Crown Point girls fall to MC 56-47, while Bulldogs beat Wolves 69-51 in DAC basketball double-header

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
12-22-2008

Team/Record 1 2 3 4 Final
Michigan City (6-3, 4-2 DAC) 9 17 10 20 56
CROWN POINT (7-5, 4-5 DAC) 13 13 13 8 47

Saturday, 12-20-2008 -  Girls Basketball, Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) at CROWN POINT, IN

MICHIGAN CITY (56) Bianca McGee 3-5-12, Joslyn Edwards 8-0-17, TaKenya Nixon 8-4-20, Ashleigh Ellenwood 2-0-5, Kelsey Pawloski 1-0-2, Essence Robinson 0-0-0, Angelique Moore 0-0-0, Jazzmine Ellis 0-0-0, Maggie Gondeck 0-0-0, Sierra Richard 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  22 (9-11) 56.

CROWN POINT (47) Maegen Maloney 1-2-5, Flori Garcia 2-0-4, Alle Geisen 4-0-8, Sydnee Reeves 1-1-3, Daniela Tarailo 6-2-17, Zarah Cecich 3-2-8, Kelly Gross 1-0-2, Madeline Moore 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  18 (7-13) 47.

FREE THROWS:  MC (9-11, 81.8%) McGee 5-6, Nixon 4-5;  CP (7-13, 53.8%) Maloney 2-2, Tarailo 2-2, Cecich 2-5, Reeves 1-4.

REBOUNDS:  MC (23) McGee 7, Nixon 4, Moore 3, Edwards 3, Robinson 3, Ellenwood 2, Richard 2; CP (18) Tarailo 7, Moore 3, Reeves 3, Cecich 2, Maloney 2, Geisen.

ASSISTS:  MC (10) Nixon 7, McGee 2, Ellenwood; CP (10) Tarailo 2, Garcia 2, Moore 2, Reeves, Gross, Geisen, Cecich.

STEALS:  MC (7) McGee 3, Moore 2, Nixon 2; CP (3) Tarailo 2, Maloney.

3-GOALS:  MC (3) Bianca McGee, Joslyn Edwards, Ashleigh Ellenwood; CP (4) Daniela Tarailo 3, Maegen Maloney.

Team/Record 1 2 3 4 Final
Michigan City (3-3, 1-3 DAC) 11 13 8 19 51
CROWN POINT (4-2, 2-2 DAC) 19 12 18 20 69

Saturday, 12-20-2008 -  Boys Basketball, Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) at CROWN POINT, IN

MICHIGAN CITY (51) Darrell Hopkins 3-2-8, Brandon Pawloski 2-3-8, Shereff Knight 3-0-6, Carlos McCormack 1-1-3, Adam Harmon 4-3-12, DaQuavay Sherrod 2-0-4, James Sanders 2-0-4, Sam Bellamy 2-0-4, Jordan Callahan 1-0-2, Jordan Stelter 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  19 (9-18) 51.

CROWN POINT (69) Nate Akers 4-3-11, Nikola Pusara 4-6-14, Brady Schuster 9-1-20, CJ Mantel 2-1-6, Michael Albrecht 1-3-5, Michael Lipton 1-1-3, Chris Lakich 3-0-6, Jared Smoot 1-0-2, Kyle Qualizza 1-0-2, Scooter Jacobus 0-0-0, Dejan Stefanovic 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  26 (15-21) 69.

FREE THROWS:  MC (9-18, 50%) Pawloski 3-4, Harmon 3-3, Hopkins 2-5, McCormick 1-2, Sherrod 0-2, Sanders 0-2;  CP (15-22, 68.2%) Akers 3-3, Lakich 6-6, Albrecht 3-6, Mantel 1-2, Lipton 1-2, Schuster 1-2, Qualizza 0-1.

REBOUNDS: MC (20) Pawloski 8, Hopkins 5, Harmon 4, McCormick 2, Sherrod;  CP (41) Pusara 11, Lakich 8, Schuster 5, Albrecht 4, Akers 3, Smoot 3, Lipton 3, Mantel 2, Qualizza, Stefanovic.

ASSISTS:  MC (10) Sherrod 4, Knight 3, Harmon 3;  CP (19) Lipton 7, Albrecht 3, Jacobus 2, Mantel 2, Qualizza 2, Pusara, Lakich, Schuster.

STEALS:  MC (8) McCormick 3, Harmon, Sherrod, Sanders, Pawloski, Callahan;  CP (5) Mantel 2, Albrecht. Schuster, Qualizza.

FOULED OUT:  MC (0) CP (2) Brady Schuster (4th Q) 1:35 left, Nik Pusara (4th Q) 0:40 left.

3-GOALS:  MC (4) Adam Harmon, Brandon Pawloski, Carlos McCormick, Sam Bellamy;  CP (2) CJ Mantel, Brady Schuster.


