Bulldogs rally to win 70-68 at Michigan City in DAC Opener

A USA-365.com Special Report  by Mark Smith
01-15-2020

Team /Record 1 2 3 4 Final
CROWN POINT (6-5) 14 17 17 22 70
CROWN POINT (4-5) 17 20 11 20 68

Friday, January 10, 2020 - Duneland Athletic Conference Opener at MICHIGAN CITY, Ind.

Crown Point meets Michigan City and everybody has to get ready. 
(All photos by Mark Smith)
CP coach Clint Swan and Michigan City coach Tom Wells (right) have been coaching against each other since the 1990s.
Crown Point's Ty Smith (12) takes on Michigan City's Evan Bush (12) in first half action. Smith led all scorers with 16 points.
Michigan City's Evan Bush (21) and CP coach Clint Swan are highly interested in what junior David Brown (30) is about to do with the basketball last Friday in Michigan City.
Michigan City's Jose Jenkins (21) looks to get by CP senior Ben Uran (31) in the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) matchup of MC and Crown Point.
It takes a village, in the name of CP defenders Mike Lubbers (22), Ty Smith (12), Ben Uran (31) and David Brown (30) to slow down Michigan City top scorer Jamie Hodges (11).
CP's David Brown (30) puts the evil eye on Michigan City freshman guard Jamie Hodges (11) in the annual CP-MC game last week.
Michigan City's Jamie Hodges (11) battled with with CP sophomore Drew Adzia (14) all night long in Michigan City Friday.
CP's Ty Smith (12) eyes a three-point shot against Michigan City's Jalen Bullock (5) last Friday. Smith scored 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting.
Michigan City's Evan Bush (12), Tahri Wilson (2), Jose Jenkins (21) and Omarian Hatch (3) talk it over after a time out last Friday against Crown Point. MC had won seven of their first eight games.
CP's Ben Uran (31) looks around and beyond Michigan City's Jose Jenkins (21) Friday night in LaPorte County. CP won the DAC opener on the road.
Chips and pop will slow you down, but nothing slowed down Michigan City and Crown Point Friday in Michigan City. The Bulldogs won 70-68 in the big gym (seating capacity: 7,172) in Michigan City. (All photos by Mark Smith)
 

Copyright © 2019 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: January 18, 2020 .

 

CROWN POINT (70): Ty Smith 10-1-24, Drew Adzia 0-10-10, David Brown 1-0-2, Jake Oostman 3-0-6, Miles Lubbers 5-2-12, Dylan Matusak 0-0-0, Ben Uran 3-1-7, Felix Meeks 0-0-0, Darrius Roach 0-0-0, Darren Roach 3-1-9. TOTALS: 25 (15-21) 70.

MICHIGAN CITY (68): Dez'mand Hawkins 6-2-18, Tahari Watson 3-0-8, Evan Bush 5-3-13, James Hodges 4-5-15, Omarion Hatch 1-0-3, Jalen Bullock 2-0-4, Jose Jenkins 3-1-7, Donye Grant 0-0-0. TOTALS: 24 (11-19) 68.

FREE THROWS: CROWN POINT (15-21, 71.4%) Smith 1-1, Uran 1-1, Adzia 10-12, Lubbers 2-3, Roach 1-2, Oostman 0-2. MICH CITY (11-19, 57.9%) Hodges 5-8, Bush 3-6, Hawkins 2-2, Jenkins 1-2, Bullock 0-1.

REBOUNDS: CP (31) Adzia 7, Smith 6, Brown 4, Roach 4, Lubbers 3, Oostman 3, Uran 2, Matusak, Hanlon. MICH CITY (27) Hodges 6, Bush 6, Bullock 4, Jenkins 3, Hatch 3, Hawkins 3, Watson, Grant.

TURNOVERS: CROWN POINT (14); MICH. CITY (7).

3-GOALS: CROWN POINT (5-13, 38.5%) Ty Smith 3, Darren Roach 2; MICH. CITY (9-37, 24.3%) Dez'mand Hawkins 4, Tahari Watson 2, James Hodges 2, Omarion Hatch.

