Bulldogs explode for 41-18 1st half lead, beat LC at home 60-44

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-24-2016

Team /Record 1 2 3 4 Final
LAKE CENTRAL (12-10) 9 9 9 17 44
CROWN POINT (13-8) 16 25 7 12 60

Friday, February 19, 2016 - Duneland Athletic Conference game at CROWN POINT, Ind.

Sasha Stefanovic (33) heads up court on a second quarter fast break. Stefanovic
scored 21 first half points last week against Lake Central. (All photos by Mark Smith)
CP's Andrew Kenneally (44) 'fronts' Lake Central's Frank Dijak (35) inside the Bulldog defense last week. CP won to go 10-0 at home this season.
It was 'Senior Night' at Crown Point and five seniors (Tommy Sanborn, Leo Zdanowicz, John Sakaleros, Blake Bonin and Grant Gelon) were honored.
CP guard Blake Bonin (10) slips down the baseline against LC's defense. Bonin recorded seven assists in 26 minutes of the Bulldogs' 60-44 win.
Lake Central's Ethan Darter and Joe Graziano (4) surround CP's Andrew Kenneally (44) on the foul line early in the Crown Point-Lake Central game last Friday.
Crown Point's Dominic Tomich (13) is wary of a crossover dribble from Lake Central's Sean Griffin (1) last Friday at Crown Point. CP held LC to just nine points in each of the first three quarters of a 60-44 victory.
Lake Central's Nick Bandura (31) sets a pick on CP Sasha Stefanovic (33) to help out LC junior Norell Smith (2) last Friday in Crown Point.
LC's Frank Dijak (35) isn't happy that Crown Point's Andrew Kenneally (44) has this layup last Friday in Duneland Conference action. Kenneally was 7 of 9 from the floor for 16 points.
CP Grant Gelon (30) shoots over Lake Central's Skyler Smith last week at Crown Point. Gelon scored 11 leaving him 20 points short of 1,000 with two regular season games to play.
CP's Sasha Stefanovic flies past to the basket despite tight defense from LC's Frank Dijak (35)in first half action. Stefanovic was 19 of 15 from the field collecting, finishing with 28 points.
Stefanovic scored 11 consecutive points in the second quarter and the CP student section jumped out of the stands (at least the boys did) to celebrate.
CP coach Clint Swan is happy about CP's 60-44 win over Lake Central, the Bulldogs' 10th consecutive home win this season. (All photos by Mark Smith)
 

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Revised: March 01, 2016 .

 

LAKE CENTRAL (44) Nick Bandura 3-0-6, Ryan Bereda 1-0-2, Frank Dijak 3-3-9, Skyler Smith 4-2-14, Norell Smith 3-0-6, Joe Graziano 2-1-5, Conner Tomasic 0-2-2, Nate Edwardsen 0-0-0, Ethan Darter 0-0-0, Gage Ray 0-0-0. TOTALS: 16 (8-11) 44.
 
CROWN POINT (60) Blake Bonin 0-0-0, John Sakaleros 0-0-0, Dominic Tomich 1-0-3, Sasha Stefanovic 10-2-28, Grant Gelon 4-0-11, Andrew Kenneally 7-2-16, Camron Pimental 1-0-2, Leo Zdanowicz 0-0-0, Kenny Decker 0-0-0, Zach Stewart 0-0-0, Tommy Frame 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23 (4-7) 60.

FREE THROWS: LAKE CENTRAL (8-11, 72.7%) Dijak 3-4, Smith 2-2, Tomasic 2-2, Graziano 1-3. CROWN POINT (4-7, 57.1%) Stefanovic 2-4, Kenneally 2-3.

REBOUNDS: LAKE CENTRAL (14) Smith 6, Graziano 2, Diajk 2, Bandura 2, Bereda, Smith. CROWN POINT (25) Stefanovic 7, Gelon 6, Sakaleros 5, Kenneally 4, Tomich 2, Sanborn.

ASSISTS: LAKE CENTRAL (5) Norell Smith 3, Bandura 2, Griffin 2, Skyler Smith; CROWN POINT (16) Blake Bonin 7, Sasha Stefanovic 3, Dominic Tomich 3, Grant Gelon 2, Leo Zdanowicz.

3-GOALS: LAKE CENTRAL (4-for-15) Skyler Smith 4; CROWN POINT (10-for-22) Sasha Stefanovic 6, Grant Gelon 3, Dominic Tomich.

FOULED OUT: None.

CROWN POINT (02-19-2016) Last Friday against a shorthanded Lake Central team, Crown Point’s 2016 Bulldogs showed why they can rule the world.

Merrillville (20-1) is faster and has more depth. Valpo (16-6) has more experience. Michigan City (12-10) is 8-1 against CP in the last five years.

But when Crown Point plays the way they did Friday, taking a 41-18 halftime lead, the Bulldogs (13-8) can beat all of them.

If CP can score 41 first half points shooting 15 of 22 from the floor (8 of 10 from 3-point range) with nine assists and just two turnovers, they can win more elections then Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton combined.