CROWN POINT (12-20-2008) With everybody coming in off an early week loss and a Friday night postponement, it was hard to tell if the favored teams were still favored in a weather-delayed Michigan City-Crown Point boys/girls double-header Saturday night.

But after defending Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) champ Michigan City rallied past Crown Point's Lady Bulldogs 56-47, CP's boys broke a two-game losing streak with a solid 69-51 win over the Wolves boys in front of a slim crowd on a snowy winter night.

The Lady Bulldogs (9-3) led 39-36 after three periods, but lost for the third time in eight days after a 9-0 start.  CP's boys jumped to a 6-0 lead and led all the way to right the ship after double digit losses to Lake Central and Valparaiso.

"It look like we might have a little bit of trouble playing on the road," admitted CP coach Clint Swan after his boys improved to 3-0 at home with perhaps their best all-around game of the year.  "I like the way we held them to a low shooting percentage (19 of 53, 35.8%) and I was pleased with the way we came out tonight and immediately supplied our own energy.  Hopefully now we can find a way to play well away from home."

Crown Point also has to hope that what they are seeing from 6-foot-9 senior center Nate Akers and 6-foot-4 guard Brady Schuster is a forecast of the second half of the season.  Akers, who scored 17 in the 57-37 loss at league-leading Valparaiso on Dec. 16, scored 11 in just 16 minutes Saturday.  Schuster, who like Akers, is a senior rookie playing extensively for the first time, scored 20 on 9-of-14 shooting.

CP led early in the second half 31-20, then 39-28 with 3:44 left in the third quarter and 52-36 with 5:36 left in the game.  Michigan City's 6-foot-6 senior Darrell Hopkins and 6-foot-4, 250-pound Brandon Pawloski were not overmatched inside, but they were not nearly as efficient.  Hopkins, a high-jumping player with potential, sank just 3-of-15 shots.

The Bulldogs' senior Nikola Pusara scored 14 with 11 rebounds and 6-foot-5 senior backup center Chris Lakich added six points and eight rebounds.

"That's huge," said Swan.  "There were good shots at Valparaiso, too.  We're trying to find the good in every game and make sure it outweighs the good in every practice."

CP's boys had just one returning player this season so their 4-2 record after six games has to be called a positive outcome.  The back-to-back losses must have had them worried.  Losing streaks tend to feed on themselves on an inexperienced team.  It's like you're never going to win again.

"We never thought like that," said CJ Mantel, one of the Bulldogs' most experience players who was ill and did not play in the 20-point loss at Valparaiso.  "We didn't play well at all.  Valpo and Lake Central are good teams."

"I think we have more upside than those teams," said Mantel.  "We have a lot better that we can get than they do."

The Lady Bulldogs' 56-47 loss to Michigan City's girls was CP's six consecutive loss to MC, but they may have come away thinking that the gap between the two schools is mush less than it was the past five games when the Wolves outscored CP's girls 294-181.

Michigan City all-state guard TaKenya Nixon posted 18 points and seven assists, but the Bulldogs had just 12 turnovers against the faster visitors, a significant improvement from the past three years.

"I didn't think their press bothered us," said Daniela Tarailo, who led CP with 17 points.  "I didn't think we turned the ball over a lot.  We just backed off them a little in the half court and I don't know why.  I thought we had control of the game."

CP sophomore Alle Geisen scored three baskets in the third quarter as the Bulldogs slowed the pace of the game after Nixon had scored 14 in the first half.  Michigan City, which was 42-8 the last two seasons, has not dominated anyone this year and they aren't sure what's wrong.

"I think our defense is fine," said rookie MC coach Terrence Allen.  "I'm just trying to figure out how to get our offense going.  I don't know what the problem is."

Nixon (17 ppg.) and 6-foot-1 junior Jocelyn Edwards (13.8 ppg.) have been consistent, but 5-foot-9 senior Bianca McGee (10 ppg.), an all-DAC player last year, has had hard times this season.

"She's fine," said Allen.  "Her outside shots were just not falling and I try to tell her that when that happens, she's got to go to the basket.  Try to get the old-fashioned three-point play instead of the long '3'".

The Wolves went to a delay offense in the fourth quarter and outscored CP 20-8.  The score was 50-45 with 2:23 left as MC played 'keep away' effectively while Nixon and McGee were 6-of-6 from the line in the final 90 seconds.

Crown Point dropped to 9-3 after a 9-0 start, but everyone knew that no one was going to sweep through the DAC this year.

"We knew it would get a lot tougher," Tarailo said after Saturday's game.  "How many teams go undefeated?  But I didn't think they were better than us.  They hit us with a 1-2-2, but we reorganized and we relaxed.  They're good.  I played with TaKenya on her team over the summer.  But I thought that other than her, we were better than them tonight."

