Lady Wolves' dream season comes to end with 66-53 Semistate loss to Shenandoah
A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Warsaw (2A) SemiState -  Saturday, March 1, 2003  in Warsaw

BOONE GROVE (53)  AJ Puller 4-2-11,  Karissa Walter 5-2-12,  Heather Moy 3-5-11, Jenn Keller 1-2-4, Lani Marsh 0-0-0, Rachel Jenkins 3-0-6, Sara Martinovich 1-0-2, Becky Keller 2-2-7.  TOTALS: 19-13-53.
FTS: 13-20 percent - Moy 5-5, Walter 2-7, Jenn Keller 3-4, Jenkins 0-2, Puller 2-2
TURNOVERS: 17
REBOUNDS: Heather Moy 7, Rachel Jenkins 5, Karissa Walter 5
ASSISTS: Karissa Walter - 7
FOULED OUT: none
3-POINT GOALS (2) AJ Puller, Becky Keller

SHENANDOAH (66)  Kara Kessling 6-3-15, Chelsea Miller 9-4-24, Amanda Norris 1-2-4, Teran Warner 3-0-6, Charli McCord 2-1-5, Natasha Cass 3-3-10, Suzanne Pressel 1-0-2, Emily Gray 0-0-0, Mary Saunders 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 25-13-66

FTS: 13-26. 50.0 percent  (Kessling 3-9, Miller 4-5, Norris 2-2, Teran Warner 0-2, Charli McCord 1-2, Cass 3-5, Pressel 0-1 )
TURNOVERS: 9
ASSISTS: Kara Kessling - 9
REBOUNDS: Amanda Norris - 6
FOULED OUT: Teran Warner (4th Q - 1:36 left)
3-POINT GOALS (3) Chelsea Miller 2, Natasha Cass.

WARSAW (3-1-2003) -  They wouldn't like me to say this but Boone Grove had gone farther than they should have in the 2003 girls state basketball tournament.

Even prior to Saturday's Warsaw Semistate, Boone had overachieved. They had gone beyond their wildest dreams. Facing one of the Hoosier state's small school superpowers in the two-time defending semistate champion girls from the romantic sounding suburban Muncie town of Shenandoah, my true hope was that the cute and cuddly Lady Wolves simply would not get beaten up and embarrassed.

They were not.  Embarrassed, that is.

In a rough physical game that saw Boone give in but never give up, the Porter County Conference (PCC) champions saw their greatest season end about three games after it rightfully should have, 66-53 to Shenandoah Saturday in the big, bright 5,500-seat Tiger Den on the southern Warsaw city limits.

Trailing 5-0 and 11-4 early against the rough-riding Raiders, Boone rallied to within 13-12, and 17-16 before a 9-0 run put permanent space between the winners and the losers. Rallying to within 34-28 on an AJ Puller breakaway basket, the Wolves then felt the full force of the more experienced favorites.  Shenandoah sophomore guard Kara Kessling (15 points, eight assists) led an assault that Boone could not slow, a 16-4 run that pushed the Raiders to a 50-32 advantage with 52 seconds left in the third quarter.

"Everytime we'd score," said sixth-year coach  Candy Wilson, "we'd still be in our celebration mode and they'd hustle back and we'd give up a basket and a foul.  They beat us down the floor a few times and that should never happen to us."

Boone's trademark rallies that had reversed 8-11 point deficits against Wheeler, North Newton and Rochester, never materialized against the champions of Henry County's Blue River Conference.

"I tried to impress upon them that we had to close the gap by the end of the third period because we weren't going to be able to rally in the fourth quarter like we had been doing.  They were too aggressive."

The Wolves, who won the first regional basketball championship in the 90-year history of the school one week earlier, inadvertently showed how good Shenandoah was by shutting out the Raiders' best player.  Amanda Norris, an athletic 5-9 senior forward, had scored 30 points in last year's 2A state title game loss to Southwestern.  Boone track star Jenn Keller, face-guarded Norris in a box and one defensive set and held the Raider star to four points.

Shenandoah's gold dust twins, starting sophomore guards Kara Kessling and Chelsea Miller, who both started on the state finalist team as freshman, dazzled the yellow-clad Raider rooters with 39 points, including 25 in the second half.  Boone soph standout Karissa Walter made several spectacular left-handed dribble drive moves and combined 12 points with eight assists.  But the foe on this day was too big and fast.

