Bulldogs close out regular season with 68-61 win at Lowell

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-28-2016

Team /Record	1	2	3	4	Final
CROWN POINT (15-8)	20	16	17	15	68
LOWELL (18-5)	18	12	10	21	61

Friday, February 26, 2016 - Nonconference game at LOWELL, Ind.

Crown Points John Sakaleros (42) wins the jump ball at the start of the game from Lowell's Nick Mantis (30) in front of a capacity crowd last Friday in Lowell.  (All photos by Mark Smith)

Crown Point senior Grant Gelon (30) shakes hands with Lowell senior Brandon Cory (24) before both play their final regular season game last Friday. CP has five seniors. Lowell has three.

Crown Point's Dominic Tomich (12) practices ultimate ball security as he is surrounded by the Lowell defense and the Devils students section Friday night. Tomich played all 32 minutes with 12 points and five assists.

Lowell's John Cory (22) watches CP's Sasha Stefanovic meet heavy resistance at the rim in second quarter action last Friday. Stefanovic scored 20 pints and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Lowell's Nick Mantis (30) looks past CP defender Dominic Tomich last Friday in Lowell. Mantis led all scorers with 23 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter.

Lowell's Noah Durr (44) keeps an eye on CP's Sasha Stefanovic as he moves the ball up the floor at Lowell last Friday. CP made 18 turnovers, but won 68-61.

Lowell senior Hayden Monix (42) keeps the ball moving Friday night against Crown Point. Monix scored two early baskets against Crown point in the regular season finale.

Lowell's Noah Durr (44) draws a foul from Andrew Kenneally (44) on this reverse layup late in Friday's game at Lowell. Lowell's 68-61 loss was their first at home this season.

CP senior guard Blake Bonin (10) works hard to creates backcourt space against Zach Redmon (12) last Friday in Lowell. CP ended the regular season on a 3-game winning streak. Lowell's 68-61 loss broke a four-game Devils' win streak.

Lowell's Noah Durr (44) looks for a chance to help out teammate John Cory (22) as the Devils run a halfcourt offense against Dominic Tomich (12), Andrew Kenneally and CP Friday.

Junior John Cory (22) has friends in the crowd Friday at Lowell as the Devils battle Crown Point. Lowell played seven schools from the Duneland Athletic Conference this season.

Lowell junior Nick Mantis (30) shakes the hand of CP coach Clint Swan before Friday's game in Lowell. Mantis finished the 23-game regular season averaging 19 points a game. (All photos by Mark Smith)

Copyright © 2016 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved. Revised: March 03, 2016 .

 

CROWN POINT (68) Blake Bonin 0-0-0, John Sakaleros 2-0-4, Dominic Tomich 4-4-12, Sasha Stefanovic 5-8-20, Grant Gelon 5-5-18, Andrew Kenneally 5-4-14, Leo Zdanowicz 0-0-0, Kenny Decker 0-0-0. TOTALS: 21 (21-27) 68.

LOWELL (61) John Cory 3-3-10, Brandon Cory 4-4-15, Nick Mantis 10-2-23, Grant Monix 1-0-3, Brett Skorka 1-1-3, Hayden Monix 2-1-5, Noah Durr 0-2-2, Hunter Van Schouwen 0-0-0, Bailey Laumeyer 0-0-0.
TOTALS: 21 (13-16) 61.

FREE THROWS: CROWN POINT (21-27, 77.8%) Stefanovic 8-11, Gelon 5-6, Tomich 4-4, Kenneally 4-6; LOWELL (13-16, 81.3%) Brandon Cory 4-4, John Cory 3-4, Mantis 2-3, Durr 2-2, Moniz 1-2, Skorka 1-1.

REBOUNDS: CROWN POINT (32) Stefanovic 10, Gelon 7, Sakaleros 4, Kenneally 7, Tomich 3, Decker; LOWELL (19) Monix 5, Mantis 4, John Cory 4, Brandon Cory 3, Redomn 2, Skorka.

ASSISTS: CROWN POINT (14) Tomich 5, Bonin 4, Stefanovic 4,Kenneally; LOWELL (11) John Cory 6, Redmon 2, Mantis 2, Brandon Cory.

