Bulldogs win 7th in row, romp over Lowell 59-37

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-18-2008

Saturday, 02-16-2008 - Non-Conference boys basketball at LOWELL, IN

CROWN POINT (59)  Kyle Hanaway 1-2-4, Stephen Albrecht 6-3-16, Ben Derks 1-0-3, Jake Burkholder 5-2-12, Aleks Alavanja 2-0-4, Billy Cox 1-0-2, Zach Cecich 3-0-6, Derrick Garletts 1-0-2, Michael Lipton 3-2-10, Nate Akers 0-0-0, Nikola Pusara 0-0-0, CJ Mantel 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  23 (9-9) 59.

LOWELL (37)  Ted Macis 2-0-4, Eli Macis 1-2-5, Robert Cusic 7-0-19, Jake Kerwin 2-0-4, David Weiand 1-0-2, Josh Hofer 1-0-2, Nate Miller 0-1-1, Joe Bell 0-0-0, Ben Fox 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  14 (3-4) 37.

FREE THROWS:  CP (9-9, 100%) Albrecht 3-3, Burkholder 2-2, Hanaway 2-2, Lipton 2-2;  LOWELL (3-4, 75%) Eli Macis 2-2, Miller 1-2.

REBOUNDS:  CP (23) Cecich 2, Burkholder 7, Albrecht 2, Alavanja 6, Derks 2, Cox, Garletts, Mantel, Lipton;  LOWELL (15) Eli Macis 3, Kerwin 3, Fox 3, Miller 2, Bell 2, Cusic, Weiand.

ASSISTS:  CP (13) Albrecht 5, Lipton 3, Alavanja 2, Derks 2, Burkholder;  LOWELL (5) Eli Macis 3, Cusic, Bell.

STEALS:  CP (7) Derks 4, Lipton, Albrecht, Burkholder;  LOWELL (5) Weiand 3, Cusic, Kerwin.

BLOCKED SHOTS:  CP (3) Burkholder 3;  LOWELL (4) Bell 2, Kerwin, Fox.

3-GOALS:  CP (4) Michael Lipton 2, Ben Derks, Stephen Albrecht;  LOWELL (6) Robert Cusic, Eli Macis.
 

Friday, 02-15-2008 - Duneland Athletic Conference boys basketball at CROWN POINT, IN

PORTAGE (47)  Albert Evans 5-4-14, Jon Buchanan 2-0-6, Sam Gonzalez 4-2-10, Aaron Ciesielski 5-2-13, DJ Anderson 0-1-1, Damontae Lowery 0-1-1, Tyler Lewers 0-0-0, Dwayne Walton 1-0-2, Vance Johnson 0-0-0, Austin Orlich 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  17 (10-16) 47.

CROWN POINT (69)  Kyle Hanaway 1-0-2, Stephen Albrecht 11-1-25, Ben Derks 4-1-11, Jake Burkholder 2-7-11, Aleks Alavanja 1-0-2, Billy Cox 0-2-2, Zach Cecich 5-2-12, Derrick Garletts 0-0-0, Nate Akers 0-0-0, Nikola Pusara 0-0-0, CJ Mantel 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  25 (15-20) 69.

FREE THROWS:  PORTAGE (10-16, 62.5%) Lowery 1-2, Anderson 1-2, Lewers 0-1, Evans 4-7, Ciesielski 2-2, Gonzalez 2-2;  CP (15-20, 75%) Cox 2-2, Lipton 2-2, Burkholder 7-10, Derks 1-1, Albrecht 1-1, Cecich 2-4.

REBOUNDS:  PORTAGE (25) Ciesielski 8, Evans 4, Gonzalez 3, Lowery 3, Johnston 3, Buchanan 2, Mussman, Cherry.  CP (34) Cecich 7, Burkholder 6, Albrecht 5, Alavanja 4, Derks 4, Hanaway 3, Cox 2, Garletts, Mantel, Lipton.

ASSISTS:  PORTAGE (9) Lowery 4, Evans 3, Johnson, Buchanan;  CP (15) Hanaway 8, Albrecht 2, Lipton 2, Alavnaja, Cox, Derks.

STEALS:  PORTAGE (10) Ciesielski 3, Lowery 2, Evans 2, Gonzalez 2, Lewers;  CP (6) Derks 3, Cox, Lipton, Cecich.

3-GOALS:  PORTAGE (3) Jon Buchanan 2, Aaron Ciesielski;  CP (4) Ben Derks 2, Stephen Albrecht 2.

