Chesterton ends season for Bulldogs, 81-69, in Sectional Semifinals

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith
3-5-2006

Friday, 3-3-2006 - 4A Chesterton Sectional Semifinal

CROWN POINT (69)  Michael Kvachkoff 4-0-8, Andy Krumwied 1-1-3, Kyle Hanaway 2-0-4, Keith Dean 3-3-9, Mitch Robsinon 1-0-2, Zach Cecich 3-6-12, Aleks Alavanja 1-0-2, Stephen Albrecht 4-4-14, Danny Bouchee 6-2-15, Ben Derks 0-0-0, Jacob Burkoholder 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 28 (12-18) 69.

CHESTERTON (81) Jordan Lewis 5-0-11, Mark Babcock 2-0-5, Adam Nallenweg 2-2-7, Curt Bradford 8-5-24, Zack Novak 7-3-23, Hack Haupt 2-2-6, Chase Saylor 1-1-3, Adam Hutnick 1-0-2.  TOTALS:  28 (13-15) 81.

FREE THROWS:  CROWN POINT (16-22, 72.7%) Bouchee 2-2, Albrecht 4-4, Cecich 6-10, Dean 3-4, Krumwied 1-2;  CHESTERTON (13-18, 72.2%) Bradford 5-5, Novak 3-4, Haupt 2-5, Saylor 1-1, Nallenweg 2-2,, Babcock 0-1.

3-GOALS: CHESTERTON (12) Zack Novak 6, Curt Bradford 3, Mark Babcock, Adam Nallenweg, Jordan Lewis  CROWN POINT (3) Stephen Albrecht 2, Danny Bouchee.

TECHNICAL FOUL: CP (1) Coach Busick :14 left - 3rd Q.

Tuesday, 2-28-2006 - 4A Chesterton Sectional Quarterfinal

PORTAGE (51)  Albert Evans 5-1-12, Reece Mussman 2-1-5, Josh Stanley 12-5-29, Josh Harmon 2-0-4, Eric Ramian 0-1-1, Andrew Coban 0-00, Andy Farmer 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 21(7-17) 51.

CROWN POINT (56)  Zach Cecich 2-3-7, Aleks Alavanja 1-0-2, Andy Krum wied 1-0-2, Jacob Burkholder 0-1-1, Michael Kvachkoff 0-0-0, Kyle Hanawy 1-1-3, Ben Derks 0-0-0, Keith Dean 3-3-10, Stephen Albrecht 6-2-15.  TOTALS: 20 (9-21) 56.

FREE THROWS:  PORTAGE (7-17, 41.2%) Stanley 5-10, Evans 1-2, Ramian 1-3, Farmer 0-2;
CROWN POINT (9-21, 42.9%) Dean 3-5, Albrecht 2-3, Cecich 3-6,,Bouchee 0-3, Hanaway 1-2, Kvachkoff 0-2.

REBOUNDS:  PORTAGE (30) Stanley 10, Ramian 9, Evans 6, Mussman 3, Coban.  CROWN POINT (25) Cecich 7, Bouchee 5, Dean 4, Albrecht 4, Alavanja 3, Krumwied 2.

ASSISTS:  PORTAGE (9) Harmon 3, Evans 2, Farmer 2, Stanley, Coban;  CROWN POINT (12) Hanaway 4, Albrrecht 3, Dean 2, Derks 2, Cecich.

STEALS:  PORTAGE (6) Mussman 2, Stanley 2. Ramian, Evans;  CROWN POINT (10)  Hanaway 5, Bouchee 2, Albrecht, Burkhoklder, Krumwied.

3-GOALS:  PORTAGE (2) Reece Mussman, Albert Evans;  CROWN POINT (7) Danny Bouhcee 5, Keith Dean, Stephen Albrecht.

CHESTERTON (3-3-2006)  It wasn't what you'd call a devastating loss.  I wouldn't call it painless, but it was certainly over in a brilliant, blinding flash of light.  The patient didn't suffer much during his demise.

Crown Point, the underdog, led host and favored Chesterton 42-39 with 4:55 left in the third quarter of the Class 4A sectional two semifinal Friday night when the young Bulldogs got hit by lightning.  There's no other way to explain it.  Chesterton, which hadn't played badly up to that point, suddenly hit the kind of hot streak you hardly ever see.

Just because your shots are going in doesn't necessarily mean you're playing well.  But the Trojans hit six consecutive three point shots and made almost every play for 3 1/2 minutes, outscoring Crown Point 22-2 at a time when the game was in doubt.  The Bulldogs never really broke down defensively and played a strong offensive game.  But Chesterton was up, up and away to an 81-69 victory.  The Trojans moved on to play Valparaiso (19-2), a 63-58 winner over Merrillville (17-4) in the other Sectional 2 semifinal.

"If they shoot like that," said CP coach Shaun Busick, "they're going to beat a lot of teams."   

"We only had six turnovers in the game," said Busick. "We did some very good things.  They didn't have that many more free throws.  But they got going and we had to burn some time outs.  We needed to use them.  They were a great team tonight."

Sometimes the winning team dominates every aspect of the contest.  This was not one of those games.  But when you score 22 points in 3 1/2 minutes, 34 points in the third quarter and hit 12 three-point goals, it doesn't matter what the other team thinks they did.

Chesterton sophomore forward Zack Novak, a 6-foot-5 left-hander who is the focus of every team's defense against the Trojans, had 10 points at the half, but CP (9-13) led 35-34 and had the pace of the game the way they like it.