The Raiders were the better team and everybody knew it.  Had they shot better than 50 percent (13 of 26) from the foul line, they'd have won by more.  But Shenandoah, which had a front line that included powerful  6-1 senior Teran Warner, was allowed to play a very physical game.  That type of game usually favored Boone in the PCC.  But the Raiders had the size to literally throw Boone players around in the foul lane, even their Keller and Walter, their best and strongest athletes.

"I'm okay," said Walter, still smiling after the game. "Just some bumps. What else is new? I landed on my hand wrong."

Walter landed on her hand when Warner, who was easily the biggest player on the floor, gave Karissa a pro wrestling-style body toss during a first quarter scramble.

"The referee said that she (Walter) was on top of her (Warner's) head," explained Wilson, after she protested. "I said, that still doesn't mean she can throw her like that."

"Yes," said Wilson, "I was a little ticked off.  We thought as aggressive as they were we could get some fouls called on them.  I don't think we backed down.  I just think, when they're not going to call fouls, it would've been easy for someone to get hurt."

The 13-point loss should be a badge of honor for Boone as Shenandoah moves on for a 2A state title rematch with Southwestern (21-7) at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 8.  Truth be told, depth and skill-wise, Shenandoah is probably more than 13 points better than Boone Grove.

"I wanted to come closer than this," said Walter, who didn't really think that Shenandoah was similar to any of the previous 18 foes Boone had met.   "At half-time, we thought that 'hey, we're down as usual'.  No big thing.  But when we got down 20, we knew we weren't coming back.  With about a minute left, we started scoring a lot of baskets, and we said, 'Why now?'"

As shaky as Shenandoah's foul shooting was (2 of 9 in the first half), Boone field goal shooting was worse.  Playing in the semistate isn't always about the opposition as much as it is the situation, being one win from the state finals.

Shenandoah's Amanda Norris felt her team benefited greatly by simply being in this situation (this was the Raiders' fourth consecutive semistate appearance) before. "We knew what we had to do to get this done," Norris said with a deep southern accent, "and everybody did. A lot of people think we take this for granted. I think Boone Grove said we take this for granted and maybe we didn't have the heart and want to win as much as we did.  We had a target on our backs and we know that.  We know how much people prepare for us."

"We were extremely calm today.  Last year, Chelsea had to be walked around the court to calm down before this game.  This year, everyone was calm.  They (Boone) looked calm too.  I hear one of the girls in warm ups say that her stomach hurt.  That she was tightening up.  That was the cue to me that everyone was nervous."

The Boone players stayed in the same hotel in Warsaw as PCC pal Washington Township, which lost the 1A semistate game 53-37 to Tri-Central earlier in the day, and Shenandoah.

"We walked in on them," said Walter, "and they were watching a video of us."

Washington Township's girls stayed two hours after their loss watching Boone Grove's game and came over to offer hugs and condolences afterwards.  It was probably the highlight of the day.

"They played hard," said Wilson of her girls.  "That's all I can ask for.  We're going to the high school.  The parents are having a dinner for us.  One last night I don't have to cook."

So, the high-spirited, happy Boone Grove Wolves and no plans to go into mourning after their season ending-loss?

"Party!" said Jenn Keller.  When did it ever stop?

WOLF NOTES:  The four small schools at the 1A and 2A Warsaw semistate did not come close to filling the giant, state-of-the art, Warsaw gym, which was designed by former Warsaw boys coach Al Rhodes.  Tri-Central had the largest crowd of the four schools.  Shenandoah and Boone were a close second.  Boone had perhaps 400 people in the stands, including most of the Boone boys team which begins state tournament play Friday night.

Cars decorated with well-wishes for Boone and Washington Township could be seen sailing east through the snow flurries down US 30 early Saturday morning.

"I've been here before," said Wilson, of the Warsaw gym, "watching Valparaiso play.  "It looks way too much like LaPorte for me.  Same colors."

The word is that the sites of the semistates will change after this season but no one voiced any complaints about Warsaw Saturday, not even the Warsaw Booster Club who had to man the concession stands, even though their team was not playing.