LOWELL (2-16-2008)  It was an odd weekend for Crown Point to take in.  CP's Senior night was Friday night against Portage and their players were honored before and after the game.  Lowell's state football award night was held in conjunction with the annual CP-Lowell game Saturday.  Lowell's 2007 state finals football team was honored in the bright, shiny Lowell gym.  As both sides watched, dozens got plaques and rings and medals.  It took over a half hour and the Crown Point team and coaches had to stand and watch.

They didn't like the wait, but you got the impression that coach Clint Swan and his staff didn't mind his boys seeing how the Lowell community appreciates a state finals team.

"It took a while," said Swan. "But I've just got to say, more power to them.  It's something to see all the people in the stands tonight.  It's great to see the this town appreciates the football team."

After the ceremonies and the awards were passed out, Crown Point looked like a team that might get a post-season trophy or two by overpowering Lowell 59-37 to end the next-to-last week of the regular season.  On a day of swim sectional championships and wrestling state finals, Crown Point won for the sixth game in a row and they seemed almost at full speed the night before the pairings were announced.

"We don't care who we draw," said guard Kyle Hanaway, who missed much of this game with what he called a minor back injury.  "We were just talking about that in the locker room.  I think we're the team to beat at the sectional.  You have to think that way."

"We don't know what's going to happen," said Swan.  "LaPorte beat Chesterton (Friday) night.  Last week Hobart beats Calumet.  We'll just swim as hard as we can and see how it goes."

Lowell (7-11) is at the other end of the spectrum as the loss to CP was their sixth in a row.  Even though some of the losses, to CP (14-5), Merrillville (15-4), Gary West Side (14-4)  and Munster (14-5), have been to top teams, the Devils are still shaking their heads at what's happened to a promising season.

"Six in a row," said Eli Macis, who admits to being surprised his team, with six seniors, does not score more points.  "I don't know what's been happening.  We'll score a few times in a row and then we can't keep it up.  We did that tonight."

Lowell can get new life in the state tourney draw, depending on who they draw.

"Anybody but East Chicago," said Macis, referring to the defending 4A state champs, a team Lowell has drawn in each of the last two seasons.  We beat (sectional rival) Lake Central.  I know we can play them."

CP was simply too big overall.  Not only the big front court, but 6-foot-2 guards Kyle Hanaway, Michael Lipton and Stephen Albrecht, who faced four Lowell senior guards who are all under 6-feet tall.  Albrecht and Lipton combined for 26 points and seven assists.  After falling behind 10-3 and 15-5 early, Lowell closed to within 27-20 with 4:50 left in the third quarter.  Robert Cusic, who scored a game-high 19 points, sank one of his five three-pointers with 2:19 to go in the third quarter to close the gap to 33-25.  But that was as close as Lowell would get.

CP's size and depth was far too much for the Devils as 6-foot-8 Jacob Burkholder (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocked shots) and sixth man Michael Lipton (10 points, 3 assists) helped wear down the home team in front of about 1,200 fans in the annual neighborhood matchup.

NOTES:  CP coach Clint Swan says it's more than coincidence that CP is 7-0 since senior Jake Burkholder was moved into the starting lineup, giving CP one of the biggest teams overall in Northwest Indiana.

"It makes us a little bigger everywhere," Swan said.  "And a little harder to defense.  Now there are other teams that can give us trouble like Portage when they play five guards like they did (tonight).

CP senior Stephen Albrecht was taken out of the game with about three minutes to play with his career total at 997 points.  The Bulldogs bench was informed of his total and Albrecht was sent to the scorer's table to try for the milestone in front of his final home audience.

"We did want him to get it tonight," said Swan.  "On Senior Night, in front of the people here.  That was a nice thing to have happen tonight."

CP junior varsity coach Matt Welsh reports that the Bulldog JV is 17-2 with one game left next weekend at Chesterton.

"Its hard to believe it's almost all over," Welsh said.  We lost twice to Valparaiso.  They're very good.  They're going to have quite a (varsity) team next year."

Welsh says not to expect the CP varsity that graduates eight seniors, to have to much of a letdown. The Bulldogs will need an all new starting lineup next season, but they are counting on 6-foot-7, 245-pound center Nate Akers to step in at center.

"He's not through growing yet," said Welsh.  "He's going to be at least 6-8.  We'll still have (varsity junior guards) Michael Lipton and CJ Mantel.  Nik Pusara (6-3, 195) comes back.  The JV point guard is Stephen Albrecht's younger brother Michael "Spike' Albrecht, a freshman who is expected to move to the varsity next year, even though he is about 5-foot-8 and 125 pounds.

"He does have to grow some," Welsh said.