3-GOALS: CROWN POINT (5-for-18, 27.8%) Sasha Stefanovic 2, Grant Gelon 3; LOWELL (6 of 25, 24%) Brandon Cory 3, John Cory, Mantis, Monix.

FOULED OUT: None.

It was one of those nights where the atmosphere was better than the game itself. Lowell’s classic old ‘downstairs’ gym, ‘the Pit’ was full with about 2,000 ‘friends of the programs’ 20 minutes before the start of a meaningless (in any standings or rankings) nonconference game with a championship atmosphere involving a lot of boys who seemed happy to be there.

“Our game we had against Merrillville, that was a great crowd, “ recalled CP coach Clint Swan. “Our game against Lake Central. Great crowd. That game at Griffith. Great crowd. This game. Another great crowd. It's really exciting for our kids to play in front of crowds like this.”

Swan thought that his team controlled the pace somewhat, but didn’t pass up scoring chances, a tough combination task against Lowell’s speedy three-guard attack.

“We said, if they stretch you out, and press us, we have to attack. Push the call. We can't come in here playing afraid to lose and being careful. We have to play our game and do what we do. That’s why Domnic’s first half (10 points, 4-of-4 shooting, 4 assists) was so important.”

Lowell coach Joe Delgado mentioned Kenneally, CP’s 6-foot-7 forward who hasn’t taken a 3-point shot all year, but averages 11 per game with post moves and layups.

“He had 14 and 10 in that second quarter (when CP built an eight point lead), “said Lowell’s second year coach. “We’re so worried about everyone else they got.”

Lowell averages 70 points a game, but Crown Point, which likes to push the ball up the floor quickly, never let the game get up to speed.

“We just couldn't pick it up,” Delgado admitted. We were tired. I think they (the Bulldogs) were too. One of my guys, the snow plows didn't come to his house 'til today. The Cory brothers said they spent four hours yesterday shoveling people out who kept getting stuck.”

“It was nice to see a packed house here. It was a really good crowd.”

DOG NOTES: Crown Point senior Grant Gelon scored 18 points to pass the 1,000-point mark for his career. In recent years, 2015 graduate Nick Jeffirs (1,117 points), plus brothers Stephan and Michael (Spike) Albrecht (1,059) have scored 1,000.
 
Records from the first half of the 20th century are a little hard to find, but Crown Point’s all-time career leading scorer is (in old CP basketball programs listed as) Liss, who put up 1,315 points before the 3-point shot came to Indiana basketball in 1970 and 1971. Angelo Grecco, a 1997 graduate of CPHS, scored 1,113 points. Add Gelon to that list.

Gelon was proud to join the list, after watching Jeffirs and the Albrechts. But it was a long week with a 69-54 win at Morton Tuesday and the snowstorm Wednesday.

“I was at Blake (Bonin’s) house,” Grant said. “We were shoveling people out because we were snowed in. His neighbors were snowed in. I’m still kinda sore.”

“Nick, Spike and Stephen and Grant since I’ve been here,” said CP coach Clint Swan. “That’s a pretty good group.”

“It’s a great accomplishment for this guy to do this with the kind of heat he sees all the time.”

Junior Sasha Stefanovic, unofficially, has 765 points after the 23 regular season 2016 games. Barring injury, Stefanovic, who averaged 16.0 points per game during the 2016 regular season, will pass the 1,000-point mark in the middle of next season.

Andrean graduate Shane Power (2000), who was coached by present day CP coach Clint Swan, is Lake County’s all-time leading scorer with 2,110 career points.

Grant Gelon ended the regular season with 85 3-points baskets on 206 attempts. The 6-foot-6 guard attempted only 40 free throws all season but made 34 of them. CP’s Andrew Kenneally was 5-of-6 from the field (14 points) and the 6-foot-7 senior finished the regular season with 102 field goals on 163 attempts, a 62.5% rate.

Lowell’s Nick Mantis was 9-of-15 for 23 points and he ended the regular season with 42 3-point baskets on 104 attempts. John Cory finished at 46 of 140 while Brandon Cory led the Devils with 49 3-pointers on 110 tries. The total of 18 wins is the most for Lowell since the Devils were 18-6 in 1993.