Crown Point, Lake Central, Lowell, Merrillville: Post-Season Preview A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith (2-7-2006)

31st annual IHSAA   -  Girls basketball state tournament

Class 4A
Sectional (1) one  - 6 teams at Gary West Side - $5
2-7 (Tu)  Lake Central (10-10) vs. East Chicago (15-5)
2-7 (Tu) Munster (18-4) vs. Highland (11-9)
2-10 (F) Gary West Side (14-6) vs. LOWELL (15-6)

Sectional (2)  two  - 6 teams at Valparaiso  - $5
2-7 (Tu)  Portage (4-16) vs. CROWN POINT (10-10)
2-7 (Tu) Chesterton (13-7) vs. Hobart (10-10)
2-10 (F) Merrillville (18-2) at Valparaiso (13-7)

Sectional (3) three  - 6 teams at (SB) Riley
2-7 (Tu)  Michigan City (12-10) at (SB) Riley (6-16)
2-7 (Tu) (SB) Adams (8-12) vs. (SB) Clay (10-12)
2-10 (F) LaPorte (8-12) vs. No. 1 (SB) Washington (20-1)

Sectional (4) four  - 6 teams at Goshen
2-7 (Tu)  Elkhart memorial (16-4) vs. Elkhart Central (3-17)
2-7 (Tu) Penn (13-7) vs. Mishawaka (7-13)
2-10 (F) Goshen (6-14) vs. Concord (5-15)

Class 4A  Regional  - 4 teams at Valparaiso
2-18 (Sat)  Gary champion vs.  Goshen champion
2-18 (Sat)  Riley champion vs. Valparaiso champion

Class 4A  Semistate  - 2 teams at Elkhart or Plymouth
2-25 (Sat)  Valparaiso Regional champ vs. Huntington North Regional champion (possibly No. 2 Kokomo)

31st  State Basketball Finals - $10 (2 games) $18 (4 games)
3-4 (Sat) 1A championship - 9:35 CST
3-4 (Sat) 2A championship - 11:30 CST
3-4 (Sat) 3A championship - 5:06 CST
3-4 (Sat) 4A Championship - 7 p.m. CST
  At Conseco Fieldhouse - 125 South Pennsylvania St. Indianapolis

MERRILLVILLE  (18-2, 13-1 DAC)

Key players for The Lady Pirates:

1. Brittney Moore   -  6-2 senior center
11.8 points per game, 11.8 rebounds ,   31-54 (FTs) 57.4% (16 games)
Moore is the reason Merrillville has had winning teams the last three years.  Nobody else in NW Indiana has a low post player who can simply move the defender by turning.  She is a quick and powerful rebounder and skilled shot blocker.  Moore does not shoot beyond 10 feet and she shouldn't.  Brittney tends to foul a lot, which is a concern. But when she's in the game, few foes go down the lane and score.

2. Sharon Houston -6-3 senior C/F
13.1 per game. 7.3 rebounds,   26-43 (FTs) 76.5%  (9 games)
Houston is the reason Merrillville has state finals hopes.  The Lew Wallace transfer is not in Moore's class as a rebounder, but she is an accomplished shot blocker.  Listed as 6-3, Houston has the wingspan of a player 6-5 and can play center if Moore fouls out.  Houston is a natural forward and she has range beyond 20 feet, although she has limited her long range shots this season.  The only fear with Houston is that she has not played with this team all her life and there's no way to know how well they'll all work together in a close single-elimination playoff game.

3. Britney Cruse - 5-4 soph point guard
11.1 points per game - 3.5 steals,   2.3 assists   -  35-52 (FTs) 67.3%
Teams will want to press Merrillville, but Cruse makes it difficult.  A good dribbler with both hands, she can get the ball into the front court where the big girls live.  Cruse does not have to score to do her job, but she has a good 3-point shot.  That 'job'  is to limit turnovers and beat any one defender teams may stick on her and get the ball into scoring position.  Cruse is the key to this team and everybody knows it.

