Boone Grove stays perfect with 51-49 win over Lady Bulldogs

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
12-12-2006

Saturday, December 9, 2006 - non-conference game at Boone Grove

CROWN POINT (49)  Anjellica Rospond 7-3-17, Daniela Tarailo 2-0-5, Amanda Moore 2-4-8 Courtney Perry 4-2-10, Brittany Clements 1-0-2, Andjalina Obradovic 3-1-7, Meagan Maloney 0-0-0, Sydnee Reeves 0-0-0, Kristi Quigley 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 19 (10-13) 49.

BOONE GROVE (51)  Jessica Dowdy 5-1-16, Kelly Dobson 2-2-6, Cortney Flanigan 5-3-16, Jessica Fauser 2-0-6, Kristyn Kessler 0-2-2, Brittney Roach 1-0-2, Amanda Spears  1-0-3, Dani Diaz 0-0-0, Emily Strilich 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 16 (8-18, 44 .4%) 51.

FREE THROWS:  CROWN POINT (10-13, 76.9%)  Rospond 3-4, Moore 4-4, Perry 2-3, Obradovic 1-1,Tarailo 0-1;  BOONE GROVE (8-18, 44.4%) Dowdy 1-2, Dobson 2-2, Diaz 0-2, Flanigan 5-12.

REBOUNDS:  CROWN POINT (28) Perry 13, Moore 6, Rospond 4, Tarailo 3, Obradovic 2;
BOONE GROVE (21) Flanigan 6, Kessler 4, Roach 4, Dobson 3, Fauser 3, Dowdy.

ASSISTS:  CP (13) Tarailo 6, Clements 4, Moore, Rospond, Obradovic.  BOONE (10) Flanigan 6, Fauser 3, Dowdy.

STEALS:  CP (4) Obradovic , Tarailo 2 .; BOONE (7) Kessler 3, Flanigan 2, Fauser, Dobson.

3-GOALS:  CP (1) Daniela Tarailo;  BOONE (11) Dowdy 5, Flanigan 3, Fauser 2, Spears.

FOULED OUT:  Courtney Perry (CP) 4th Q - 1:10 left.

PORTER TOWNSHIP, IN (12-09-2006) -  In some games, the best team on the floor is obvious.  In others, both teams can't get out of their own way and both sides deserve to lose.  Saturday night at Boone Grove, both teams felt they should have won.  Only one did.  Undefeated Boone Grove held off multiple Crown Point rallies and beat the Lady Bulldogs 51-49 in the annual non-conference game between south Lake and Porter county neighbors.

Favored Boone (8-0) hit 11 three-point shots to overcome 8-of-18 from the foul line and a determined Crown Point team that dominated the boards until their center fouled out.

"It's still good," said Boone coach Candy Wilson about beating CP for the second time in three years.  "The first time was the best but it's still good.  Everybody knows everybody out here.  It's always going to be a big game."

"We had a tough game last night," said Tom May, of his side's 46-44 win over Lake Central Friday.  "We really put in no preparation for Boone Grove and we were with them at the end.  We were tied at 43.  They hit three shots and we missed three shots.  That's what we told them (his players).  When the game is on the line, everybody's got to step up and hit the shots.  Our shots were all good shots."

It was a good game.  Much better than most.  Boone's full court pressure caused 12 first half turnovers by the Lady Bulldogs, but CP adjusted and guard Brittany Clements and Daniela Tarailo began beating the press and finding open teammates for layups.  CP scored the final eight point of the first half to take a 23-22 lead.  In the third quarter, Boone seemed to regain control when Boone all-stater Cortney Flanigan and three-point specialist Jessica Dowdy banked in back-to-back three-point shots to give the home team a 33-27 lead.  Courtney Perry, who grabbed a season high 13 rebounds, picked up three fouls on consecutive trips down the floor in the third quarter to take her out of the game.  But backup center Andjalina Obradovic scored five third quarter points to keep the game close.  Obradovic, a 5-10 senior, converted a three-point play in the final minute of the third quarter to cut the lead to 39-37.

In the final period, Amanda Moore's two free throws tied the game 43-43 with 4:12 to go.  But Flanigan. a 5-foot-6 senior who averaged 20.1 per game in the fist eight dates, hit back-to-back three-point shots off the left wing to give Boone a six-point lead.  It was 51-43 with 1:10 to go before baskets by Rospond, Tarailo and Moore cut the lead to two with one second to play.  After a time out, Boone was able to inbound the ball and let the clock run out.

