Lady Bulldogs improve to 3-1 with 44-32 win over Chesterton

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith
11-26-2006

Friday, November 24, 2006 - Duneland Athletic Conference game at Crown Point, Indiana

CHESTERTON (32)  Abbe Skube 3-5-12, Katie Talbert 1-1-3, Kathy McMannes 4-1-9, Morgan Palombizio 0-0-0, Amanda Gough 1-2-4, Katie Foster 0-1-1, Jessica O'Brien 1-1-3, Andrea Levrio 0-0-0, Stacy Stawitcke 0-0-0, Angela Richardson 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 10 (11-26) 32.

CROWN POINT (44)  Anjellica Rospond 4-4-12, Amanda Moore 1-5-7, Courtney Perry 2-7-11, Daniela Tarailo 4-1-9, Brittany Clements 1-2-4, Kristi Quigley 0-1-1, Maegan Maloney 0-0-0, Sydnee Reeves 0-0-0, Andjalina Obradovic 0-0-0, Nici Brown 0-0-0, Kristen Morason 0-00, Jessica Martinez 0-00-0.  TOTALS: 12 (20-29) 44.

FREE THROWS:  Chesterton (11-26, 42.3%) Skube 5-6, Gough 2-4, Foster 1-6, O'Brien 1-4, Talbert 1-2, Crawford 0-1, McMannes 1-3. 

CROWN POINT (20-28, 71.4%) Rospond 4-7, Tarailo 1-2, Perry 7-8, Moore 5-6, Clements 2-2, Quigley 1-3.

REBOUNDS:  Chesterton (16) Skube 7, Palombizio 4, McMannes 4, Crawford;  CROWN POINT (27) Perry 14, Rospond 5, Clements 4, Tarailo 2, Moore, Reeves.

STEALS: Chesterton (8) Skube 4, McMannes 2, Talbert 2;  CROWN POINT (12)  Perry 4, Rospond 3, Tarailo 2, Moore, Clements, Quigley.

ASSISTS:  Chesterton (4) Gough, Levrio, Skube, Palombizio;   CROWN POINT (3) Clements 2, Tarailo.

TURNOVERS:   Chesterton 8-9-6-7 (30)  CROWN POINT 10-7-5-7 (29)

FOULED OUT: Katie Talbert (C) 1:23 left - 4th Qtr.

CROWN POINT, IN (11-24-2006) -  It's not the kind of win you brag about, but it's not the kind of win you give back either.  When Chesterton plays Crown Point, the winner never looks much better than the loser.

Two strong defenses and shaky offenses got together at Crown Point Friday night and the Bulldogs had a little more rebounding and foul shooting to pick up a much-needed Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) win, 44-32 in front of a small holiday weekend crowd.

Tall forwards Courtney Perry and Anjellica Rospond combined for 23 points and Perry grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds as CP slowly edged ahead of the visiting Trojans in a game dominated by full-court defense and turnovers.  These two teams are known for playing rough games like this.  These teams played three times last year and neither side scored 50 points in any of them.

"This was the first time for a lot of our girls in the scratching and the scrapping and the fighting that is a Crown Point-Chesterton game," said CP coach Tom May.  "We really only have one girl (Courtney Perry) whose been through a whole game like that.  It took awhile for the others to adjust to it."

Members of the Crown Point Lady Bulldogs varsity team prior to the Nov. 18 game with Warsaw.

Head coach Tom May is now in his 27th year of coaching the Crown Point Lady Bulldogs, while varsity assistant Scott Reid begins his 21st year at CP.  (All photos by Mark Smith)

It wasn't a smooth game.  CP (3-1, 1-1 DAC) jumped to a 7-2 lead before Chesterton's half court trapping style slowed them.  The Trojans, who were playing without 5-8 sophomore Dana Christensen (8.3 ppg.), who missed the game with a sprained ankle, brought 5-7 forward Kathy McMannes off the bench for three first half baskets.  The visitors edged ahead 8-7 and 16-14 on two free throws by 5-10 leading scorer sophomore Abby Skube (11.3 ppg.).

