98th Indiana High School Boys Basketball Tournament  Michigan City Regional Preview A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith (03-07-2008)

Michigan City Regional - Saturday, March 8, 2008
SB Riley (20-5) vs. Warsaw (14-8) 10:00 a.m.
No. 6 East Chicago (19-3) vs. CROWN POINT (17-6)  12:00 Noon
Championship:  7:30 p.m.
Radio: WJOB (1230) AM & WEFM (95.9)

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MICHIGAN CITY (3-08-2008) - Confidence has to be soaring for Crown Point after defeating Chesterton last week at the Michigan City Sectional.  It needs to be.  The Bulldogs take on defending Class 4A state champion East Chicago in Northwest Indiana’s game-of-the-year Saturday at high noon in the 8,000 seat Michigan City gymnasium.

The Cardinals, the region’s most talked about team, feature 6-foot-5, 260-pound Kawaan Short and 6-foot-11 Angel Garcia up front with a fleet of speedy backcourt people.  This is big-on big.  The Bulldogs, with four three-year starters and seven seniors take on the Cardinals, winners of 10 straight and a squad carrying a scoring average of just under 80 points per game.

The intimidation factor EC often has is lost on Crown Point which faces them every year.  The Cardinals want to even the score for a 75-69 CP win at EC in January, but are they as hungry as Crown Point, which won the sectional for the first time in 10 years and has perhaps its best team in 20 years?

East Chicago wants to run.  They want a high speed game where they wear down the opponent.  In that respect, it's good news that CP drew EC in the first game.  The Bulldogs will be fully rested.  EC shot far too many three-pointers in the first game going 8-of-24 from three-point range and just 24-of-67 overall.  When they shoot three-pointers and stop getting  the ball to Short, they are doing the other side a favor.

Crown Point hasn’t gotten a lot of scoring off the perimeter other than Albrecht (19 ppg.), but that was before Michael Lipton scored 23 in the sectional quarterfinals against Michigan City.  You will see football players Bill Cox and Michael Lipton in this game and they may excel in what should be a very physical contest.  CP cannot fall behind 7-0 like they did at East Chicago on Jan. 21.  There won't be any coming back from large deficits this time.  To rally, CP would have to pick up the pace of the game and nobody in this area (with the possible exception of Bishop Noll) runs like East Chicago.

If a lot of fouls are called however, that favors Crown Point which can bring 6-foot-7 Nate Akers and 6-foot-5 Derrick Garletts off the bench up front and Lipton, Cox and Ben Derks off the bench in the backcourt.

One big factor will be the crowd.  CP has played at East Chicago but it was a Saturday night game that didn’t mean much to the Cardinal fans.  With all other Northwest Indiana teams except little Morgan Township now out of the state tournament, a giant crowd is headed for Michigan City Saturday and there may be be as many as 3,000 people from East Chicago alone.

The question is how many from Crown Point will show up?  CP boys basketball attendance is always good, but it's not like East Chicago draws.  The Bulldogs need their fans to get to Michigan City or they will be outnumbered badly by East Chicago rooters.  I think CP beats either Warsaw or Riley with depth and EC beats them with speed.  The winner of this Noon game will be the regional champion.

I like this matchup for CP.  They won't be rattled.  The Bulldogs are 4-0 on Michigan City’s floor this year and they played there Monday night.  CP has more depth and much more coaching experience on the bench than East Chicago has.  If East Chicago does not get to the lead early, they will not be able to get past this big, experienced team.

The Matchups

4A No. 6 East Chicago (19-3) vs. CROWN POINT (17-6)

EC’s Kawaan Short (6-5, 260) vs. CP's  Zach Cecich (6-3, 230)

While Short is at least two inches taller and 30 pounds heavier, these are very similar players.  Football stars who provide power under the basket.  The key here is for Cecich, CP’s football tight end, to beat Short down the floor and get passes from Kyle Hanaway.  At the other end, Short has to be kept off the boards.  Cecich may not get many rebounds, but he has to make sure that Short does not get his usual dozen.  Short grabbed a career-best 20 rebounds against Gary West Side last Saturday night as EC routed the Cougars.  Short has to push Cecich around like he does most everybody else, and yet he must stay in the game.  When he is on the bench East Chicago is not a big team and Crown Point has a lot of big substitutes.  Short and Cecich both had 12 rebounds in the earlier meeting.

EC’s Derrell Conner 5-10, 165 vs.  CP’s Kyle Hanaway 6-2, 185

In this guard matchup, Conner has to bother Hanaway on the dribble and keep him from seeing the floor.  EC loves to run the floor and CP loves to counter attack.  The key is Hanaway, who had 10 assists at EC in January, getting the ball in the backcourt and finding the open man well downcourt.  Playoff games usually slow down, but there will be some up-and-down stretches.  At the offensive end, Conner will probably be guarded by Ben Derks or Billy Cox when CP plays man-to-man.  Conner has to try not to do it all himself if CP takes a lead.  Like all teams that face CP, the Cardinals will dare Hanaway to shoot the ball and he has to be careful to play his game and not fire up a lot of jump shots.

EC’s Angel Garcia (6-11, 225) vs.  CP’s Aleks Alavanja (6-6, 205) or Jake Burkholder (6-8, 235 )

Garcia is the unknown in this game, but he is often out at the three-point line shooting jump shots.  Outside Garcia, who has signed a letter-of-intent to play at the University of Memphis, would be guarded by Alavanja, a mobile player who could get a hand in his face.  If Angel posts up close to the basket, he’d face Burkholder who would try to muscle him away from the basket.  Garcia has to be smart early.  If he sits down due to fouls, EC becomes a very short team and here comes the big CP zone defense.  If Angel gets hot, CP has to go man-to-man and EC is a quicker team.  Garcia can score 20 to 30 pints in any game and he is a shot blocking defender.  But Angel Garcia also averaged six points a game at the sectional.

EC’s Bryce Walker (5-11, 175)  vs. CP’s Stephen Albrecht (6-2, 175)

This is a problem for East Chicago, because they do not really have a good matchup for Albrecht, CP’s leading scorer and a junior all-stater last year.  What Walker has to do is make Albrecht work at the defensive end of the floor.  It will be difficult to wear out an experienced player with four days rest, but that’s the task.  Albrecht scored 32 against East Chicago in January and he was 18-of-20 from the foul line.  Albrecht also hit the last shot to beat 8th-ranked Chesterton last Saturday.  CP wants someone else to shoot the ball and Walker will probably only be the first defender to take him on.


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Revised: March 07, 2008 .