Lady Bulldogs drop conference opener at Portage, 40-31

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith
11-19-2006

Friday, November 17, 2006 - DAC opener at Portage, Indiana

CROWN POINT (31)  Anjellica Rospond 2-1-5, Amanda Moore 4-1-10, Daniela Tarailo 2-1-5, Courtney Perry 0-3-3, Sydnee Reeves 0-1-1, Kristi Quigley 2-3-7, Brittany Clements 0-0-0, Andjalina Obradovic 0-0-0, Maegan Maloney 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  10  (10-18, 55.5%) 31.

PORTAGE (40)  Brittany Buzea 2-0-4, Kacey Kornacki 1-0-2, Gloria Hernandez 2-1-5, Tara Ellis 1-1-3, Tiffany Keil 2-0-4, Hannah Pajor 1-0-2, Lisa Samplawski 5-6-20.  TOTALS:  14 (8-23, 34.7%) 40.

FREE THROWS:  CP (10-18, 55.5%) Courney Perry 3-4, Kristi Quigley 3-4, Sydnee Reeves 1-4, Daniela Tarailo 1-3, Anjellica Rospond 1-2, Amanda Moore 1-1.  PORTAGE (8-23, 34.7%) Lisa Samplawski 6-9, Ellis 1-3, Hernandez 1-3; Buzea 0-3, Kornacki 0-2.

FIELD GOALS: CP (10-36, 27.7%) Moore 4-8, Rospond 2-6, Quigley 2-6, Tarailo 2-6;  PORTAGE (14-46, 30.3) Samplawski 5-13, Buzea 2-8, Hernandez 2-9, Keil 2-4, Elis 1-5, Kornacki 1-6.

REBOUNDS:  CP (30) Perrry 8, Moore 5, Rospond 3, Reeves 3.  PORTAGE (29) Hernandez 9, Kornacki 6, Samplawski 5, Ellis 5, Buzea 2, Keil.

ASSISTS:  Brittany Clements (CP) 2; Lisa Samplawski (P) 3.

THREE POINT GOALS:  CP (1) Amanda Moore;  PORTAGE (4)  Lisa Samplawski 4.

FOULED OUT:  Daniella Tarailo (CP) 4th - 1:46 left.

PORTAGE, IN (11-17-2006) -  For three quarters, this was one of Crown Point's all-time worst games and one of Portage's recent highs.  It was still good for Portage and bad for the Lady Bulldogs.  But the fourth quarter softened the edge both ways.

Portage led Crown Point 34-17 with 7:21 left in the fourth quarter of a game where the Indians didn't play all that well before Crown Point found a way out of some significant offensive darkness.  The Bulldogs, who looked as bad as they ever had in the first three quarters, missed easy shots and committed every basketball violation known to man or woman.  But a late run sparked by CP's full court press allowed them to end the game with more points (31) than turnovers (30), while cutting a 17-point lead to 34-30 with 2:30 left in the final quarter.

"We're still young," said Portage coach Kristen Peterson.  "We were starting to have flashbacks back to last year (Portage was 4-17 the last two seasons).  Our kids really came to play and hopefully, they're learning how to win."

Crown Point (1-1), which dominated Kankakee Valley 54-16 in the season opener, lacked confidence in heir ball-handling and shooting.  The game was tightly officiated and some traveling calls were questionable by CP, who had 24 turnovers after three quarters.  The late rally was a product of CP's trademark full court pressure and foul shooting.  The Bulldogs never did run plays successfully or make shots as their problems, like last season, were all at the offensive end of the floor. 

"I was proud of our kids making a game of it," said CP coach Tom May, "playing just one quarter of basketball.  We played a really nice defensive game.  Offensively, we're looking for other kids to do the job.  We moved the ball around a lot better.  But we weren't ready to play tonight.  We were intimidated.  The aggression was brought to us by Portage.  They set the tone.  As the game went on, we matched it and the game turned into an old-fashioned fistfight."

"We need all our kids to step up and shoot the ball because we don't have anybody who can score on their own, noted coach May.  "If a couple of kids aren't hitting, a couple of others have to take their shots."

Crown Point had four points and 11 turnovers  in the first quarter as they seemed nervous in their first road game.  Portage got two three-point baskets from 5-8 junior Lisa Samplawski, who was the focus of the Indians offense against CP's zone defense.  Samplawski, a returning starter, scored 13 of her 20 points in the first half, and was the only effective offensive player on either team.

"We have to have the ball in her hands," said Peterson.  "We wanted to put a lot of pressure on their guards to keep the ball out of the big people's hands.  We also needed to keep Gloria (5-9 center Gloria Hernandez) out of foul trouble.  We didn't want their perimeter players to be able to see at all."

Samplawski was 6-of-9 from the line including 4-of-4 in the fourth quarter.  The Indians were an abysmal 8-of-23 from the foul line for the game.  Portage didn't play very well.  They just played a lot better than CP.

"We shot about 55% from the line last year," said Peterson of the free throw shooting struggles.  "It's mostly mental.  We practice before running, after running.  But I think it's mental.  I'm just happy we won.  I don't want to see the stats."

Crown Point's lead guards, senior Brittany Clements and sophomore Sydnee Reeves, combined for just seven of CP's 30 turnovers, but no one could make a shot.  Only senior backup shooting guard Kristi Quigley and senior forward Amanda Moore made jump shots.  6-1 forward Anjellica Rospond and 6-0 center Courtney Perry  combined for just two baskets in the game, although Rospond moved the ball well.  The numbers for Perry, CP's leading returning scorer were a jolt. Ten rebounds, no field goals and eight turnovers.

"We got shots in the post," said May.  "We got shots everywhere.  I thought Anjellica made some nice passes.  But we've got to finish.  If you don't think you're going to make them, you don't."

The Lady Bulldog rally began when Perry sank two foul shots with 7:19 left.  Moore's three-point play with 6:40 left and a 12-foot jumper with 3:10 left fueled a 13-0 Crown Point run that would have given them the lead had they done better than 3-of-8 from the foul line during that stretch.  Samplawski and freshman guard Tara Ellis both split two foul shot attempts to make it 36-30 for Portage and Daniela Tarailo split two foul shots for CP with 1:44 to play.

Reeves was called for a double-dribble and Samplawski sank two foul shots to ice the game at 38-31 for the home team with 1:01 to play.  May thought his team had some severe stage fright in the first half and he seemed to believe it wouldn't happen again.

"This is the first of probably three games between us," he said, "and I'd like to see what the game would be if we'd play four quarters.  But give credit to Portage.  I thought Hernandez really worked the boards very well and Samplawski wanted the ball.  They had the best two players on the floor."

CPLB NOTES:  A very pregnant Kristen Peterson will be a mommy before Christmas.

"I thought I was about to give birth tonight," she joked of her pregnancy.  "I'm going to have a C-section Saturday morning (Nov. 25). But we have two games between now and then."

The Portage coach should probably sit out those games but she says, "No, absolutely not.  It's a C-section.  We're taking him early anyway."

Crown Point had JV sophomore and softball star Jessica Martinez dress with the varsity although she did not play.  Martinez and soccer regular Flori-Garcia-Vicente are starting guards on coach Sarah Zondor's (2-0) JV team.

Although coach Tom May said he would not press full court this season, CP showed full court pressure the entire game and it was effective.  Amanda Moore had 10 points and seven rebounds, but five turnovers.  The Lady Bulldogs attempted just 36 shots from the field in 32 minutes.  Portage had 23 turnovers, 15 in the second half.

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Revised: November 19, 2006 .