Lowell controls from start to finish in 62-43 home court win over CP Lady Bulldogs

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith
11-30-2005

Tuesday, 11-29-2005 - non-conference game at Lowell

CROWN POINT (43)  Hannah Plumley 3-0-6, Jackie Clements 2-0-4, Anjellica Rospond 1-1-3, Courtney Perry 2-0-4, Stephanie Poulos 4-0-9, Amanda Moore 2-1-6, Ashley Zaucha 1-2-4, Michelle Lipton 2-0-5, Melissa Spisak 1-0-2, Katie Kvachkoff 0-0-0, Danialla Tarailo 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 18 (4-10) 43.

LOWELL  (62)  Ashley Cosentino 3-17-23, Julie Swisher 7-7-25, Kim Bell 1-2-4, Rachel Thiel 2-5-9, Kara Lamb 0-1-1, Katie Haberlin 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 13-32-62.

FREE THROWS:  CP (4-10, 40%) Rospond 1-4, Moore 1-2, Zaucha 2-2, Tarailo 0-2;
LOWELL (32-38, 84.2%) Cosentino 17-18, Swisher 7-7, Bell 2-4, Lamb 1-2, Thiel 5-7.

3-GOALS:  CP (3) Stephanie Poulos, Amanda Moore, Michelle Lipton;  LOWELL (4) Julie Swisher 4.

FOULED OUT: NONE.

LOWELL  (11-29-2005) -  This was a very vivid game.  It was like, both sides stood up and said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident."

Lowell sank an incredible 32 of 38 free throws Tuesday night in the 62-43 victory over Crown Point. The Red Devil guards, Julie Swisher and Ashley Cosentino repeatedly got away from CP's persistent defenders, speaking to Lowell's strengths and, right now, CP's weaknesses.

The Red Devils' 5-10 senior center Rachel Thiel scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds, out pointing and out-rebounding both CP's Courtney Perry and Anjellica Rospond combined.  Obviously, the agile CP junior duo could outplay the more experienced Thiel.  But on this night, they didn't.  Right now, post play has been a weakness.

When CP went to bench, they gained ground.  Amanda Moore and Michelle Lipton combined for 11 points.  Lowell used only five players largely and just six total.  CP, which has lost three in a row, knows their depth will win some games and Lowell still knows they must develop some depth.

"We're going to live and die with those five," Lowell coach Patti McCormack said of her five regulars, who play virtually the entire game . 

"Rachel was able to stay on the floor tonight. Julie got some fouls but she hasn't had five fouls in a year. Ashley played the whole game and again played very well.  You get into a mind set of I'm here (on the floor) to stay.  I'm going to stay and I've got to get it done."

"Scott (assistant coach Scott Reid) said it best," said Crown Point coach Tom May, who has stayed with nine upperclassmen exclusively in the competitive portions of the first six games.  "We've come to a cross roads. Usually it doesn't come this early in the season.  Usually this happens sometime after Christmas.  We've got to stop saying we're going to get it done and get it done.  We've got to stop saying we're going to get it done next time."

"You cant just play minutes and say, 'I played hard'. Everybody out there plays hard," added May.  "You're supposed to play hard.  Lets go to the numbers.  Steals.  Rebounds.  Assists.  Points.  You have to produce.  That's what life's all about.  There has to be production or you can't stay in the lineup."

Crown Point, again, could not get started.  The Lady Bulldogs missed some makeable shots early and Lowell immediately moved to the front leading 11-5, 19-7 and 33-16 at the half.  Lowell coach Patti McCormack was concerned that there was a perception the officials game her some home-cooking.  Lowell did get 38 foul shots to just 10 for CP.  But the disparity was only 8-4 at the half and the Devils had already built the 17-point lead.

May did not bring up the officiating after the game.  His number one concern was the fact that Julie Swisher, a 5-5 senior shooter, made four three-point baskets and 16 of her 25 points in the first half when that was the focus of the CP defense.

"We scouted them, of course," May began of his team's defensive game plan.  "Thiel is a hard worker but we can contain Thiel.  They've got two girls who can beat you.  Swisher.  She's not going to get an open shot.  She's got to put the ball on the floor.  We lost in the first few minutes.  She was off and we were down eight or nine points.  The other thing was... their little point guard (Cosentino).  We obviously don't have anybody who can stay with her.  When their two guards score the first 29 of the first 33 points, that says a lot about the kids that we have against them."

