROWN POINT (53) Hannah Plumley 3-1-8, Jill Weiand 2-0-4, Kaitlyn Sertich 4-4-13, Cassie Pruzin 4-3-13, Michelle Lipton 1-0-2, Courtney Perry 1-0-2, Anjellica Rospond 1-2-4, Jackie Clements 1-1-3, Kaitlin Sautter 2-0-4, Stephanie Poulos 0-0-0, Brooke Seils 0-0-0. TOTALS: 19-11-53.

FREE THROWS: LC (9-12, 75%) Duncan 2-2, Mitchell 4-4, Kruse 3-6; CROWN POINT (11-19, 57.8%) Sertich 4-4, Rospond 2-2, Pruzin 3-4, Plumley 1-1, Clements 1-2, Sautter 0-2, Moore 0-2, Poulos 0-2.

REBOUNDS: LC – Michalski 10, CP - Plumley 6, Clements 6.

ASSISTS: LC – Mitchell 4, CP - Pruzin – 9

STEALS: LC – Duncan 3, CP Pruzin - 5

THREE-POINT GOALS: LC (5) Mitchell 3, Funston, Georgiefski; CP (4) Pruzin 2, Sertich, Plumley.

PORTER TOWNSHIP (12-11-2004) - All games should be like this.

Wait a minute. Scratch that. No they shouldn't.

Boone Grove's wild and woolly 57-52 overtime win over big neighbor Crown Point was a classic. One for the ages. A flawed masterpiece.

But if every game was like this. Nobody would have any players left.

In a showdown of undefeated neighbors that featured more physical contact than some heavyweight boxing matches, 2A No. 4 Boone and unbeaten Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) co-leader Crown Point battled it out in the bright and shiny blue Boone Grove gym until Karissa Walter's steal and layup clinched the five-point win for the home team and a place in the school record book.

It is believed that this was Boone Grove's first-ever girls basketball win over Crown Point and not only did it come on Boone's home floor, it came when the visiting Lady Bulldogs had a 8-0 record.

“This was great,” said Boone senior Megan Dewell, who was one of three defenders used against CP all-stater Cassie Pruzin. “This was the first time we've beat them. We made history.”

“They deserved it,” said Cassie Pruzin, like Boone guard Karissa Walter and Cortney Flanigan, was in foul trouble all night. “They played hard.”

“But I don't think they like us very much.”

In front of a volatile crowd of about 1,000, the two league leaders, featuring girls and fans who are neighbors in the Lakes of the Four Seasons' residential area of far southeast Lake County and extreme northwest Porter County, played a low-scoring NBA-style physical game.

Both teams' trapping defenses succeeded in slowing Pruzin and Walter, the four-year starting point guards of CP and Boone. The first half featured what could kindly be called a 'slow whistle' and struggles on the floor were intense.

Boone's Becky Keller and CP's Jill Weiand, two of the more cute and cuddly teens on the planet, almost came to blows more than one time as the backcourt confrontations resembled the first few rows of stands at an Indiana Pacers' NBA game.

“I'm amazed that kids on both sides didn't get hurt,” said coach Tom May, who was not a fan of the officiating and was not alone in that respect. “With all the forearms and jumping into people, I'm really surprised somebody didn't get hurt.”

But May quickly added that his team should have won this game anyway.

“We had an eight-point lead with five minutes left (5:28) and we should have won. We told the girls beforehand that it wasn't going to be up to Boone, it was going to be up to us. How much did we want this? We were going to win it or we were going to lose it.”

“With everything we did, and you're right, we did play hard. And we did play last night. The effort was there. We did not execute when there was extremely high intensity on the floor. There were poor decisions offensively. Poor decisions defensively and we didn't take care of the boards. That is the reason we lose an eight point lead and lost the game. We knew that Walter likes to go to the boards. We knew Flanagan likes to go to the boards. But our forwards were battling everybody and our guards were standing out side watching.”

“Somebody's got to make a play. Their players stepped up and made things happen. It was an exciting game. We told the kids that this is the way it's going to be and the way it should be. Now, maybe we'll practice with this intensity.”

Boone's intensity won this game. Down 44-36 after Kaitlyn Sertich took a Pruzin pass and scored on a 3-on-1 fast break with 5:28 left.
Jill Weiand converted a pass from 6-0 sophomore center Courtney Perry into a layup and a 46-39 lead with 4:31 to go.

But the Wolves, who had won their first seven game by 13 points or more, didn't fold the first time they looked defeat in the eye. Keller, who scored nine of her 13 points in the second half, hit a short jump shot to cut the lead to 46-41 before 5-11 senior Danielle Jacobs scored on a quick post move with 3:13 to play.

Keller's pass to a cutting Walter created a layup that cut the lead to 46-45 and Keller scored on a 15-foot jump shot that put Boone ahead 47-46 with 2:07 to go.

Perry was called for a debatable offensive foul with 1:24 to go but Kara Kessler hit just one of the two free throws to make it 48-46.
Pruzin set up Sertich for a jump shot that tied the game with 49 seconds left and a big finish was assured. .