FOULED OUT: CP: NONE; MICH. CITY (2) James Hodges (4th Q) :51 sec. left; Tahari Watson (4th Q) :47 sec. left.

 

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MICHIGAN CITY (01-10-2020) On a cold, rainy night in LaPorte County, Crown Point was down 11 points early against the fast-paced, go-go offense of Michigan City.

But the visiting Bulldogs just wouldn't go away.

In a season where CP has already pulled more than one ‘mild upset’, a win over a team that seemed on paper to be superior, like Penn, New Albany and West Lafayette. Here was another one. In a fast-paced start to the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) season for both schools, Crown Point (6-5) rallied to beat Michigan City 70-68.

Trailing 30-19 in the second quarter, CP rallied to cut the lead to 37-31 at the half.

Trailing 44-35 in the middle of the third quarter, CP scored 12 in a row, mostly counter-punching against the fast breaking hard-driving home team.

“The biggest thing we got out of tonight,” said CP coach Clint Swan, “was that two weeks ago, we’d have lost this game by 15 or 20. Points. Tonight, we turned it over a lot, but we made a lot of plays.”

CP consistently scored on inbounds plays and other ‘set plays’ against the press. Michigan City (7-2), which averages 73 points a game, never backed off their hard-driving barnstorming style, but fell into a reliance on the 3-point shot. The Wolves were 5-of-17 on long range 3s in the first half and 4-of-22 on bonus balls after halftime. LaPorte coach Tom Wells thought that the 3s didn't come out of a patient offense.

“That’s a lot of 3-pointers,” he agreed. “We’ve got to go inside and then kick it back out. We had chances to score inside, too.”

Michigan City’s pace forced Crown Point to go deep into the bench in this game and CP got surprise performance from players like 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Darren Roach, who contributed nine points and four rebounds in 15 minutes and 6-foot-6 senior Jake Ooostman who posted six points in the fourth quarter. Roach had only played 71 minutes total in the first 10 games of the season. Oostman averages 14 minutes a game but just 4.2 points a game. Senior guard Luke Hanlon had three assists in a furious second half that saw the Bulldogs try to contain and counteract the three-guard Michigan City running game.

MC's James Hodges is the new kid on the block. A speedy dribble-drive threat and an active defender, he went one-on-one with CP’s sophomore guard Drew Adzia all night long.

Hodges won on the score sheet with 15 points and five steals. But Adzia, who has started every game for CP this season, was 10 of 12 from the foul line and grabbed seven rebounds. Hodges and Adzia will see each other more than once over the next two seasons.

“They are a well coached team said Swan of MC. “They put a lot of pressure on you. We have to get contributions from people that we don’t usually get them from, so this was a good team win.”

DOG NOTES: The technical foul on Michigan City freshman guard James Hodges with :50 seconds left was a major source of discussion after the game.

Hodges stole the ball from Crown Point sophomore guard Drew Adzia and scored to put his side ahead 68-67. Hodges, who had 15 points, six rebounds and four fouls at the time, was then called for a technical foul before CP could pass the ball inbounds.

Adzia split the two ‘technical free throws’ and Hodges left with his fifth foul, aiding CP’s victory.

Michigan City coach Tom Wells said that the official told him that Hodge ‘chested up’ Adzia before the ball was inbounded and ‘got in his face’.

“He was ‘chesting him up’ for 32 minutes,” said Wells after the game. “That’s what we want him to do. He could have given him a warning.”

There was a thought that Hodges spoke obscenities to Adzia, but it wouldn’t be the first time that a basketball player said a bad word to another player in the heat of the battle.

Crown Point’s Ty Smith scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead all scorers. Smith, who has started all 11 CP games, is averaging 16 points a game and has committed with just 23 turnovers. Adzia’s 10 of 12 from the foul line gave him 32 of 35 for the season, a team-leading 91.4%.

CP’s girls rolled over Michigan City 77-48 behind 21 points from sophomore Jessica Carrothers and 19 from senior guard Dash Shaw. The Lady Bulldogs led 47-25 at the half in what was a boys-girls doubleheader that eventually was played in front of about 750 ‘friends of the programs’ who braved a windswept, rain-soaked night.