"We missed some shots and we should have been pounding the glass and scoring at will.  But that didn't happen either.  We have some kids who are going to have to get a lot tougher." 

Once Lowell got ahead, they dropped back into a flowing 2-3 zone and encouraged CP to take the outside shot.  The Lady Bulldogs pulled to within 36-26 on a rebound basket by Perry with 3:20 left in the third quarter and 48-35 on a jump shot by Michelle Lipton with 6:10 left in the game.  

But Swisher and Cosentino kept the ball in their hands and reaped the benefits.  Swisher was 7-of-7 from the line in the second half and Cosentino was 10-of-10.  That's the blueprint for Lowell wins.  The Red Devils have gotten off to a great stat at the foul line this season sinking 82 of their first 104 (78.8%) free shots.

McCormack says that while she'd like to have eight or nine players to rotate, there is one small positive to having just five troops ready for battle.

"Our kids don't really have to worry about getting pulled out," she said.  When they make a mistake, they just have to figure out a way to get it done.  A lot of times, kids will play and make a mistake and they look over their shoulder.  For us, it's about letting your teammates down."

If Lowell wins at Hobart (2-2) Friday (Dec. 2) they will enter the Lake Athletic Conference tournament undefeated.  Lowell is the No. 4 seed in the 16-team tournament and they'll take on Morton Tuesday night in Lowell.  The Devils beat Morton just 46-38 on Nov. 17.  The winner of that game takes on Griffith (5-1) or Calumet (2-4) on Thursday, Dec. 8 in the quarterfinals.  If Lowell wins, that game would be in Lowell.

"I think we got a good draw there," McCormack said.  "Highland (4-2) drew Wheeler (4-2) and Hammond (4-1) drew Hobart (2-3).  So, we did pretty well."

Crown Point faces some winnable games in the next 10 days with LaPorte (4-2), Lake Central (1-4) and Boone Grove (4-2) and they need to win them because, after that, there are some games that aren't so winnable.

"We went double-big tonight (both post players in the lineup)," said May.  "We thought we could get the ball inside at any time we wanted.  We wanted to see how our big girls would respond.  We told them, 'They can't block your shot.  You're going to get shots and crash the boards.  Well, what did we get?  Four and three points.  If we work the glass, we get them in foul trouble.  But we didn't.  They (Lowell) played well.  They deserved to win."

CP-LOWELL NOTES:  Crown Point had defeated Lowell by 18 or more points five years in a row.  Two years ago, Lowell was 4-0 when they lost to Crown Point 50-29.  It is not certain whether Lowell girls basketball has ever begun the season with five consecutive wins.

Lowell is still riding the wave of glory after the football team won the state title over the weekend with the soon-to-be legendary 28-27 win over Roncalli down in Indianapolis.  Patti McCormack says that, without a question, has a carry over on her girls.

"I listened to Kirk's kids on the sidelines all year and the one thing that they did really well was, they would go up to each other and grab each other by the jersey and say, 'Hey, you've got to get it done.'  I'd hear them all the time.  Our kids are getting closer and closer to what we want to do. We meet with them during a time out, they go to the floor and they meet again."

The LAC tournament ends up in a four-team, one-day playoff at Highland on Dec. 10.  This is a girls only tournament. The boys LAC tourney begins on Dec. 13.  When the southern half of the LAC (Andrean, Hobart, Griffith, Munster, Lowell, KV and Highland) breaks away in 2006-2007, there is talk of a one-week boys and girls tournament similar to the Porter County Conference tourney that always plays to a sellout crowd the final night.

USA-365.com Notes:  The LaPorte at Crown Point girls basketball game will be broadcast via the Internet on USA-365.com.  Live coverage begins with the pregame show Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:15 p.m. and the tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., CST.  Dave Woodworth (play-by-play) calls the action solo-style, while reporter Mark Smith covers the Hanover at Hebron boys/girls varsity double-header. The PODcast and story will be posted later this weekend on www.USA-365.com.   

Copyright © 2005 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: December 03, 2005 .