Boone called time out and set up a play, with Walter holding the ball 30 feet from the basket to let the clock run down. But the Boone star was called for a 5 second violation (not advancing the ball while guarded) and the turnover gave CP the last shot. The Lady Bulldogs' Sertich fired up a miss with three seconds to play.

In overtime, CP committed a midcourt line violation on a bad pass with 2:21 to go.  Kessler, one of the few non-seniors playing regularly on either side, hit a 15-foot shot to put Boone ahead 51-50 with 2:01 left. After a CP miss and a Boone time out, Jacobs scored on a rebound of a missed shot for a three-point lead.

Soph Anjellica Respond hit a 12-foot shot to cut the lead to 53-52 with 58 seconds to play and Dewell was called for an offensive foul setting a screen. Sertich was fouled with 52 seconds to play and CP seemed poised to take the lead. But the CP guard, who was shooting 81.2% (13-of-16) from the line coming into the game, missed both foul shots, giving Boone all the edge they would need.

Pruzin's fifth foul, another questionable call (it appeared to be on another CP player) put Walter at the line and the left-hander sank two foul shots to make it 55-52 with 43 seconds left.

In a wild finish to a wild night. CP's Sertich missed a three-point shot with 11 seconds left and Boone grabbed the rebound. But Hannah Plumley stole the outlet pass, giving the Lady Bulldogs a final shot. Plumley passed the ball to Weiand, who could have scored a two-point goal. but with CP trailing by three, Weiand retreated to the three-point line. As Boone's defense recovered, Weiand, who had not even attempted a three-point shot all season, tried to pass across the top of the circle to guard Michelle Lipton. But Walter anticipated the pass, intercepted and drove for a layup as the time ran out.

“We've just got to have her on the floor,” said Wilson, who didn't feel she could take Walter out after Cortney Flanigan fouled out with 56 seconds left in the third period. “We've got to have her out there,” Wilson said. “I told her she had four fouls but she said, 'I know. I know.' We just had to go with her then. She knew what to do.”

The series of defenders Wilson sent against Pruzin was a factor in the game. Jacobs, a 5-11 soccer star, got the job early. Senior Sara Martinovich took the task later and Dewell, a seldom used senior guard until this season, guarded the junior all-stater in the final minutes of regulation and overtime.

“I just tried to stay in front of her,” Megan said later. “Face guard her. I think she (Wilson) put me in because I play good defense. Everybody has their moment. I guess this was it (for me).”

For Danielle Jacobs, this was the biggest night of her prep career because her aunt was a teacher at Crown Point high school and she lives in an area where she could have attended CP if she had wished.

“I know Cassie a little from junior high,' said Jacobs, who attended St. Mary's grade school in Crown Point for a while. “I thought I could frustrate her a little. I really did. She's a real good player but I thought we could win tonight. No, beating Wheeler is not like this. We'd never done this before.”

Wilson said that Dewell shouldn't have been quite so seldom-used last season, when the Wolves were upset by Wheeler in the sectional championship game in the last overtime game Boone had played.

“We had to have her defensively at the end,” Wilson said of Dewell. “She did a nice job on Pruzin. She's quick. And you know what? I should have had her in at the end of the (sectional championship ) game against Wheeler last year. She could have handled (Alyse) Bruszewski. I take full credit for that loss.”

Crown Point, which defeated Boone 48-35 last season and 55-49 two years ago at Boone, wasn't crushed by the loss. The Lady Bulldogs know their season will be decided by three meetings with defending 4A regional champion Valparaiso, the first of which comes Tuesday night (Dec. 15) in Crown Point.

“This is not the culmination of a season,” May said. “Hopefully at the end of the season if we have an eight point lead with four minutes to go against a team that's hungry like this, we'll be able to close it out. I like their team (Boone) I like their coach and their players. They're balanced and athletic. I'm hoping now that they can go all the way downstate and represent our area.”

“This was not that big a deal for us,” said Pruzin, who watched the Boone girls celebrate in the center of their home floor as if they had won some kind of championship. “It was for them.”

The difference in meaning of this game was obvious in what was said afterwards. Boone's Wilson was reminded of her early years in the late 90s when the varsity basketball teams was going 5-15 in front of hecklers and folks in witness protection programs on Saturday afternoons. No region girls basketball program has come as far in six years.

“I told you that we had a group coming that was something special,” Wilson reminded. “Did I know it would get to this point? Undefeated playing undefeated. Two years ago, it was a whirlwind. I wish sometimes I could go back to that year (Boone won the schools' first girls sectional and regional basketball championships two years ago) and just enjoy it. But that was more of a surprise.”

“Now it's not. We've got more kids in the program working hard and you're going to get better players. And they were hungry for it. This will just pyramid from now on. There was really no pressure on us in this game. We weren't supposed to win. There was a lot of pressure on them (CP). A smaller school beat them. That's tough.”

Wilson also knows that, especially since the advent of class playoffs, Indiana basketball programs break down into two categories. Those who have been to the state finals and those who are second string.

“We can't let this be the pinnacle of this season,” said Wilson after what might have been the biggest regular season win in program history.