"We don't mind," said one mom. "We (the Booster Club) get to make money and it's nice to see four schools and all their fans here."

Senior Heather Moy was ill and she sat out a lot of the third quarter, still finishing with 11 points and seven rebounds.  In the long run, her limited time may have been a blessing because it allowed 5-10 sophomores Lani Marsh and Danielle Jacobs considerable playing time, something that will be invaluable from a motivational standpoint during the off-season.

Boone's Jenn Keller used her speed and strength to take Norris out of the action.  The Raiders star averaged 18 points per game. "I know," Jenn said. "She was telling the referee, 'Watch 22. Keep watching 22."

Keller will run track but will not play softball this year.  Her efforts to do both were noble but caused roster problems for both squads.  The fact that the track regional and softball sectionals are played on the same day (not to mention the softball regional and track state finals), helped convince Keller than she had to make a preseason choice.  Keller is a two-time sprint state finalist.  "Hope coach knows I'm not coming to track practice Monday," Keller said loudly as Wilson, who is also the track coach, stood nearby.

Boone's Clayton Deeb was at the game supporting his old school.

Deeb, a shortstop at Boone, has been moved to second base at Ball State. "I played second base in seventh grade," he said.  Clayton's older brother Danny Deeb is now at IUPUI after a year at Wabash.

Jenn Keller was asked what were her preseason goals for the Wolves, who ended up wining five (PCC, PCC tourney, South County, Rensselaer Sectional, Triton Regional) championships. "I just wanted to win the PCC," she said.

Neither Channel 3 or Channel 56 televised Boone or Washington Township although both stations had cameras on hand to tape highlights.  Channel 3, which has aired 15 Highland games in the last three seasons, tape-delayed Highland's 35-26 semistate loss to (South Bend) St. Joseph's. The game can be seen at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.

But in a victory for the PCC and all small schools, both local radio outfits carried WT and Boone. The games were heard live on the Region Sports Network, WIMS (1420) in Michigan City and the Regional Radio Sports Network, WEFM (95.9) FM, also out of Michigan City.

Hebron's run to the state title game was largely ignored by local radio and TV.  Lowell's Warsaw Semistate game in 2000 went without radio or TV and Hanover Central's 1999 run to the semistate did not draw any coverage whatsoever.

BOONE GROVE (22-5, 7-0 PCC)
Coach Candy Wilson - 61-66 in six seasons

11-12-2002:  58-28 at River Forest (7-14)
11-15-2002:  45-34 at Calumet (16-7)
11-16-2002:  71-47 at HEBRON (8-13)
11-22-2002:  62-55 at Knox  (5-15)
11-26-2002:  89-34 LaCROSSE (8-13)
12-2-2002:  57-67 at Kankakee Valley (7-13)
12-6-2002:  79-61 at WHEELER (16-7)
12-12-2002:  63-72 WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (18-6)
12-14-2002:  49-55  CROWN POINT (12-9) 
12-17-2002:  82-33 KOUTS (3-18) 
12-19-2002:  85-42 at MORGAN TOWNSHIP (3-18)

South County Tournament  (at Boone Grove)
1-3-2003:  61-35 Hebron (8-13)
1-4-2003:  73-31 Kouts (3-18) title
1-7-2003:  60-63 at North Newton (19-4)
1-9-2003:  84-45  SOUTH CENTRAL (9-11)
1-15-2003:  94-14 Lake Station (0-19)

Porter County Conference (PCC) Tournament  (at Morgan Township)
1-20-2003:  63-61 Washington Township (18-6)
1-24-2003:  80-33  LaCrosse (8-13)
1-25-2003:  57-55 Wheeler (16-7) title
1-30-2003:  66-40 HANOVER CENTRAL (7-13)
2-6-2003:  46-69 at North Judson (14-8)

Rensselaer (2A) Sectional
2-11-2003:  55-31 Rensselaer (7-14)
2-17-2003:  56-50 Wheeler (16-7)
2-18-2003:  46-43 North Newton (19-4) title

Triton (2A) Regional
2-22-2003:  50-45 LaVille (15-8)
2-22-2003:  57-52 Rochester (22-3) title

Warsaw (2A) Semistate
3-1-2003:  53-66 Shenandoah (23-5)

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Revised: July 10, 2004 .