Crown Point coach Clint Swan goes out of his way to mention defense at every opportunity because that’s what coaches do, but when CP shoots well, they are that much in control and the opposition can't always do anything about it.

Lake Central led 9-6 when Crown Point scored 10 points in a row, eight by Stefanovic. Leading 27-15 late in the second quarter, CP scored 11 in a row, all by Stefanovic. Driving layups. NBA-distance 3-point shots. All came so easily as Sasha’s teammates forgot about much except feeding him the ball.

Point guards Blake Bonin and Dominic Tomich took a total of two first half shots but combined for seven assists.

“It was just an awesome night,” said Stefanovic, who finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and three assists.  “Especially for ‘Senior Night’. It was a special night for the seniors. We have awesome seniors and awesome juniors. It was just a great night for everybody.”

“We could not have played much better in the first half,” said CP coach Clint Swan. “I know Sasha was unbelievable in that second quarter (scoring 11 in a row), but it was everybody. We were playing extremely well. Getting stops. Consecutive stops. In the gaps. Closing out on their shooters. We really could not have played much better.”

A lively crowd of about 1,000 saw play slow in the second half as the issue had clearly been decided. It might have been decided when LC senior Austin Atkins reportedly suffered a hand injury last week at Michigan City that put him out indefinitely.

Crown Point benefits greatly from the attention that Gelon, an elite distance shooter gets. Lake Central, like many teams, assigned a defender to follow the 6-foot-6 Gelon everywhere in the offensive end and paid no attention to anything or anyone else. It's like a National Hockey League team playing 4-on-4.

“Everybody knows that he’s the best shooter in the state,” Stefanovic explained. So it opens the floor up for everybody. We get driving lanes and driving picks. We can get passes into our ‘bigs’ (forwards). It's better for everybody.”

Blake Bonin agreed. “When he’s on the floor, it just widens everything. Everyone is so focused on him. Sasha can come out and drive and kick. If he sets back screens, everybody comes open because they can't leave him.”

Swan said, “Grant opens up the floor when he walks into the gym. Whether he hits the first one or not, they all have to stay with him. People only look at his point production, but he’s a weapon because his defender is one guy who’s never going be helping defensively. That’s one guy who can't double in the post.”

“I thought our loss to Valpo was a wake-up call for us. We had a great week in practice.”

It wasn’t really ‘Senior Night’ for Crown Point because they host 4A Sectional 2. But each CP senior was honored in front of the neighborhood crowd his last regular season home game. For guard Blake Bonin, who played in 10 games his freshman season, it's been a long ride.

“I remember it was just like yesterday we were playing Lafayette Jeff at their place (in the season opener). It just seemed like a little before that, we were in the regional. It's crazy how fast it has gone. I don’t understand it.”

DOG NOTES: The final regular season games are just the ‘primary’ and CP starts campaigning for the ‘general election’ March 1 when the 106th IHSAA state basketball tournament begins. CP didn’t know who they would draw in sectional play (it turned out to be Michigan City (12-10) in a March 2 quarterfinal) until after the win over Lake Central, but they have reason to visualize success.

“Who ever we get, we get,” said senior Blake Bonin, who averaged 15.3 points per game in three sectional games last March. “We’re pretty confident at home.”

The Bulldogs (13-8, 5-2 DAC) almost tied for the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) championship on the final day of league play. Valparaiso (16-5, 5-2) lost to Chesterton. But Merrillville (20-1, 6-1) edged Michigan City to take the 2016 title.

Valparaiso was the 2015 DAC champ.

Crown Point travels to Lowell (18-4) to end the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. LC ends the year the same night at 4A No 8 McCutcheon (20-4). The Bulldogs improved to 14-8 on the season Tuesday night with a 69-54 win at Hammond over Morton.

Grant Gelon ended Friday’s game with 980 points, according to CP’s yearly statistic sheets. Gelon, who is 78 of 192 from 3-point range on the season, is 256 of 698 (38.1%) for his career. CP, as a team, is 166 of 438 (37.8%) from 3-point land on the season. Andrew Kenneally is 94 of 153 from the field (61.4%) for the season, all 2-point shots.
CLASS SECTIONAL JOHNHARRELL.NET TOURNAMENT HISTORY PAST SEASONS
4A 2 E-MAIL CORRECTIONS MAP TO SCHOOL 15-8
RED, WHITE GYM SIZE: 3,800
CROWN POINT
BULLDOGS
Coach: Clint Swan, 132-93 in 10th year at school, 270-165 in 19th year overall
DATE OPPONENT RESULT / CT OA 63.3, DA 55.9
Nov. 25 at Lafayette Jeff {4A}   L   64-  71  
Dec. 5 Penn {4A}  W   85-  57  
Dec. 12 †Warren Central {4A}   L   45-  47  
Dec. 18 Munster {4A}  W   53-  38  
Dec. 19 at Pike {4A}   L   60-  83  
Dec. 29 †Lawrence North {4A}   L   61-  64  tournament
Dec. 29 †Avon {4A}  W   90-  64  tournament
Dec. 30 †Columbus East {4A}  W   83-  66  tournament
Jan. 2 South Bend Washington {4A}  W   68-  60  
Jan. 8 at Michigan City {4A}‡   L   55-  58  
Jan. 15 Merrillville {4A}‡  W   55-  50  
Jan. 16 at Griffith {3A}   L   51-  54  
Jan. 22 Chesterton {4A}‡  W   61-  55  
Jan. 23 Bowman Academy {2A}  W   82-  61  
Jan. 29 at LaPorte {4A}‡  W   53-  42  
Jan. 30 Boone Grove {2A}  W   40-  31  
Feb. 4 Portage {4A}‡  W   56-  29  
Feb. 6 at East Chicago Central {4A}   L   73-  80  
Feb. 9 Andrean {3A}  W   71-  51  
Feb. 12 at Valparaiso {4A}‡   L   53-  66  
Feb. 19 Lake Central {4A}‡  W   60-  44  
Feb. 23 at Hammond Morton {4A} W   69-  54  
Feb. 26 at Lowell {4A} W    68- 61  
Mar. 2 Michigan City  {4A} 6:00 pm  sectional
‡DUNELAND CONFERENCE GAME    †NEUTRAL COURT