MERRILLVILLE -  Merrillville defeated every team in this sectional at least once, they got a first round bye, and they are favored to win here.  But Merrillville won the DAC and was favored to advance to the regional in 2004 as well and it didn't happen.  The Pirates have to find (and stay on) the fine line between aggressively feeding the ball to 6-3 Sharon Houston and 6-2 Brittney Moore and taking and making the available outside shot.  Bad choices here can lead to an upset.  But Merrillville has been consistent all season, never losing two in a row.  They will have total knowledge of all of the teams they will see at the Valparaiso Sectional, having played LC, CP, Valpo, Chesterton and Portage twice each.

I don't like to see the Pirates playing Valparaiso again.  Valpo had Merrillville beaten twice earlier this year and let the game get away both times.  The Vikings led by 11 in the fourth quarter at Merrillville in December before losing 52-47 and VHS fell to Merrillville 56-53 in double-overtime in January at Valparaiso after they had a free throw chance to win the game at the end of regulation time.

Merrillville has not exhibited much outside shooting all year and if they fall behind, they'll need some.  The Pirates shoot almost 45 percent from the floor (360-815, 16 games) but a lot of those are layups.  This is also a 60 percent foul shooting team (182 of 304, 16 games) which is very average.  Here is a team that could get to the state finals if everything breaks correctly.  So much of the game is rebounding and limiting turnovers.

Defensively, the perimeter people on Merrillville cam gamble because, if you get by them, you still have to score over Moore.  But Chesterton, Crown Point and especially Valparaiso are patient teams which can take advantage of that gambling.  But I have a feeling that a third meeting with Valparaiso will be fatal for the Pirates.  Merrillville has the best team in Northwest Indiana, but they won't beat the Vikings a third time at the Valparaiso Sectional.

CROWN POINT (10-10)

Key players for The Lady Bulldogs:

1. Hannah Plumley -  5-8 senior G/F
10.2 points,  4.6 rebounds, 3.3 steals per game,  41-62 (FTs) 66.1%     (17 games)
Hannah Plumley is one of the Lady Bulldogs' team leaders and she has to play well for CP to win.  Plumley is a streak shooter with 3-point range and a physical defender.  Hannah is the charter member of CP's 2006 'point guard by committee' group and a scrambling player who must win loose-ball battles on the floor.  Plumley is better on the wing where she is a streak shooter.  She can miss a half dozen in a row and then make a half dozen straight.  But she reflects how her team is playing.  If CP wins, it will probably be because Plumley grabbed a rebound and hit free throws at the end of the game.

2. Courtney Perry -  6-0 junior center
8.4 points;   6.1 rebounds per game,  52-109 (2s) .403;   38-62 (FTs) .61   (17 games)
Courtney Perry is a powerful post player and a good screener.  She is not fast, but she is quick and can occupy the tall centers of Merrillville or Michigan City.  Perry is a good shooter when she's confident.  Courtney always appears to be on the verge of a breakout 20-point, 10 rebound game.  She presents problems in that respect because even someone like Merrillville's Moore isn't quick enough to stop her.  Her game is improving but it needs to improve dramatically.  This week.

3. Stephanie Poulos -  5-8 senior guard/forward
9.6 points;   3.8 rebounds; 2.0 steals per game,  26-82 (3s) .317;   19-30 (FTs) .633   (17 games)
Stephanie Poulos is CP's best outside shooter and a confident offensive threat.  Poulos is not a physical defender, but she has come up with key steals and rebounds.  A low turnover player (only 20 in CP's first 17 games), Poulos is most likely to take the final shot in a tie game.  But she is also the focus of everyone's defenses because she's the one who's been scoring.  If CP needs a final shot to win a game, Poulos is the first option.