CP-MC NOTES:  The Crown Point / Michigan City double-header was postponed early Friday when Michigan City schools were closed by a fairly significant ice storm overnight Thursday. At most schools, all extra curricular activities are postponed if classes are postponed.

The Lady Bulldogs lost 56-49 to Valparaiso on Dec. 16 as the Vikings sank 23 of 30 from the foul like to overcome a 30-20 CP halftime lead.  Sydnee Reeves had nine points and eight rebounds while soph forward Madeleine Moore added eight points against Valpo's 6-foot-4 Stefanie Lang, who scored 19 with nine rebounds.

CP coach Clint Swan said that center Nate Akers' recent production is more of his creation than a result of more 'touches' of the basketball.

"A lot of that was on him," said Swan of Akers' first few games.  "He needed to do a better job to make himself available.  Tonight he did a great job of looking one pass ahead and getting himself in position so when the guy on the wing does catch the ball, he's already there.  He had that guy on his hip.  His playing time is certainly affected by fouls.  If we can keep him out there for 25 minutes one time, I'd like to see what he can do."

The boys/girls double-headers have become popular this season (MC has six, CP has five) but Saturday night double-headers are unlikely to catch on.  Saturday's MC-CP boys game ended at almost 9:30 p.m.


CLASS SECTIONAL JOHN HARRELL'S INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL BOYS' SEASONS
4A 2 E-MAIL CORRECTIONS MAP TO SCHOOL 7-6
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
CROWN POINT - Boys
BULLDOGS
Coach: Clint Swan, 36-22 in 3rd year at school, 174-94 in 12th year overall
DATE OPPONENT RESULT / CST OA 58.9, DA 54.8
Nov. 29 at Hanover Central {2A}  W   62-  35  
Dec. 5 LaPorte {4A}  W   51-  41  
Dec. 9 Hammond Morton {4A}  W   69-  48  
Dec. 12 at Lake Central {4A}  L   41-  58  
Dec. 16 at Valparaiso {4A}  L   37-  57  
Dec. 20 Michigan City {4A}  W   69-  51  
Dec. 23 at Griffith {3A}  W   71-  61  
Dec. 30 Merrillville {4A} ot L   47-  48  
Jan. 2 Portage {4A}  L   55-  59  
Jan. 9 at Chesterton {4A} W  60-  56  
Jan. 16 Lake Central {4A} L   63-  67  
Jan. 23 at Michigan City {4A} W  67-  55  
Jan. 24 East Chicago Central {4A} ot L  74-  76  
Jan. 30 Valparaiso {4A} 7:30 pm  
Jan. 31 at Boone Grove {2A} 7:30 pm  
Feb. 6 at Merrillville {4A} 7:30 pm  
Feb. 12 at LaPorte {4A} 7:30 pm  
Feb. 20 at Portage {4A} 7:30 pm  
Feb. 21 Lowell {4A} 7:30 pm  
Feb. 27 Chesterton {4A} 7:30 pm  
DUNELAND CONFERENCE GAME
CLASS SECTIONAL JOHN HARRELL'S INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL GIRLS' SEASONS
4A 2 E-MAIL CORRECTIONS MAP TO SCHOOL 10-7
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
CROWN POINT - Girls
BULLDOGS
Coach: Scott Reid, 16-22 in 2nd year at school
DATE OPPONENT RESULT / CST OA 50.1, DA 45.0
Nov. 14 Hebron {2A}  W   56-  38  
Nov. 15 Kankakee Valley {3A}  W   53-  41  
Nov. 21 at Portage {4A}  W   54-  51  
Nov. 22 Warsaw {4A} ot W   70-  57  
Nov. 28 Chesterton {4A}  W   45-  36  
Nov. 29 at Hanover Central {2A}  W   49-  37  
Dec. 2 Lowell {4A}  W   45-  19  
Dec. 5 at LaPorte {4A}  W   63-  40  
Dec. 12 Lake Central {4A}  W   54-  48  
Dec. 13 at Boone Grove {2A}   L   52-  53  
Dec. 16 Valparaiso {4A}   L   49-  56  
Dec. 20 Michigan City {4A}   L   47-  56  
Dec. 30 Merrillville {4A}  W   58-  46  
Jan. 2 Portage {4A}   L   29-  43  
Jan. 9 at Chesterton {4A}   L   40-  45  
Jan. 17 at Lake Central {4A}   L   34-  39  
Jan. 23 at Michigan City {4A}   L   54-  60  
Jan. 27 LaPorte {4A} 7:30 pm  
Jan. 30 at Valparaiso {4A} 7:30 pm  
Feb. 5 at Merrillville {4A} 7:30 pm  
DUNELAND CONFERENCE GAME

 

 

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