Thursday, 12-8-2004 in Porter Township

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (55) Jen Smith 3-1-9, Dana Barkas 1-2-5, Alisha Polite 4-5-16, Aimee Mishler 5-4-15, Hannah Werner 4-2-10, Danielle Wigglesworth 0-0-0, Kate Martin 0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-14-55

BOONE GROVE (68) Cortney Flanigan 3-6-13, Karissa Walter 5-6-17, Kara Kessler 2-0-4, Lani Marsh 1-1-3, Danielle Jacobs 3-0-6, Sara Martinovich 1-0-2, Megan Dewell 3-1-7. TOTALS: 25-14-68

FREE THROWS: WT (14-21, 66.7%) Mishler 4-7, Werner 2-4, Polite 5-7, Barkas 2-2, Smith 1-1.
BOONE (14-21, 66.7%) Flanigan 6-8, Walter 6-7, Dewell 1-1, Marsh 1-1, Kessler 0-4.

REBOUNDS: WT (20) Polite 8, Mishler 4, Smith 4, Wigglesworth2, Martin 1, Werner 1.
BOONE GROVE (31) Marsh 6, Walter 5, Flanigan 6, Keller 5, Kessler 3 , Martinovich 3, Dewell 2, Jacobs 1

ASSISTS: WT (10) Martin 4, Mishler 3, Barkas 1, Polite 1, Smith 1.
BOONE (16) Walter 8, Jacobs 4, Flanigan 2, Marsh 1, Keller 1.

STEALS: WT (4) Smith 2, Barkas 1, Mishler 1.
BOONE (8) Keller 5, Marsh 2, Jacobs 1.

THREE-POINT GOALS: WT (7) Polite 3, Smith 2, Barkas, Mishler.
BOONE GROVE (4) Keller 2, Flanigan.

FOULED OUT: NONE

TECHNICAL FOUL: WT (1) Coach Dustin Nelson (2^ndQ - 3:02 left)

PORTER TOWNSHIP (12-8-2004) - It's too bad there weren't 2,000 people in the Boone Grove gym instead of 200. It's too bad the game was on a Thursday night instead of Friday. It's too bad most high school basketball games can't be like this.

Two winning teams. Both attacking and pressing the issue with efficiency. There is a time and a place for slow down basketball. There is a target audience and post-season role for eight passes before every shot.

That place is not the Porter County Conference.

Washington Township dropped a lot of bombs on Class 2A No. 4 Boone Grove Thursday night and tried to follow up with a successful invasion. But the Wolves defended the old homestead with enthusiasm, fighting off repeated WT challenges and pulling away in the end to win 68-55 in the first pivotal game of the PCC season.

The Wolves (7-0, 3-0 PCC) trailed 9-6 and 12-8 in the early moments before scoring 10 points in a row to take a lead they would never relinquish. Washington Township (5-3, 1-2 PCC), ranked No.11 in Class 1A, survived Boone's full court defenses to stay within 34-30 at the half. But the Wolves' changing defenses and superior ball-handling gave Boone the first 'big' win of what they hope is a season of many championships.

“Everybody thinks that we were looking past this game to Crown Point (Boone's next game on Saturday night) but no,” said coach Candy Wilson. “Our kids were very nervous about this game and, quite honestly, a lot of the preparation was the same.”

“We knew they'd shoot from out side and they did not miss so we had to make some adjustments.”

“This was a good loss,” said Washington Township coach Dustin Nelson. “It was our best game of the year.”

The Senators, who were Class 1A regional champs two years ago, got two quick three-point baskets from 6-0 senior Alisha Polite (12.9 ppg.) to give the visitors a 14-8 lead with 2:10 left in the opening quarter. The small-but vocal crowd thought they were seeing the makings of an upset.

But Boone's Becky Keller scored on an offensive rebound before Lani Marsh's rebound and outlet pass led to a give-and-go between Danielle Jacobs and Karissa Walter with Walter's layup cutting the lead to 14-12.