The next night, Crown Point rolled over visiting Jefferson 84-28. It was the 43rd regular season victory in a row for CP, a school record.

The next girls/boys double-header on January 24 matches the first place CP girls (19-0) against Chesterton (13-3) at 5:30 a.m. before the highly-rated Chesterton boys (10-1) take on Crown Point (6-5) at 7:30 p.m. (CST) at Crown Point high school.

USA-365.com/Indiana-Sports.com Broadcast Note: Our next USA-365.com/Indiana-Sports.com broadcast comes Friday, Jan. 17 when Crown Point hosts Merrillville for a boys DAC high school basketball game. Our live coverage starts with the girls pregame show at 6:45 p.m. and tip-off at 7 p.m. CST.

CLASS SECTIONAL JOHNHARRELL.NET PAST YEARS
4A 2 COLORS: RED, WHITE MAP TO SCHOOL 6-5
TOURNAMENT HISTORY GYM: 3800
CROWN POINT
BULLDOGS
Coach: Clint Swan, 189-125 in 14th year at school, 327-197 in 23rd year overall
DATE OPPONENT CENTRAL TIME OA 55.6, DA 53.3
Nov. 27   Bowman Academy 2A L 51 60    
Dec. 7   Penn 4A W 71 67    
Dec. 10 at East Chicago Central 4A W 65 59    
Dec. 14 at Warsaw 4A L 38 50    
Dec. 20   Munster 4A L 28 41    
Dec. 27 at Noblesville 4A L 43 48   tournament
Dec. 27 N New Albany 4A W 62 54   tournament
Dec. 28 N Chesterton 4A L 35 44   tournament
Jan. 3   Kankakee Valley 3A W 88 45    
Jan. 4 at West Lafayette 3A W 61 50    
Jan. 10 at Michigan City 4A © W 70 68    
Jan. 17   Merrillville 4A © 7:00 pm    
Jan. 18 at Griffith 3A 7:00 pm    
Jan. 24   Chesterton 4A © 7:00 pm    
Jan. 31 at LaPorte 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 1   South Bend Washington 3A 7:00 pm    
Feb. 6   Portage 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 11   Andrean 2A 7:00 pm    
Feb. 14 at Valparaiso 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 21   Lake Central 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 22   McCutcheon 4A 5:30 pm    
Feb. 25 at Hammond Morton 4A 7:00 pm    
Feb. 28 at Lowell 4A 7:00 pm    
© DUNELAND CONFERENCE GAME

CLASS SECTIONAL JOHNHARRELL.NET PAST YEARS
4A 3 COLORS: BLUE, SILVER, WHITE MAP TO SCHOOL 7-3
TOURNAMENT HISTORY GYM: 7304
MICHIGAN CITY
WOLVES
Coach: Tom Wells, 7-3 in 1st year at school, 333-333 in 31st year overall
DATE OPPONENT CENTRAL TIME OA 71.6, DA 62.7
Nov. 26 at Westville 2A W 86 51    
Nov. 30   Marquette Catholic 2A W 85 56    
Dec. 6 at Gary West 4A L 53 55    
Dec. 10   Andrean 2A W 64 56    
Dec. 14 at Washington Twp. 1A W 82 73    
Dec. 19 at East Chicago Central 4A W 79 50    
Dec. 21   Penn 4A W 85 77 OT  
Jan. 7   Plymouth 4A W 60 50    
Jan. 10   Crown Point 4A © L 68 70    
Jan. 14 at LaPorte LaLumiere L 54 89    
Jan. 17 at Valparaiso 4A © 7:00 pm    
Jan. 21 at Munster 4A 7:00 pm    
Jan. 24 at LaPorte 4A © 7:00 pm    
Jan. 31   Portage 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 1   Fort Wayne South 4A 4:00 pm    
Feb. 6 at Chesterton 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 8   South Bend Adams 4A 2:30 pm    
Feb. 14 at Lake Central 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 15   Calumet 3A 7:00 pm    
Feb. 18   South Bend Riley 4A 7:00 pm    
Feb. 21   Merrillville 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 25   Mishawaka Marian 3A 7:00 pm    
© DUNELAND CONFERENCE GAME