But the 42-39 lead, created when CP sophomore Stephen Albrecht scored on an offensive rebound, was a sign post from which the Trojans accelerated.  Novak hit a three-point shot to tie the game with 4:40 left in the third quarter.

A CP miss created a quick shot and 6-2 senior guard Curt Bradford, who scored 20 of his game-high 24 in the second half, fired in a 20-foot shot to give Chesterton a 45-42 lead.

Danny Bouchee's jumper cut the lead to 45-44, but the Trojans easily broke CP's pressure and Jordan Lewis scored a layup off a pass from Novak.  Another CP miss and Bradford hit a 3-pointer.  Bouchee missed a jumper and Novak hit a 25-foot shot off the wing for a 53-44 lead.  Crown Point called time out, but again, Chesterton went through the Bulldog press for a layup from Lewis.  With the Chesterton fans in the sellout crowd of 4,800 now roaring with every shot, Novak hit consecutive three-pointers off the wing to make it 61-44 with 1:29 to go in the third period.  It took just under 200 seconds for Chesterton to put 22 points on the board.

"We've been a second half team," Novak said.  "Lately, we've let teams hang around with us in the first half.  I don't have an explanation for it, really.  Usually, when a couple start going in, I just start playing instinctively."

Novak is a smooth player, a mid-major Division I prospect (Valpo University would be a perfect fit), probably does not shoot enough, considering that the Trojans struggled to stay above. 500 this season.  The sophomore was 7-of-12 in this game.   

"Its nice to be in front of the home crowd," said Novak.  "The whole community was here watching. We have a real nice crowd. It helps."

The painless part of this loss was that Crown Point didn't play badly.  The 81 points allowed was a season-high total against the Bulldogs, but when you only give up 16 two-point baskets and the other side is scoring over your defense instead of going through it, there's only so much you can do.

The game seemed over before it was. After the 34-point Chesterton third quarter, Crown Point mounted a 12-2 run to make it 70-59 with 3:53 to play.  Danny Bouchee scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half as CP's team speed rallied them.  The Bulldogs weren't upset with shooting 25 of 58 (43.1%) from the field and 16 of 22 from the line.

"Michael Kvachkoff went out like a champion," said Busick, discussing his two seniors.  "I thought this was probably his best game.  I was proud of his game and his effort.  Keith Dean did some really good things and played hard.  They were good role players."

"Everybody who played tonight battled.  I think that bodes well for next year.  We're a hard-working group."

The reality is, Crown Point (9-13) was rebuilding this year.  Busick was privately worried his team, which had no returning starters and just four varsity players who were not sophomores this year, wouldn't win more than four games.  Another truth is, Chesterton and Valparaiso, who met Saturday in the sectional finals, had a total of five seniors between them (Chesterton has just two).  The Bulldogs aren't guaranteed to do much better than 9-13 next year, but they are almost certain to be much better.

"I think we exceeded expectations," said Busick.  "I just hope we keep working hard in the off-season and come back next year a veteran team."

DOG NOTES:  Curt Bradford was 8-of-16 from the floor, while soph guard Jordan Lewis was 5-of-6 off the bench for the home team.   Michael Kvachkoff was 4-of-4 from the floor but the combination of Keith Dean, Danny Bouchee and Stephen Albrecht were an unofficial 13 of 39, many coming after CP fell behind.

Crown Point's 6-4 sophomore Mitchell Robinson scored a basket at the buzzer and Bulldog coach Shaun Busick pointed to him and other little used (above the JV level) sophomores like 6-foot-7 Jacob Burkholder in his high hopes for the team that will enter the 2007 playoffs.

"He's going to develop his perimeter skills," said Busick.  "Work on his dribbling and ball-handling.  He'll be a 3-man (small forward) for us. He's already made great strides.  Jake is going to be three inches taller next year.  6-foot-10.  They'll be playing varsity basketball."

Busick used five sophomores (forwards Aleks Alavanja and Zach Cecich, plus guards Ben Derks, Kyle Hanaway and Stephen Albrecht) extensively on the varsity but Burkholder, Robinson and 5-11 guard Billy Cox were 10th-graders on the playoff roster.  CP will have just two seniors next season but both of them, 6-5 center Andrew Krumwied and guard Danny Bouchee were starters in the state tournament and key players.  CP's starting lineup, the 6-5 Krumwied, 6-3 Cecich, 6-1 Hanaway, 6-2 Albrecht and 6-1 Danny Bouchee, all return next season.

"We're starting on next season tomorrow," Busick said.

Novak talked about hitting shots in succession, like he did in his 13-point third quarter. 

"If I start to get on a roll like that I'm not thinking about what I'm doing," he said after hitting six three-pointers against CP.  "I'm not second guessing myself at all.  If it's there, I'm taking it."

SECTIONAL EPILOG:  After defeating Merrillville 63-58 in a closely battled sectional semifinal Friday night (3-2-2006), the heavily favored Valparaiso Vikings went on to defeat Chesterton on the Trojans' home floor Saturday night, 57-47, to win the Sectional Championship.  

Regional Tournament Notes:

Date: Saturday, March 11.

Admission: $6.00 per session or $9.00 both sessions.

Home Team: The second-named team in each game is the designated home team.

Class 4A Michigan City Regional

Game 1 – Valparaiso (20-2) vs. LaPorte (12-12). 10 am CST

Game 2 – Penn (22-2) vs. East Chicago Central (19-4). 12 pm CST

Championship – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2. 8 pm CST

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Revised: March 05, 2006 .