Red Devils hold off Bulldogs, win 51-44 in Boys Basketball

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-21-2010

LOWELL, IN (02-20-2010)  It might have been because Crown Point played a double-overtime Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) game with Portage the night before while Lowell rested.  It might have been because junior top scorer Austin Richie (28 ppg.) returned from injury early and scored 33 points.  It might have been because Lowell was inspired on 'Senior Night' or the fact that the Devils were playing CP, a traditional rival and neighbor.  It simply might have been because Lowell was just tired of losing.

What ever caused it, Saturday's game was the lift Lowell had to have to maintain hope for the upcoming sectional.  If they can defeat Crown Point 51-44, the Devils can realistically tell themselves they can win a game or two in Class 4A Sectional One.

The Lowell side was very happy because it's been a long year.  The Devils (5-13) lost back-to-back games to Munster and Merrillville 92-36 and 91-35 and nobody could blame some of the older players if they simply didn't want to play anymore.

"I didn't do anything," Magley said of his seniors.  But those boys (Ray Skamay, Joe McIntosh, Joe Bell and Craig Austgen) all started Saturday and contributed in Lowell's biggest win of the season.

"That's those kids.  I'm really happy for the young men.  Against Boone Grove, we carried out the game plan very well.  We just came up a little short.  Crown Point is a lot like us.  They needed this win, too."

"Our seniors got to go out defeating Crown Point," added Magley.  "A lot of Lowell kids can't say that.  It was easy to give up when the season is not going well.  These young men haven't given up.  We've got to continue trying to get better.  Crazy things can happen at the end of the year if you don't give up."

"They just beat us," said CP coach Clint Swan, who didn't want to make any excuses even when his team had a good one.  "They just beat us tonight.  There's no other way to look at it.  We've played double weekends (Friday and Saturday night games) a lot this year.  That shouldn't bother us now."

It seemed like CP's double-overtime win over Portage the night before had a hangover affect.  CP led 4-3 when Austgen's offensive rebound basket put Lowell ahead and started an 11-4 run to the end of the quarter.  Richie, Lowell's top scorer, who was returning to action after missing five games with a broken bone in his hand, scored 13 first quarter points as the Devils maintained their lead.

CP's Michael Albrecht struggled from the field for the second straight night, this time against the defense of Skamay, who was part of the reason the Bulldog top scorer (17 ppg.) scored just 10.

"I was worn out following him around," Skamay said later.  "That' was my main job tonight.  He had some open shots.  I was surprised he missed as many as he did."

Close to the basket, Lowell's 6-foot-8 David Stang, with relief help from 6-foot-8 Kyle Richwalski, contained CP's 6-foot-10 junior Jared Smoot.

"Our big guys are gaining confidence," said Magley.  "It depends on matchups who we use.  Kyle and David did a nice job and Joe Bell did a good job too.  They all followed the game plan.  The goal was to keep them under 45 points to give us a chance to win.  We thought we had to hold them under 45."

The Bulldogs, who broke a 5-game losing streak themselves by defeating Portage Friday, searched the bench for some offense and they found a little in 6-foot-1 freshman guard Tommy Bardeson who scored seven second half points.  But with the score 44-42 and 2:20 to play, Richie controlled the ball in Lowell's delay game and hit six consecutive free throws.

The Lowell junior, who missed Lowell's entire losing streak with the hand injury, looked like he was in pain early in the game but he said that wasn't his hand.

"I hit my elbow," said the accident-prone junior who also suffered a black eye before the season began.  "My 'funny bone'.  It stung me for awhile, but I'm fine.  My doctor didn't want me to play until Monday but I got a second opinion.  It was great to beat Crown Point."

Magley added, "Richie being gone allowed some of our other players to gain confidence in their offensive abilities.  With him back, our guys had more faith in their roles.  We've always said that Richie should be scoring about 25 to 30 and there's 25 to 30 we need from other places."

Stang, Lowell's junior who spent most of the night guarding Smoot and battling foul trouble, said that the only way to overcome painful losses is to keep playing.

"We didn't sign up to give up," he said. "You just have to go back to work.  That's what we're here for.  Senior night meant a lot to me because it meant a lot to them.  I saw how much it meant to them."

DEVIL-DOG NOTES:  Lowell juniors David Stang and Austin Richie play with Crown Point juniors Jared Smoot, Sean Crary and Michael Albrecht on their age group AAU team in the summer.  The answer to the question is: 10 years.  Lowell last defeated Crown Point 63-58 in overtime on Jan. 4, 2000.

Lowell three-sport star Ray Skamay will head south for college.

"I gave my verbal commitment to Indiana State to run track on Sunday (2-14-2010) said Skamay, a two-time state finalist in the hurdles.  "I don't know what my deal will be.  They have 40 guys on the team and they have 12 scholarships.  On my visit I stayed with the guy who won the 300 meter state title last year and he told me he got a 60% deal.  And even if you don't get anything at first, you can get a deal later.  They told me we'd finalize things after the state meet.  Maybe they're waiting to see how I do."

Joe Bell is going to Holy Cross College in Massachusetts.

"They're like Butler in that they're non-scholarship," Bell said.  "So what you get is based on aid and alumni.  But that league (Patriot) gets an automatic berth in the (NCAA) playoffs.  It's not like Valparaiso and Butler.  They just have one bowl game.  That's why I liked Holy Cross a little better.  I like the playoff atmosphere."

"I was almost going to the University of Indianapolis.  I had a full ride scholarship there.  But my parents told me not to make a decision based on scholarship money.  Just think about what's best for my future and the best academics.  I'm undecided.  I might go into the medical field or education.  Be a principal or an athletic director.  Holy Cross is 20 minutes from Boston, so I'm thinking about being a Red Sox fan.  But I can't go for the Patriots.  I'm going to stick with my team here."

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Revised: February 22, 2010 .