Crown Point's Next Opponent:
CLASS SECTIONAL JOHNHARRELL.NET PAST YEARS
4A 1 COLORS: PURPLE, WHITE MAP TO SCHOOL 4-7
TOURNAMENT HISTORY GYM: 2800
MERRILLVILLE
PIRATES
Coach: Bo Patton, 4-7 in 1st year at school
DATE OPPONENT CENTRAL TIME OA 65.2, DA 62.5
Nov. 29 at East Chicago Central 4A W 59 49    
Nov. 30   Fort Wayne Snider 4A L 56 81    
Dec. 7 at South Bend Riley 4A W 64 55    
Dec. 10   Hammond Morton 4A W 84 62    
Dec. 14 at Andrean 2A L 63 69    
Dec. 17 at Griffith 3A L 51 58    
Dec. 20 at Indianapolis Attucks 4A L 60 79    
Dec. 27 N New Haven 4A L 80 85   tournament
Dec. 27 N Warren Central 4A L 56 62   tournament
Dec. 28 N Jay County 3A W 91 31   tournament
Jan. 11   Chesterton 4A © L 53 56    
Jan. 17 at Crown Point 4A © 7:00 pm    
Jan. 18   Munster 4A 7:00 pm    
Jan. 24   Portage 4A © 7:00 pm    
Jan. 31   Valparaiso 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 1   Lowell 4A 7:00 pm    
Feb. 6   Lake Central 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 14 at LaPorte 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 21 at Michigan City 4A © 7:00 pm    
Feb. 22 at Hobart 4A 7:00 pm    
Feb. 28 at Penn 4A 7:00 pm    
© DUNELAND CONFERENCE GAME

DUNELAND
ALL TIMES CENTRAL
  CONF AG OA DA AM Streak
Chesterton 1-  0 12-  1 60.9 46.5 14.4 Won 5
Valparaiso 1-  0 9-  4 55.2 49.4 5.8 Won 3
LaPorte 1-  0 7-  5 65.0 63.7 1.3 Won 2
Crown Point 1-  0 6-  5 55.6 53.3 2.4 Won 3
Michigan City 0-  1 7-  3 71.6 62.7 8.9 Lost 2
Lake Central 0-  1 7-  5 56.0 47.5 8.5 Won 1
Merrillville 0-  1 4-  7 65.2 62.5 2.7 Lost 1
Portage 0-  1 4-  8 55.9 57.2 -1.3 Lost 2
Tuesday, Jan. 7
Chesterton 76, Noll 54
LaPorte 73, Lowell 58
Michigan City 60, Plymouth 50
Friday, Jan. 10
Crown Point 70, Michigan City 68 ©
LaPorte 66, Lake Central 58 ©
Valparaiso 60, Portage 44 ©
Saturday, Jan. 11
Chesterton 56, Merrillville 53 ©
Valparaiso 54, Penn 48
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Chesterton 78, Hobart 37
Hammond 78, Portage 44
Lake Central 53, Highland 34
LaPorte LaLumiere 89, Michigan City 54
Friday, Jan. 17
Lake Central at Portage © , 7 pm
LaPorte at Chesterton © , 7 pm
Merrillville at Crown Point © , 7 pm
Michigan City at Valparaiso © , 7 pm
Saturday, Jan. 18
Crown Point at Griffith, 7 pm
Munster at Merrillville, 7 pm
Portage at Boone Grove, 7 pm
Valparaiso at Washington, 7 pm
Tuesday, Jan. 21
Lake Central at Lowell, 7 pm
Michigan City at Munster, 7 pm
Whiting at Portage, 7 pm
Friday, Jan. 24
Chesterton at Crown Point © , 7 pm
Michigan City at LaPorte © , 7 pm
Portage at Merrillville © , 7 pm
Valparaiso at Lake Central © , 7:45 pm
Saturday, Jan. 25
Adams at Chesterton, 7 pm
© Conference game