CROWN POINT -  There was a year when the New York Yankees lost the last seven games of the regular season and won the World Series.  But that's not a blueprint for success.  Crown Point needs to mentally start the season over.  The only team at the Valparaiso Sectional they can't beat on paper, is Merrillville (18-2).  If the Lady Bulldogs are to win, they're going to need help off the bench.  Junior wing shooter Amanda Moore could have a big week and Anjellica Rospond can match up with the DAC's bigger girls.  Freshman Sydney Reeves adds much needed speed and 5-10 sophomore Melissa Spisak is more athletic than most of her foes.

Crown Point is a good defensive team and an acceptable rebounding squad.  But they are just plain bad offensively.  There's no two ways about it.  I would like to see them become ultra patient with the basketball in search of the best shot.  This is time consuming, but this version of CP needs to play games in the 30s and 40s due to lack of firepower.  The Lady Bulldogs just don't have the offense to blow anybody out.

Obviously, the Lady Bulldogs are a huge reversal of form here for consecutive wins.  But Portage and Hobart won't beat Crown Point and this is not a great Valpo team.  Chesterton is very similar to CP.  Despite the nightmare January, CP can and will beat anyone here but Merrillville.  If Valpo upsets Merrillville, Crown Point has an outside chance to win the sectional.

LAKE CENTRAL (11-9)

Key players for The Lady Indians:

1. Allison Aguilera
4.8 points,  4.0 assists per game,  32-71 (FTs) .451%     (18 games)
Allison Aguilera's numbers aren't all that important.  She has the dribbling and passing skills to get the ball up the floor.  Aguilera's foul shooting has been suspect, but she is the pure pass-first, shoot-second point guard that LC has needed for a couple of years.  For LC to win in first round sectional play, Aguilera is going to have to make or at least take some shots to force the defense to guard her.

2. Janelle Kapelisnki -  5-10 junior forward
7.3 points;   5.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals per game, 40-91 (2s) .439;   50-73 (FTs) .685   (18 games)
Janelle Kapelinski has been a very effective rebounder, even when the opposition has position.  She has allowed LC to survive the loss of Ashley Michalski, their starting center.  Kapelinski is also a better than average foul shooter and someone who gets fouled a lot.

3. Angie Funston -  5-9 senior forward
10.3 points;   4.0 rebounds,  19-63 (3s) .301;   19-24 (FTs) .792   (18 games)
Angie Funston is LC's most athletic player and she must score in double figures for the Indians to win.  Funston takes more shots than anyone else on the team, and she is a streak shooter with good range.  She has played in state finals softball so playoff pressure is not new to her.  If LC has to take a last shot to win a tie game, Angie Funston will probably be the one taking it.

ST. JOHN -  Lake Central is in the wrong sectional.  They defeated every team except Hobart in 4A sectional two.  Trouble is, the Indians are assigned to 4A Sectional one and they lost to three of those teams:  Munster, Highland, and East Chicago.

The LC ladies are riding a lot of good will.  Most everybody would like to see good old boy Tom Megyesi win a sectional title and the comeback from a 2-8 start is the typical heartwarming prep sports story.  Two weeks ago, during their 8-game win streak, the Indians would have beaten anybody.  But LC does match up with pressing teams like Munster, East Chicago and Gary West Side.  As with  Lowell, I like the construction of this team.  You don't have four girls who do the same thing.  The Indians must keep the pace of the game under control to allow the girls to use their skills.  Clearly they have a shot.  LC has already played East Chicago and they lost only 50-44, which is an acceptable outcome for the regular season.  LC did not play Gary West Side but they are unlikely to see West Side.  The three losses to sectional foes are all by 10 points or less.

This is an upset many are picking based on LC's surge and EC's lack of success at the sectional level.  But East Chicago is on a 6-game winning streak and the Indians can only hope to keep it close.  Realistically, it will be difficult for Lake Central to handle the speed of the Cardinals defensively.  I think LC is too young to win back-to-back playoff games and they got the worst possible draw here.