Another missed shot led to Keller's three-point shot off the left wing that gave Boone a 15-14 lead. A quick steal and another three-point shot by Keller made it 18-14 with 45 seconds left in the opening period.

After Polite's third three-point shot, which cut the score to 23-19 early in the second quarter, Wilson went to the bench for 5-6 senior forward Sara Martinovich, whose only job was to keep Polite the Division I volleyball player (Indiana State University) from shooting any more long shots. Boone's three-year varsity starter did the job. Polite finished with 16 points, but her only other field goal was a layup.

“We did that against Rochester in the regional two years ago,” Wilson recalled. “She's quick, she's a good defensive player. When they started to throw the ball over the top, we put Danielle (5-11 Danielle Jacobs) on her. But we couldn't let her shoot 3s.”

“We will get to the point that, when they do that, we can adjust,” said Nelson. “And we did. Hannah Werner scored eight points in the third quarter. Aimee (Mishler) had 15 points. We can score.”

“We kept it close all the way. I know it was a 10-point game in the fourth quarter and you could probably tell who was going to win but we stayed with them. This was a good game for us.”

It was a very good game for Boone Grove's backcourt of Walter and 5-6 sophomore Cortney Flanigan. But there was drama there, as well. Flanigan drew her fourth foul with 34 seconds left in the third quarter and Walter was called for her fourth with 6:13 to go in the game.

Boone Grove did not immediately go to a delay offense and a 6-2 WT run cut a 14-point lead to 10 at 60-50 with four minutes left. The Wolves the spread the floor with Walter putting on a display of dribbling worthy of the Harlem Globetrotters, weaving and circling through defenders, taking time off the clock. All with four fouls.

Wilson called Walter over to the bench when she drew her fourth foul but did not take her out of the game.

“You gotta let her play,” Wilson said. “She's one of those people who you have to have in the game. We're going to live and die with her. If (she fouls out), then Cortney will take over. It's a gamble but it's a gamble to sit her down.”

With four minute to go, Boone went to a 'four corners' spread attack which was as effective as it has ever been with this group of players. Walter stalled, got fouled and sank four consecutive free throws. After a three-point shot by senior Jen Smith, Flanigan dribbled around until she was fouled and her two foul shots made it 66-53 with 1:25 left in the game.

With two pure point guards on the floor, the spread attack should be a staple of Boone. It may yet be, if this night is any indication.

“We went to the spread,” Wilson said, “and all the parents are going, 'Oh, no'. Its hard to go from running and pressing to 'slow it down, pass it around'. It's hard to pull the reins in.”

The amazing thing to watch in this game was the ability of Walter, with four fouls, to dribble around and between as many as three defenders, making no effort to go to the basket, just to kill time.

“She is what she is,” said Wilson. “It's not anything I did with her. We just have natural ball-handlers. It's like she's playing a game. It's worrying me a little because I want her to give the ball up before she gets taken out (hard foul).”

Walter is known for hitting the floor and bouncing back up.

“Knock on wood. She's had the least amount of hard fouls this year than she's had. She just falls hard. She just goes 'splat'. I used to fall on the floor a lot (Wilson played at Chesterton in 1990) but it didn't make that sound. I used to tuck and roll. We can't get that concept into her.”

Washington Township had four players in double figures including Werner, who is a promising 5-10 forward. This was, in no way, a discouraging game for them.

“We are a very interesting team,” Nelson said, who saw Dana Barkas, Danielle Wigglesworth and Alisha Polite return to basketball this year after talking a season off. “We have a lot of girls who are just coming back and we have to learn how to play together again. Some of the girls are saying, 'How does my role work now with everybody back.'

“Candy's put together a heckuva program. Their strengths match up with ours. They have Flanigan and Walter, We've got Jen (Smith) and Aimee (Mishler). They get the high end of that. We've got Alisha and Danielle who are a good match for them. Hopefully, when we get into the 1A tournament, we'll match up real well.”