"We've got a lot of good three-point shooters," said Wilson, who pointed out that Dowdy had made six three-goals in the Thursday night victory over Washington Township.  Dowdy (11.2 ppg.) had 21 three-point baskets after eight games.

"Dowdy is very strong," says Wilson.  "She doesn't look it.  You can't leave any of our guards open.  I thought Kessler did a great job inside, too.  I thought they (CP) played well.  This was a good win.  We're just trying to take them one game at a time.  No, we can't talk about Kouts."

There were several factors that affected this game.  Flanigan, a 70% foul shooter last year, was just 3-of-10 from the foul line, a fact that also kept CP close.  CP's Amanda Moore struggled again from the field, but guards Daniela Tarailo and Brittany Clements combined for 10 assists in a  game where CP only scored 19 baskets.

"We thought they'd shoot more free throws than we did," said May.  "That happened two years ago (a 57-52 Boone OT win in a foul-filled game).  But they've got to let Perry play.  I've been a referee.  That was disgusting.  You can't have a marginal JV official in a game like this.  Every time she bumped anybody, it was a foul.  If the boys had been playing and you call every bump, you'd have had 28 guys foul out.  That's not the way you call a game.  We'd have liked to have played 5-on-5 with Courtney in the game."

Perry might have had 20 rebounds if she hadn't been handcuffed with fouls, but Boone did hit 11 3-point baskets and no amount of post presence is going to stop that.  CP is still 0-3 on the road, but they did show they can play against a pressing team with a strong lead guard, something they'll have to display again Friday at undefeated Michigan City (6-0).

"We're doing better all-around," said May.  "Last night we had a tough game.  We hit a shot with one second left to win it.  To come back tonight and play these guys down to the end, in a hostile environment, that says a lot for us."

CP-BOONE NOTES:  Cortney Flanigan passed the 1,000-point mark when she scored 27 in the 62-44 win over Washington Township Thursday (12-7-2006) night.  Karissa Walter (2005) and Kim Sliwa (2002) are the last two 1,000-point scorers at Boone Grove.  Walter scored 1,224 points in four seasons.  The crowd for Saturday's game was disappointing, less than 1,000.  With decent weather, both teams carrying winning records and coming in off a win, there was no sure explanation for the lack of fan support for both teams.  Boone Grove's girls have always lacked the fan support the boys team has enjoyed, despite having the top record in the PCC in this decade.  It will be interesting to see how many follow the team to Kouts for a match up of unbeaten teams, unfortunately set on a Tuesday night (12-12-2006).

Crown Point's Tom May was well aware that his side is in the middle of its toughest schedule period with five games scheduled in nine days.

"Eight days," he corrected.  "You can't do anything on Sunday."

May was upset at the officiating Saturday, but he clearly finds it hard to be angry at Boone.

"As it is, we hope they go all the way (downstate)," the CP coach said.  "I'm a Flanigan fan.  I like the way she plays.  I like Candy.  Last time they beat us, they were supposed to make the run.  I hope they make it this time.  Quite honestly, they have a lot of Lakes of the Four Seasons kids.  They play hard.  They deserve to go far."

CP hosts Valparaiso Tuesday (12-12-2006) travels to Michigan City Friday and rides the bus to Cedar Lake to play Hanover Central Saturday.  After the HC game, CP has a 10-day holiday break.

Boone Grove travels to undefeated Kouts (7-0) Tuesday night with a 6:00 p.m. JV start.  The Wolves, who began the season with 20 consecutive wins (including the 57-52 victory over CP) two years ago, play Hebron in the semifinals of the South County Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 28 at Boone.  Boone Grove figures to play Kouts in the South County finals on Dec. 29 and in the PCC tournament in January.

"Those games are always tough," said Boone coach Candy Wilson, "because we all know each other so well."

Wilson is not a total fan of being undefeated.

"You're a target," she admitted.  "That year (two years ago) when we were undefeated it was like carrying a truck around on you back.  The pressure really builds on you."

Crown Point beat Boone 67-43 in December of 2005 but over the last five years, Boone is 91-28, not counting the 8-0 start this season.

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Revised: December 12, 2006 .