 

CLASS SECTIONAL JOHNHARRELL.NET TOURNAMENT HISTORY PAST SEASONS
4A 1 E-MAIL CORRECTIONS MAP TO SCHOOL 13-11
BLUE, WHITE GYM SIZE: 4,300
LAKE CENTRAL
INDIANS
Coach: Dave Milausnic, 165-101 in 12th year at school
DATE OPPONENT RESULT / CT OA 50.5, DA 49.9
Nov. 23 Andrean {3A}  W   60-  51  
Nov. 28 at Hamilton Southeastern {4A}   L   31-  49  
Dec. 2 Bowman Academy {2A}   L   40-  55  
Dec. 9 Gary West {4A}  W   56-  39  
Dec. 11 Warsaw {4A} ot  L   38-  42  
Dec. 19 Hammond Morton {4A}  W   50-  46  
Dec. 22 at Munster {4A}  W   43-  40  
Dec. 29 †New Haven {3A} ot W   53-  48  tournament
Dec. 29 †Jeffersonville {4A}  W   52-  43  tournament
Dec. 30 †Columbia City {3A}  W   51-  43  tournament
Dec. 30 †Merrillville {4A}   L   42-  56  tournament
Jan. 8 at LaPorte {4A}‡  W   50-  38  
Jan. 12 at Highland {4A}  W   62-  30  
Jan. 15 at Portage {4A}‡ ot W   52-  51  
Jan. 19 at Lowell {4A} ot  L   63-  65  
Jan. 22 Valparaiso {4A}‡   L   53-  66  
Jan. 29 Chesterton {4A}‡  W   55-  54  
Jan. 30 South Bend Clay {4A}  W   66-  44  
Feb. 4 at Merrillville {4A}‡   L   49-  50  
Feb. 9 at East Chicago Central {4A}   L   55-  63  
Feb. 12 Michigan City {4A}‡   L   46-  58  
Feb. 19 at Crown Point {4A}‡   L   44-  60  
Feb. 23 Marquette Catholic {2A}  W   56-  43  
Feb. 26 at McCutcheon {4A}   L   46-  64  
Mar. 1 †Lowell {4A} 7:00 pm  sectional
‡DUNELAND CONFERENCE GAME    †NEUTRAL COURT

 

DUNELAND
ALL TIMES CENTRAL
  CONF AG OA DA AM STREAK
Merrillville 6-  1 22-  1 68.6 53.7 14.9 Won 11
Valparaiso 5-  2 18-  6 65.2 55.0 10.3 Won 2
Crown Point 5-  2 15-  8 63.3 55.9 7.4 Won 3
Chesterton 4-  3 15-  8 63.6 59.8 3.8 Won 1
Michigan City 3-  4 12-10 59.7 56.8 2.9 Lost 1
Lake Central 3-  4 13-11 50.5 49.9 0.6 Lost 1
LaPorte 1-  6 13-  9 56.6 51.5 5.0 Won 2
Portage 1-  6 9-15 53.4 60.5 -7.1 Lost 1
Tuesday, Feb. 23
Crown Point 69, Hammond Morton 54
Lake Central 56, Marquette Catholic 43
Merrillville 81, Morgan Twp. 44
Mishawaka Marian 61, Chesterton 54
Portage 52, Lake Station 41
Friday, Feb. 26
Chesterton 67, Boone Grove 47
Crown Point 68, Lowell 61
Hammond Morton 67, Portage 53
LaPorte 66, Elkhart Central 58
McCutcheon 64, Lake Central 46
Merrillville 60, Penn 47
Valparaiso 86, South Bend Clay 832OT
Tuesday, Mar. 1
Lowell vs. Lake Central, 7 pm
Valparaiso vs. Merrillville, 7 pm
South Bend Riley vs. LaPorte, 6 pm
Wednesday, Mar. 2
Crown Point vs. Michigan City, 6 pm
Chesterton vs. Hobart, 7:30 pm
‡Conference game