“Going downstate would be the pinnacle.”

DOG and WOLF NOTES:  Crown Point's Duneland Athletic Conference victory over Lake Central Friday was very much a forgettable game. Cassie Pruzin scored 13 points with nine assists and five steals and she'd have had 15 assists if her teammates had been able to make most of their easy shots.

Once again, it was a third quarter run that sparked CP. The Lady Bulldogs led just 22-20 at the half but an 11-2 run in the final five minutes of the third period put the home team in control in front of a small Friday night crowd.

Lake Central, led by 15 points from Katie Mitchell and 13 from wing guard Angie Funston, got tired against the depth of the Bulldogs and scored only 18 second half points.

Lake Central committed 15 of the Indians' 29 turnovers in the second half. Sophomore center Ashley Michalski grabbed a season-best 10 rebounds. Lake Central has lost to Jefferson (5-4), Carmel (7-2), Munster (9-2), Valparaiso (8-2) and Crown Point (8-0).

Junior Katie Kvachkoff injured a knee in CP's 33-32 junior varsity win over Boone and did not play in either varsity game. May said that she would probably be back by the end of the week for back-to-back road games at Michigan City (Dec. 17) and Hanover Central (Dec. 18).

Crown Point was outscored 12-4 in the final 5:28 of regulation and 9-4 in overtime Saturday but coach Tom May did not believe that his side lost because of fatigue, even though Boone played a Thursday night home game and CP was at home Friday night.

“No,” he said. “We just had some people out there at the end of the game who were in positions they had never been in before. There was a lot of pressure on them. That's going to make every one of those kids better the next time they are in that position.”

To say that Boone Grove shut down Cassie Przuin isn't accurate. Pruzin had 11 points, six assists and three steals. What CP didn't get was lots of points off transitions and steals. Boone committed just 14 turnovers. Both sides had more than one player choke up and not take offensive opportunities in a close game. Among those who didn't was Kessler, who probably had her best game on the varsity and CP's Weiand, who was a physical force under the basket.

Boone Grove can risk letting Karissa Walter play with four fouls because they don't think they'll fall apart handling the ball.

“Not really,” said Wilson. “Flanigan's an outstanding ball-handler and Becky Keller played point guard in grade school. We've got a pretty athletic team. Some of these kids played in the regional and semistate two years ago. You know they're capable of it. You just don't know if they'll do it.”

Wilson was upset that Crown Point coach Tom May walked down in front of the Boone Grove bench to protest a call one time and walked out of the playing floor to debate another.

“That should have been a technical foul right there,” she said, smiling, knowing that May, a long-time referee and one of NW Indiana's most respected and long-standing (25 years) girls basketball coaches, simply wasn't going to get a 'T'.

“When you are who you are,” she added, “You can get away with it.

I asked the ref, “Hey, isn't that a technical foul? But I didn't want to lose the game because of my mouth.”

May noticed Valparaiso's coaching staff sitting in the stands at Boone Grove watching Saturday night's game.

“It's always fun,” he said, “when you're not involved. It's better when you're not in these games.”

The crowd was disappointing at the Boone-CP game. There were approximately 1,000 fans in the 2,100-seat Boone gym with few games going on elsewhere and no other athletic teams at either school in action. Other than the fact that it was an early season game and that Boone rarely draws well for girls' games, there was no ready explanation.

BOONE GROVE Girls Basketball (8-0)

Coach: Candy Wilson, 91-70 in 8th year at school

CROWN POINT Girls Basketball (8-1)

	Coach Tom May  (25 years, 412-146 )
	Start times are Varsity starting times

Date	Location ALL CAPS = Duneland Athletic Conference game	Time / Result
Nov. 12	Hebron {1A}	W, 67-48
Nov. 13	Kankakee Valley {3A}	W, 60-24
Nov. 19	at PORTAGE {4A	W, 63-21
Nov. 20	Warsaw {4A}	W, 58-53
Nov. 26	CHESTERTON {4A}	W, 55-35
Nov. 30	Lowell {4A}	W, 60-42
Dec. 3	at LaPORTE {4A‡	W, 41-30
Dec. 10	LAKE CENTRAL {4A}‡	W, 53-38
Dec. 11	at Boone Grove {2A}	(OT) L, 52-57
Dec. 14	VALPARAISO {4A}‡	7:30 pm
Dec. 17	at MICHIGAN CITY {4A}‡	7:30 pm
Dec. 18	at Hanover Central {2A}	7:30 pm
Dec. 29	at MERRILLVILLE  {4A}‡	6:00 pm
Jan. 5	PORTAGE {4A}‡	7:30 pm
Jan. 8	at CHESTERTON {4A}‡	7:30 pm
Jan. 14	at LAKE CENTRAL {4A}‡	7:30 pm
Jan. 21	MICHIGAN CITY {4A}‡	7:30 pm
Jan. 25	LaPORTE {4A}‡	7:30 pm
Jan. 28	at VALPARAISO {4A}‡	7:30 pm
Feb. 4	MERRILLVILLE {4A}‡	7:30 pm

Copyright © 2004 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: December 12, 2004 .