Lady Bulldogs lose 45-38 to LaPorte in Sectional Quarterfinals

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-07-2008

Tuesday, 02-05-2008 - Class 4A Sectional Quarterfinal (Girls) at CHESTERTON, IN

LaPORTE (45)  Cassie Cepeda 4-1-12, Stephanie Duff 3-3-11, Tar Buchanan 3-0-6, Nicole Komasinski 2-1-5, Ashley Louver 2-0-4, Jessica Craft 3-0-7.  TOTALS:  17 (5-12) 45.

CROWN POINT (38)  Flori Garcia 4-3-12, Daniela Tarailo 5-0-11, Zarah Cecich 5-0-10, Madeline Moore 2-0-4, Sydnee Reeves 0-1-1, Maegen Maloney 0-0-0, Samantha Polus 0-0-0, Jessica Martinez 0-0-0, Nicci Brown 0-0-0, Clare Grubnich 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  16 (4-6) 38.

FREE THROWS:  LaPORTE (5-11, 45.4%) Cepeda 1-3, Duff 3-4, Buchanan 0-2, Komasinski 1-2;  CROWN POINT (4-6, 66.7%) Garcia 3-4, Reeves 1-2.

REBOUNDS:  LaPORTE (26) Komasinski 6, Duff 5, Lauver 5, Craft 5, Buchanan 3, Cepeda 2;  CROWN POINT (21) Cecich 5, Reeves 3, Tarailo 3, Maloney 2, Garcia 2,  Moore 2, Grubnich 2, Brown 2.

ASSISTS:  LaPORTE (9) Cepeda 4, Buchanan 3, Lauver 2;  CP (6) Garcia 3, Polus, Maloney, Tarailo.

TURNOVERS:  LaPORTE (2-8-5-6) 21;  CP (4-4-5-4) 17.

3-GOALS:  LaPORTE (6) Cassie Cepeda 3, Stephanie Duff 2, Jessica Craft;  CP (2) Flori Garcia, Daniela Tarailo.

CHESTERTON, IN (02-05-2008) - You can't force the ball go in the basket.  As much as basketball coaches quite rightfully talk about defense and character, the team that wins is usually the team that shoots the best.  The reason is, you can build or adapt character and defense.  You can teach it.  You can breed it.  You can't control shooting.  And if you couldn't shoot at the start of the season, you can't shoot at the end.

LaPorte shot well Tuesday night and they continued in the 33rd Indiana High School State Athletic Association Girls Basketball tournament.  Crown Point didn't, and their season came to an end.

That's why LaPorte's third victory over CP this season, a 45-38 win in the Class 4A Chesterton Sectional quarterfinals, advanced the Slicers to Friday's semifinal game against Valparaiso (12-9), a 44-37 winner over rival Chesterton in Tuesdays other quarterfinal.

Crown Point (6-15) gave it everything they had, especially in the second and fourth quarters when the CP depth wore down LaPorte, which used just six players.

"When you get open, you're supposed to hit shots," said LaPorte coach Skeeter Heath, who wasn't too happy with his team's showing, despite five first half three-point goals.

"That doesn't necessarily mean you're playing well," added Heath.  "We shoot about 38%.  That's the strength of our team.  If we didn't make 3s, we'd score about 25 points a game.  If you're a shooter, you're supposed to hit shots when you're open.  That's not necessarily playing well.  But it's better than missing them."

Tell CP about it.

"It's been the same thing all year," said CP coach Scott Reid, who watched his girls sink an unofficial 16 of 50 shots, only 2-of-11 from three point range.  "Our effort has never been in question.  Our defense is fine.  They hit shots and we didn't.  That's usually what games come down to."

The Lady Bulldogs were counter-attacking all night after LaPorte 's Cassie Cepeda hit a three-point shot to give the Slicers (10-11) an early 5-0 lead.  When CP closed the gap, Stephanie Duff sank three-pointers to give La Porte leads of 15-10 and 24-20.