LOWELL  (15-6)

Key players for The Lady Red Devils:

1. Rachel Thiel -    5-10 senior center
9.7 points per game,   9.5 rebounds,  52-83 (FTs) 62.7%  (21 games)
Rachel Thiel is the foundation of this team.  She is not a big scorer but few centers dominate her for any long period of time.  She sets a very solid screen and has sure hands.  Rachel's presence gives the shooters confidence because they know she'll get her share of rebounds.  Thiel has to establish that she can shoot early, so defenses will help out and open up the perimeter.


2. Julie Swisher -  5-5 senior guard
13.2 points per game,  3.8 rebounds, 45-142 (3s) 31.6%,  64-76 (FTs) 84.2%   (21 games)
A crucial part of Lowell's balance.  If Julie Swisher is not making or at least taking shots, Lowell's offense grinds to a halt.  A rare distance shooter who can blow open a close game with three long shots in a row.  Swisher is the first defensive focus of every team that plays Lowell because she can score six or nine points in a minute.  Julie has to take the ball to the basket and get fouled occasionally because:  1.) She is a state class foul shooter and 2.) Driving to the basket opens up the distance shots.


3. Kim Bell   - 5-10 sophomore forward
7.6 points per game,  6.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks per game,   57-74 (FTs) 77.0%  (21 games)
Kim Bell is potentially a dominant player but she's just not there yet.  Bell can shoot, defend, rebound and block shots.  She often plays as if she's 6-1 or 6-2 and the next two years will be very good for her.  The question is, what about the next two weeks?  Defenses that have to stop Cosentino from penetrating, Thiel from rebounding and Swisher from shooting 3-pointers may not have any answer for Bell, who is mobile and very accurate from 15 feet in.  There are some very good '4' players or power forwards in Sectional one and Bell simply has to be one of them for Lowell to still be in the state tournament Sunday (2-12-6) morning.


4. Ashley Cosentino  - 5-3 senior guard
14.6 points per game,  3.1 rebounds, 3.8 steals, 4.1 assists,  131-168 (FTs)  78.0%  (21 games)
Ashley Cosentino is a very good ball handler who can bring the ball up court and put the ball into play -- to outside shooter Julie Swisher, or inside to Thiel or Bell.  She can also drive to the basket and draw fouls.  Cosentino is an effective floor leader and her experience as a senior is clearly visible to any and all who watch her play.

LOWELL -  There is some excitement here.  Lowell football went all the way.  The Red Devils' volleyball team reached the regional final game.  Is Lowell on a roll?  The return of 2005 starter and leading scorer Kelly Johnson (11.4 ppg.) to part time duty after knee surgery gives the Devils seven players, which is enough to win.  It will all boil down to whether leading scorer Ashley Cosentino (14.6 ppg,) can stay on the floor.  Cosentino is one of NW Indiana's most difficult players to guard and if games are tightly called as they should be in the playoffs, she should get to the line a dozen times a night.  The Red Devils did not play Gary West Side or East Chicago this season so there's no sure way to know how they'll fare against them.

Lowell does not have West Side or Munster's depth and few high school teams have anybody like EC's Division 1 star Dee Dee Jernigan.  I think that Lowell could frustrate Gary West Side and the Red Devils could pull an upset, but the West Side team you see during the regular season often is not the team you see in the playoffs.  I think Lowell would like another shot at Lake Athletic Conference champion Munster.  If the Devils can slow the pace of the game against the Mustangs, they have an outside chance of pulling what admittedly would be a major upset.

I don't know how Lowell beats East Chicago.  The Cardinals are quick all over the floor and Lowell has no defensive match for Jernigan.  The Devils players are used to playing all 32 minutes so fatigue may not be factor.

Lowell got the draw they wanted and they got a full week to prepare.  The Red Devils have just seven players so they must lengthen possessions and slow the game. Because of the caliber of teams they will see on successive nights,  I can't see the Devils winning the title here, but I remember saying the same thing before that football game in November.  How'd that come out?

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Revised: February 17, 2006 .