After 10 first quarter turnovers for the Lady Bulldogs, Crown Point sophomore guard Daniela Tarailo hit two jump shots in late second quarter play to boost her side to a 22-18 halftime lead.  Chesterton could not hit any distance shots at all and they lost the ball frequently, trying work it into the foul lane.  Both sides had 17 first half turnovers.

In the second half, Perry, a 6-foot center who will play next year at Southern Indiana university, scored eight points with six rebounds and two steals.  Other than Skube, Chesterton's only returning regular off the 2006 sectional championship team, the Trojans could not score in the second half and CP's 14 of 18 from the foul line pushed the home team to the victory.

"I thought Perry and Rospond did a great job on the boards," said May.  "I thought they made Chesterton occupy them.  Anjellica moved around and shot the basketball.  Perry had three or four baskets taken away from her."

Crown Point must get about 30 points and 20 rebounds out of the trio of Perry, Rospond and Moore every game to have a chance to win.  Even with Moore playing only about 15 minutes due to foul trouble, the Bulldogs reached those numbers.  It was 22-20 with 7:17 left in the third quarter and 34-23 with 1:05 left, but the CP surge was a slow progression.  The Trojans only third quarter field goal was a three-pointer by Skube.

"Moore really didn't play. (Kristi) Quigley had to play much more than she has before.  And Tarailo, who usually plays the '2' (big guard) had to play the '3'.  But we'll take it."

It was definitely a defensive win and Chesterton was held to just 10 field goals.

"The Christensen girl would have helped them tonight," admitted Reid, who is CP's defensive coach.  "She's a really nice player.  That helped us.  You hate to have kids hurt.  But she's not hurt that bad.  She'll be back next week."

"Defense is an attitude and we have some girls who like to play defense," added Reid.  "Daniela Tarailo loves to play defense.  She gets her hands on everything.  She causes a lot of trouble.  I was really impressed with our big girls in the back.  We've been waiting for years for some big girls to step up and get some steals in the back of the press.  We haven't had seven steals from our 4s (power forward and 5s (center) since the days when we were going to the state finals.  The only thing I'm disappointed with is with our guards' rebounding.  We're letting people come from the guards and wings to get rebounds and we will work on that."

The Bulldogs play a lot of games in quick succession now with Lowell (Nov. 28) and LaPorte (Dec. 1).  Starting with Lowell, CP plays seven games in 19 days.

"I think you want to keep it going," said Reid.  "The kids would rather play than practice.  Once you're playing well on 'D' you want to keep it going."

CPLB NOTES:  This was the ninth meeting of CP and Chesterton in four seasons and there will be a 10th matchup in January.  Three-years ago, the Duneland Conference went to the double round robin format which has all league members meet twice a year.  CP and Chesterton are also in the same sectional and could meet for an 11th time in four years.  Part of the defensive problems the Bulldogs and Trojans create for each other comes from a high level of familiarity.

"We won by 12 and we really didn't get much from Amanda Moore because of fouls," said CP assistant coach Scott Reid.  "If you'd have told me that before hand, I wouldn't have believed it."

Assistant coach Scott Reid said that CP is getting a positive reputation in one respect.

"I was scouting Lake Central the other night.  And a guy came up and told Jack Campbell, if you play against Crown Point you don't want to foul them.  They're the best free throw shooting team I've seen.  I'm thinking, "I don't know what Crown Point team he's talking about.'  But we did hit our free throws against Warsaw (19 of 25) and we hit them again (20 of 28) tonight."

CP is 63 of 91 (.69.2%) in free-throw shooting for the season after four games. 

There was a new addition at Crown Point basketball home games on hand Friday.  A student dressed up in a dog suit.  The 'Bulldog' traveled with a 'posse' of students with T-shirts saying 'Dog Crew' on them.  The bulldog took pictures with little kids and basically was an ambassador of good will.

Chesterton sophomore forward Morgan Palombizio is the daughter of 1984 Mr. Basketball Dan Palombizio, who played for the old Michigan City Rogers high school.  Palombizio is now the high school varsity boys basketball coach in nearby Three Oaks, Michigan.

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Revised: November 26, 2006 .