Hope seemed lost for CP when the Slicers mounted a 34-25 lead heading into the final period, but CP, getting bench aid from 5-foot-11 freshmen Zarah Cecich and 5-foot-9 Madeline Moore closed the lead to 41-38 in the final minute despite eight missed three-point shots in the fourth quarter.  With eight seconds to play, Duff sank two free throws to clinch the game.

The Bulldogs forced 22 LaPorte turnovers with a quick full court press, but they simply could not capitalize on them.  CP scored 16 baskets, but the outside shooting attempts meant they would not go to the foul line.  It was a back window to the entire season where CP averaged 42 points a game.  You can't win like that.

"We never gave up," said Reid.  "We just never got a break at the end.  We were looking for a foul to go our way.  But you make your own breaks.  They won the game because they made some shots.  It's always been about scoring points.  That's our issue."

The Lady Bulldogs really didn't get the ball to Maegen Maloney, their best outside shooter and LaPorte seemed to send an extra defender after top scorer Daniela Tarailo.  Zarah Cecich came off the bench and with LaPorte not double teaming the post, the 5-foot-11 freshman sister of CP football star Zach Cecich scored a young career-best 10 points.  CP was at their most effective with one of the two freshman on the floor, giving them a scoring presence inside.

It was a strong season-finale for Flori Garcia, who scored 12 points with three assists, but she was among those who could not hit the one three-point basket at the end that would have turned the tide.

"Our freshman gave us a lift," said Reid.  "There are a lot of things she can do to help us.  She's got long arms and she plays big.  Flori was very aggressive.  She's been very good for us this year.  I thought LaPorte did a good job defensively on Daniela and we kinda locked in on her.  But she'd been carrying us.  Our future is very bright and that's what I was telling them in the locker room now."

"This kind of season where you don't win very much can get ugly but it never did.  Our kids have come every day to work and to prepare.  They've been a joy to be around."

But with all the effort CP put out and as close as they came, they still lost to a sub-.500 team that only used six players.  LaPorte is a good shooting and competent defensive team, but they were not one of the best teams in the Duneland Conference this season.  And CP has been at or below the .500 mark for three seasons now.

"What we will be next year," said Reid flatly, "depends on what the girls do between now and then.  I know they'll come to open gyms and things like that.  But what they do on their own time to improve, that's what will make the difference."

CPLB NOTES:  Senior Nicci Brown started her final game for CP.  She started the final two games including the win over Valparaiso.

"She's been starting the last few games," said coach Scott Reid.  "We've found that Clare (Grubnich)'s been better coming off the bench."

CP has a lot of promise.  Five freshmen were on the playoff roster.  Forwards Madeline Moore and Zarah Cecich and guards Kelsey Batz, Alle Geisen and Kelly Gross.

The Lady Bulldogs had 10 juniors in uniform at the sectional and with sophomores Jackie Beilfuss and Morgan Faso, they have at least 17 players coming back to compete for, at most,  12 varsity positions.

"We'll be better next year, but so will Valparaiso (only 3 seniors)," noted Reid.  "So will Michigan City (returns two all-state caliber guards), so will Chesterton (returns two 5-foot-11 starting forwards.  So will everybody in our league.  That's the league we're in and it isn't going to change."

LaPorte coach Skeeter Heath went on and on about how poorly his team played against Crown Point before he was reminded that his team sank six three-point baskets and never trailed.

"People usually focus when they have an open shot," he said.  "Good shooters are supposed to make shots.  That's what they do.  That's not necessarily playing well.  It's just what they do."

The four first round winners in quarterfinal play at the Chesterton sectional were LaPorte, Valparaiso, Merrillville and Michigan City.  Merrillville defeated defending champion Portage for the third time this season 57-46 in a Wednesday night quarterfinal.

In South Bend, defending state champion Washington (18-2), which had its final two games of the season postponed by weather, beat rival Clay (16-7) to begin the South Bend Sectional.  Washington hosts Penn (19-2) Friday night.  Washington beat Penn 71-48 in January.