“We'd like to get to the point where we have nine players (in the playing rotation). If we get two more kids, we're going to be okay.

Everytime we play a big game, we get somebody in foul trouble. That's what happened to Jenny tonight. When that happens, you start thinking about more than just what you have to do.”

“When we scouted them,” said Wilson, “we saw Mishler hitting the 3s. He does a good job with them. They throw a lot at you.”

The untold story here might have been the final score. In an era of 45-43 games, the final was 68-55 and would have been more if Boone had not gone to the four-corners stall. If more teams played like this, there would be more than 200 people in the stands.

“The score might not indicate it at the end,” Nelson said. “But we gave them a battle and I know that's something they haven't seen in a while.”

WOLF NOTES:  All-area Boone guard Karissa Walter has made college plans “She took a full-ride scholarship at Oakland City. It's north of Evansville. He told her that she'll play right away.”

“I told her to take it and run with it. If you don't like it there you can transfer. But if somebody's telling you they're going to give you four years of paid college, take it. And she'll play. She won't sit on the bench.”

Oakland City is an NCAA Division II school and a National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division I school.

Already at Oakland City is 5-8 shooting guard Kim Sliwa, a key player on Boone Grove's teams from 2000 to 2002. Sliwa, now a college junior, transferred from Lewis College in Romeoville, Ill. and is expected to play a significant role at Oakland City.

Other NCCAA Division I schools in Indiana are Indiana Wesleyan, Taylor College, Huntington College and Grace College. Oakland City is eligible for two national tournaments, the NCAA Div. II playoffs and the NCCAA playoffs. Oakland City also plays the Div. II University of Indianapolis and IU-Northwest.

Alsiha Polite was the MVP of the Porter County Conference (PCC) in volleyball and the MVP of the PCC volleyball tournament. She averaged 11 points a game as a sophomore two years ago before dropping basketball to concentrate on volleyball. She is a perimeter, face the basket player, who certainly could play college basketball, although probably not at the Indiana State level where she's headed.

Washington Township's followers did not like the 'hands-on' aspect of the Boone defense. Nelson, who drew a second quarter technical foul complaining about Boone's hand-checking, said he used his forwards to bring the ball up against Boone's forwards because the guards were getting pushed.

“I'm not one to make excuses,” he said. “But it's hard to get it up the floor with two hands on your body. It's not dirty, it's just physical ball. We have to learn to play that way when we have to.”

Thursday's game may have conclusively proved just one thing. Thursday night is not a good night for high school basketball. A good matchup, albeit small school girls competition, quality players, a league game. And still, maybe 200 fans at best.

“This was a Friday night game,” said Wilson. “This wasn't a Thursday night game. These Tuesdays and Thursdays. We should be playing some of these on Friday nights.

Boone used a box-and-1 defense (4 parts zone, 1 part man-to-man) against WT's Alisha Polite and later used a triangle and two (3 parts zone, 2 parts man-to-man) against Polite and Aimee Mishler, WT's top two scorers. “I know Crown Point was here,” said Wilson of CP varsity and JV coaches Tom May and Scott Reid, sitting high in the stands and planning for the CP-Boone game two nights (Dec. 11) later.

“I didn't want to show them that. I may want to use that against them. They may use it on us.”

Wilson said that, while the WT game was probably more of a rivalry, that playing Crown Point (7-0) means a lot to her girls.

“To beat them would be very nice for our seniors. It's more of a rivalry for me because I used to play against them. But the girls, they have neighbors who go to Crown Point. Half of them date boys at Crown Point. They (CP and Boone kids) are neighbors in the (Lakes of the Four) Seasons. That's why they're excited about it.

“We had them beat two years ago. I'll never forget it. Then we throw the ball away.” Boone lost to Crown Point 55-49 two years ago and 48-35 last season.

BOONE GROVE Girls Basketball (7-0)

Coach: Candy Wilson, 90-70 in 8th year at school

Copyright © 2004 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: December 11, 2004 .