Crown Point's fast-break attack smothers Portage 82-33

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
12-24-2007

Friday, 12-21-2007 - Duneland Athletic Conference game in PORTAGE, IN

CROWN POINT (82)  Kyle Hanaway 3-1-8, Stephen Albrecht 3-1-8. Aleks Alavanja 3-7-13, Zach Cecich 8-1-17, Ben Derks 1-0-2, Michael Lipton 1-1-4, Jacob Burkholder 4-0-8, Billy Cox 2-0-5, CJ Mantel 3-2-11, Nate Akers 1-2-4, Derrick Garletts 1-0-2, Nikola Pusara 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  30 (15-28) 82.

PORTAGE (33)  Albert Evans 3-1-7, Vance Johnston 2-1-5, Aaron Ciesielski 1-0-2, Clark Mussman 1-0-2, Sam Gonzalez 3-0-6, Josh Pradziad 1-0-2, Austin Orlich 3-1-8, DJ Anderson 0-0-0, Tyler Lewers 0-0-0, Jon Buchanan 0-1-1, Ryan Cherry 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  14 (4-11) 33.

FREE THROWS:  CROWN POINT (15-28, 53.5%) Mantel 2-2, Alavanja 7-15, Akers 2-2, Hanaway 1-1, Albrecht 1-1, Lipton 1-2, Cecich 1-3, Burkholder 0-2.
PORTAGE (4-11, 45.4%) Evans 1-1, Johnston 1-3, Orlich 1-2, Buchanan 1-2, Gonzalez 0-1, Lewers 0-2.

REBOUNDS:  CROWN POINT (31) Cecich 9, Burkholder 4, Mantel 4, Lipton 3, Albrecht 3, Cox 3, Garletts 2, Derks 2, Hanaway;
PORTAGE (17) Mussman 5, Gonzalez 3, Anderson 3, Lewers 2, Praziad 2, Ciesielski, Evans.

ASSISTS:  CROWN POINT (18) Hanaway 10, Derks 3, Lipton 2, Cox 2, Albrecht, Cecich; PORTAGE (5) Anderson, Evans, Johnston, Pradziad, Lewers. 

STEALS:  CROWN POINT (10) Derks 4, Albrecht 2, Hanaway 2, Lipton 2.  PORTAGE (4) Orlich, Evans, Gonzalez, Cherry.

TURNOVERS:  CP (2-3-3-4) 12,  PORTAGE (5-4-7-3) 19.

3-GOALS:  CP (7) CJ Mantel 3, Billy Cox, Stephen Albrecht, Kyle Hanaway, Michael Lipton;
PORTAGE (1) Austin Orlich.

PORTAGE, IN (12-21-2007) - If you are guaranteed 21 games (20 and one playoff game) during an Indiana high school basketball season, then seven games is one-third of the journey.  For Crown Point (6-1), they hit the turn running.  It was 10-2.  It was 17-6.  36-10.  77-29.  The final score was 82-33 as the Bulldogs handed Portage an unimaginable loss in the final Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) game before Christmas.

As painful as it may have been to Portage, this game was something CP needed as they head into one of the most formidable stretches of tough scheduling in recent seasons.

CP travels to arch-rival Merrillville (5-2) next Friday (Dec. 28), they follow it up with a New Year's Day game against 2A No. 1 Winchester (7-0) and they then get back home to host Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) front-runner Chesterton (6-0) on Jan. 4.

"We're aware of the obstructions coming up in the schedule," said coach Clint Swan.  "No rest for wicked.  That's the great thing about coaching Crown Point.  You're going against these kinds of teams and these kind of coaches."

CP was an obstruction for a Portage team that had won five of its first six.  After Portage football star Albert Evans scored to start the game, the Bulldogs, who have lost only to Lake Central, ran off ten points in a row using their fast break attack quarterbacked by senior guard Kyle Hanaway (6-2, 195), last season's state assist leader.  Portage could not obstruct Hanaway after turnovers, missed or made shots and the Bulldogs were off and running in the other direction.  CP scored 17 first half baskets, many on breakaway layups after long passes.

The rout was based at the center position where CP starter Zach Cecich and backup Jacob Burkholder combined for 18 first half points.

"I hear about it if I don't run the floor," said Burkholder later.  "He (Swan) emphases that every game.  We get chewed out if we don't do it all the time."

"I think every coach wants the 'bigs' to run the floor," said Swan.  "Kyle just played so well.  When our guys run the ball, they know it's coming.  They know Kyle's going to get it there.  I think he'd have been a great football quarterback because he sees the floor so well and so quickly."

There was never a time when Portage was in this game and the Indians new coach Rick Snodgrass called time out after time out in the first and third quarters to try to slow the embarrassing landslide in front of a quiet crowd of about 300 fans on another bad weather night.

"I think part of the reason for our performance tonight was the way they had been playing," said Swan.  "We showed them (the CP players) the film.  We lost here last year.  I've known Rick Snodgrass from way back and we knew the improvement they'd been making.  I think our play tonight was a tribute to how good they have been."

If the Bulldogs sweep next week's high hurdles, they can argue with EC (which also tackles a very formidable holiday slate) about who is Northwest Indiana's top team.  For now, what CP has to be excited about is seeing all the pieces of their team falling in place.  CP got excellent on-the-ball defense from Ben Derks and quality backup center play from Jacob Burkholder, who has missed most of the last two seasons with back problems.

Zach Cecich (17 points, nine rebounds), Kyle Hanaway (10 assists) and Stephen Albrecht (16 ppg.) are constants.  If someone like Burkholder makes an impact every night off the bench, CP can talk about being a great team.

"I just felt good tonight," said Burkholder, one of nine CP senior players.  "I think we all did.  They (Portage) are a dangerous team."

"He was good tonight," Swan said.  "He had one some good practices this weekend.  I thought he was really aggressive tonight.  Blocking shots and grabbing rebounds.  And he did run well."

CP's fast break attack takes advantage of a foe's natural tendencies to follow their own missed shots and turning their back to run down the floor.  CP embarrassed Portage all night by simply beating the defense down the floor.

CP made 30 of 47 shots (63.8%) from the field, but that percentage is deceptive because many of those shots were layups.  Portage (5-3) was missing in action defensively and they got a vivid reality check on how difficult the 14-game DAC season is going to be.  The Bulldogs, not an excitable team by nature, were business like in the big win.

"We're in pretty good shape," said Swan.   "Kyle (Hanaway) had a bit of an ankle problem, but then he comes out tonight and has his best game of the year."

And now, here come the best games of the year.

DOG NOTES:  Crown Point junior CJ Mantel scored a career-high 11 points, including eight in the second half.  Jacob Burkholder's eight points all came in the first half.  Aleks Alavanja had a bizarre third quarter where he got 13 free throws, making seven of them.

"That bothers me," said coach Clint Swan.  "We haven't been good from the foul line this year.  We've been good in some games, but I don't know what's happening there."

"I cant imagine what college football coaches are seeing," said coach Clint Swan, when talking about his center, all-state tight end Zach Cecich.  "He's about 6-3 and 230 and he can run like he can.  He's got great hands.  I can't imagine what football scouts are looking for."

Swan put a best face on the fact that CP is playing regularly right through the holidays as if they were a college or professional team.

"Actually," he pointed out, "from Nov. 30 to Jan. 4th or 5th.  We have a game every Tuesday and Friday, except for Christmas Day, since the end of November.  And the game (against Winchester) is New Year's night at 8 o'clock.  It's another Tuesday night.  We should be fine."

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Revised: December 26, 2007 .