Lady Bulldogs hand Lowell 1st loss 75-33, go to 6-0 on season

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
12-02-2010

LOWELL (31) Carissa Thiel 1-0-2, Carley Austgen 2-1-5, Kaylne Godbolt 1-0-3, Sarah Wietbrock 1-2-4, Katie Bobos 6-2-14, Sarah Edwards 1-1-3, Mackenzie Kruetz 1-0-2, Sarah Wieser 0-0-0, Savannah Summers 0-0-0. TOTALS: 13 (6-11) 33.

CROWN POINT (75) Kelly Gross 4-1-10, Courtney Kvachkoff 7-1-15, Kendall Brown 7-4-18, Michaela Prough 4-0-8, Madeline Moore 1-0-2, Alexis Joseph 4-0-8, Hayley Bordui 2-1-5, Lisa Kurth 1-0-2, Sarah Rivich 2-0-4, Kelly Maddalone 1-0-3, Zarah Cecich 0-0-0. TOTALS: 33 (6-12) 75.

FREE THROWS: LOWELL (6-12, 50%) Carley Austgen 1-3, Katie Bobos 2-2, Sarah Wietbrock 2-2, Sarah Edwards 1-2; CROWN POINT (6-12, 50%) Kelly Gross 1-2, Courtney Kvachkoff 1-2, Kendal Brown 4-6, Lisa Kurth 0-2.

REBOUNDS: LOWELL (24) Bobos 6, Thiel 6, Godbolt 5, Kruetz 4, Wietbrock 2, Austgen; CROWN POINT (27) Gross 7, Joseph 6, Kurth 4, Brown 3, Rivich 2, Cecich, Moore, Prough, Kvachkoff, Bordui.

ASSISTS: LOWELL (4) Godbolt, Kruetz, Summesr, Wieser; CROWN POINT (19) Kurth 7, Rivich 4, Bordui 3, Gross 2, Brown, Kvachkoff, Maddelone.

STEALS: LOWELL (4) Austgen 2, Kruetz, Wieser; CROWN POINT (19) Kurth 4, Kvachkoff 4, Gross 3, Prough 3, Brown 2, Rivich 2, Moore.

BLOCKED SHOTS: LOWELL (1) Edwards; CROWN POINT (6) Bordui 4, Joseph, Moore.

3-GOALS: LOWELL(1) Kalyne Godbolt; CROWN POINT (3) Kelly Maddalone, Hayley Bordui, Kelly Gross.

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CROWN POINT (11-30-2010) It might not have been Crown Point's best game of the year. But it was their best half. Leading 33-22 at halftime over undefeated Lowell, unbeaten Crown Point had left the door open for a comeback. But after Lowell's Sarah Wietbrock scored on an offensive rebound to begin the second half, the Lady Bulldogs stepped up the intensity level. Crown Point outscored Lowell 42-9 in the final 15 minutes of the annual matchup of the two south Lake County neighbors and the Lady Bulldogs won big, 75-33.

"We didn't have a real good practice yesterday," said CP coach Mike Cronkhite. "We didn't look real good. I attribute the first half to that and that's my fault. But we got the win and we're 6-0."

Crown Point's Kendall Brown, who scored 14 of her 18 points in the first half, agreed that intensity may have been discussed at halftime.

"He (Cronkhite) just said that we were letting yesterday's practice spill into today. So we needed to step it up and play together. Make the extra pass. Speed it up."

Brown said that the goal is to play the same regardless of the opponent.

"We always have the expectations of winning," she said. "We always play to win. But you have to treat each game the same. You can't judge it by who it is. You want to play hard and not worry about who you are playing."

The matchup of teams with no losses turned into a mismatch in the third quarter as the bigger, faster and older Lady Bulldogs wore down the visitors. Lowell committed 15 turnovers in the first half against CP's 1-3-1 half-court trapping defense.

The Devils, who start 5-foot-3 guards Kalyne Godbolt and Sarah Wietbriock, had problems making passes against CP, which starts 5-foot-9 guards Courtney Kvachkoff, Kendall Brown and 6-foot Hayley Bordui. Lowell's 5-foot-10 sophomore forward Katie Bobos scored eight in the second quarter to keep the game close at halftime.

But in the second half, CP generated a 12-0 third quarter run with Kelly Gross scoring twice. In the fourth quarter, junior center Alexis Joseph and 5-5 senior Lisa Kurth combined for four assists, 10 points and eight rebounds as Lowell's ball-handling collapsed under the half court pressure.

"It's back to the drawing board," said Lowell coach Katie Antcliff. "They put our guards into a situation where they were being trapped on the sidelines. Our eyes were down the whole time. Mentally, we weren't working well. You were setting up your teammates for that trap. That's what Crown Point did."

"We switched to a two post front and we started to see some things there. But, again, we just didn't look towards the basket."

For the first time this season, Lowell exhibited the problem they figured to have. With only two juniors and one senior on the roster, the Devils are not physically ready to face big school teams of 17 and 18-year-olds.

"We're not making excuses," Antcliff said. "We just did not come to play in the second half. Crown Point took it to us and we did not respond. It's back to the drawing board. We've got to pick our heads up if you want to be the best, you've got to play the best."

The Bulldogs dominated five of their first six foes and they looked as good as they did when they were 9-0 two years ago. Brown didn't really want to compare this team with that team.

"It feels good this time," she said. "I'm just worried about right now. It feels good."

Cronkhite can't speak to two years ago since this is only his second season. He insists he isn't looking ahead to games with perennial DAC power Michigan City and defending regional champion Merrillville.

"I'm only thinking one game at a time," he said. "Our goal is to wear the other team out I like this team a lot."

So far, what's not to like?

DOG-DEVIL NOTES: Crown Point was 9-0 in 2009 and they finished at 12-9. CP was 8-0 in 2005 and they finished at 17-6. The Lady Bulldogs were 6-0 in 2001 when they went 20-4 and won the sectional championship.

Crown Point's game with Northridge (3-1) in the 'Region Rumble' has been moved from Jan. 3 at the Hammond Civic Center to Jan. 1 at Valparaiso University.
"It'll be January 1st at 5 p.m.," said coach Mike Cronkhite, "and I much prefer that to Monday night at six."

Crown Point's boys defeated Winchester 75-70 in overtime on Jan. 1, 2008 at Valparaiso, in a game played on a Monday night.

Tickets are on sale at the Crown Point athletic office and at Valparaiso University.

Crown Point's Kendall Brown leads her team in three-point field goals and she likes the freedom of shooting the ball under coach Mike Cronkhite's up tempo system. Cronkhite sincerely lets his girls take all available open three-point shots.

"It makes it a lot easier to play that way," Brown says. "You can just go and do what you want. Everyone has that same mentality. When we do it, it seems to click. At least it has been lately. If you look at all the college numbers. 40% is pretty good. Even 30% is pretty good."

Brown insists that you have to be in physical condition to shoot a lot of three-point baskets.

"You definitely have to think about that," she said. "In my opinion 3's are the hardest thing to do. You have to have the aim and you have to be ready to shoot at all times."

Coach Mike Cronkhite does not have a set starting lineup and he likes it that way.

"I could start any of 20 different lineups," he said after the win over Lowell. "They don't know whose starting. They didn't know (tonight) until the pre-game speech. I keep it a surprise, I guess."

2011 CROWN POINT Bulldogs (6-0)
Nov. 12 (W) 74-33 Hebron (1-5)
Nov. 13 (W) 75-40 Kankakee Valley (0-2)
Nov. 16 (W) 59-51 (OT) at Andrean (3-2)
Nov. 19 (W) 73-55 at Portage (2-4)
Nov. 26 (W) 80-74 Chesterton (2-2)
Nov. 30 (W) 75-33 Lowell (5-1)

Dec. 3 (Fri.) at LaPorte (2-3)
Dec. 10 (Fri.) Lake Central (2-3)
Dec. 14 (Tues.) Valparaiso (2-4)
Dec. 17 (Fri.) at Michigan City (4-0)
Dec. 28 (Tu.) Merrillville (4-0)
Dec. 30 (Th.) Portage (2-4)
Jan. 1 (Sat.) Northridge (3-1) 6:00 pm (at Valparaiso University)
Jan. 7 (Fri.) at Chesterton (3-2)
Jan. 15 (Sat.) at Lake Central (2-3)
Jan. 21 (Fri.) Michigan City (4-0)
Jan. 25 (Tu.) LaPorte (2-3)
Jan. 27 (Thu.) Hobart (5-1)
Jan. 28 (Fri.) at Valparaiso (2-4)
Feb. 3 (Fri.) at Merrillville (4-0)

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Revised: December 06, 2010 .