1. LAKE
CENTRAL (0-0)
Lake Central
returns six solid players from last year. Seniors Brandi Shields and Kim Haviar
man the backcourt with shooter Linsey Smith on the wings. Up from, 6-2 Jen
Vander Zanden and 6-2 Megan Bowman are tough enough with 5-11 Katie Chick a
veteran at forward. This is the region's top starting five and they'll
play a state-class schedule. Foes must beat them with depth and Kokomo, Riley,
McCutcheon, Center Grove and Lebanon just might. With four senior starters, this
should be a sectional title team, even in the tough West Side sectional.
LC opens at Carmel Saturday (11-16-2002).
2. Gary West
Side (0-0)
West Side
will be very big up front with 6-0 junior Karina Davies, 6-1 senior Bernetra
Grayer and 6-3 Ronnisha Mosley. Belinda Drake and Isabella Rhenwick
are gifted young guards and 5-10 sophomores Michelle Hamblin and Ashley Cheairs
have solid potential. That's the key word. This team has more talent than
anybody but their schedule, especially after the first of the year is weak. This
team could go undefeated and lose to LC in the sectional.
3. CROWN
POINT (0-0)
CP returns
eight varsity players including all-area soph point guard Cassie Pruzin. Tom May
has three solid forwards in Blayre Reeves, Keri Cuculich and Jill Weiand. On the
wings, Amy Zondor and Allison Isailovich are good shooters and Danielle Brueck
is a good all-around player. Add transfer Jen McMullin from Hanover
Central and Kaitlin Sertich, a good 5-4 guard and CP will overwhelm with numbers
and defense. If you can't break
the press, you can't play this team. There are 15 on the varsity and almost
everybody can play at this level. Whether they can play with four-time
state champion Bishop Luers on Jan. 25 is another story. CP should win against
all-new teams Hebron and Andrean to start the season at 2-0 this (Nov.
15-16) weekend.
4. Highland
(0-0)
They
return a big and experienced front court in center Jessica Hamman and richly
athletic and experienced forwards Lyndee Arnold and Julie DeMuth. With 5-10
senior Mary Sutliff and experienced guards Georgiann Michels and Tara Traczyk
and the Trojans should rule the Lake Athletic Conference again. A
tough schedule, solid defense and a weak sectional mean the Trojans will be
playing deep in the state tournament again. But they won't see anybody
until the semistate that is the equal of South Bend Riley, who they'll play on
Dec. 7 in the Hammond Civic Center. Highland opens against up-and-coming
Merrillville.
5.
Valparaiso (0-1)
Valparaiso
lost their opener 41-36 to East Chicago but 6-2 center Cassie Kerns has a stress
fracture. When Kerns joins 6-2 soph Lindsay Humes on the front line, Valpo
will be very difficult to score on. Remember, Valpo lost to EC last year and
they won the DAC and the sectional.
6. East
Chicago (1-0)
They're
not better than Valparaiso but freshmen Delaquese Jernigan and Kelly Watts are
much talked about. It will be interesting how this team develops because they
are a non-league team. Last year, they didn't develop and were blown out by Gary
West Side at the sectional.
7.
Chesterton (0-0)
The
Trojans have depth but they're going to need a true point guard in the Duneland
Athletic Conference (DAC).
6-foot sophomore Stephanie Boyle must contribute significantly up front.
There's not a lot of offense here and the schedule includes Riley, St. Joseph's,
Lake Central, Gary West Side and Jefferson outside the league. The Trojans'
record won't be great but they could upset the field at sectional time.
8.
MERRILLVILLE (0-0)
I do not know
the new coach but the potential is certainly here. Junior Marshay Jolly is one
of the top five players in the DAC and super quick guard Brittany Usery and
Melissa Borom can attack the defense. Up front, 5-10 Karen Davis is big and 6-1
freshman Brittany Moore is even bigger.
The Pirates' schedule is not as tough as that of CP, LC, Valpo and Chesterton
and this squad is probably too young to win three sectional games in a row but I
believe there is enough raw basketball ability here to compete for the DAC title
this season if they shock Crown Point on Dec. 13.
9. ANDREAN
(0-0)
This team is
almost all new from last year but good players suddenly appear at Noll and
Andrean all the time. Highly regarded is 6-foot junior guard Kim McCloskey, a
transfer from Valparaiso who will be a double-figure scorer. Junior Amy Goetz
returns as a starter and 5-5 senior guard Kelly Swisher should settle the team.
Early games against Lowell and Highland will almost certainly be postponed
because of the 59er football team. Junior center Brooke Bosak, a 6-footer, has
improved. She will be tested as the 59ers play 75% of the powerhouse
Duneland Conference.
10. LOWELL
(0-0)
There's not
much doubt this will be a comeback season for Lowell. The question is simply,
how far will they come back. Lisa Schulfer, an all-area volleyball and track
performer, will move to forward along side 6-1 junior center Mary Taylor and 5-9
power forward Brooke Bell. I like their three guards in McKensey Wietbrock,
Kristin Kania and Natalie Hanas. This will be a strong defensive team but they
need to find accurate shooters, especially against CP, LC, Andrean (twice) and
Kankakee Valley.
TOPS IN 2A
1. North
Judson (0-0)
North Judson
lost a lot of size but they return both backcourt starters in senior Megan Brown
(7 ppg.) and Tiffany Trusty (12 ppg.). In small school basketball, it's all
about the guards. The front court will be all new and the Jays need 5-10 Alicia
Richie or 6-foot Beth Warkentien to be varsity caliber at center. And the
problem at North Judson is that you have to be varsity caliber against the likes
of Plymouth, Kankakee Valley, Twin Lakes and Tippecanoe Valley, all 3A schools.
2. Culver (0-0)
If North
Judson is in northwest Indiana, Culver is too and the legend continues as all-stater
Stacy Stevens (24 ppg.) leads the girls from the shores of Lake Maxincuckee.
You've got to, love this little momma. Stevens, at 5-foot-2 is Culver's all-time
leading scorer and a state playoff rival of teams like Washington Township and
Hebron. Culver has a 6-foot center in Martha Davis and a 5-6 forward in
Nichelle McCune (11 ppg.). This should be a very good 1A team. It isn't
impossible that the Cavaliers are this year's Hebron.
3. BOONE
GROVE (1-0)
Boone
has the PCC's best point guard in Karissa Walter and the league's best athlete
in 5-8 wing player Jenn Keller. Three good 5-10 forwards in Heather Moy,
AJ Puller and Rachel Jenkins will score and rebound enough for the Wolves to
equal last year's record against a tougher schedule which includes North Judson,
North Newton and Crown Point. Boone's sophomore class is very good with Lani
Marsh, Sara Martinovich and Becky Keller. If they find an outside
shooter, they'll win the PCC.
4.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (0-0)
Washington Township is 1A but they are probably better than most 2A
teams in this area. Sophomore center Alisha Polite returns to anchor the front
court for good-shooting guard Christie Gladdis (14 ppg.) . Several veteran girls
did not come out for team so you have to drop them as PCC favorites. Depth is a
problem but this was and is a disciplined team with size in 5-11 Jennifer
Sievers and 5-9 Jackie Curry. They can't have any injuries but, if healthy, the
Senators are certain 1A sectional champs.
5. Wheeler
(0-0)
This team
won't go 11-11 again with 6-0 Maggie Schultz and 5-9 junior guard Alyse
Bruszewski. Depth should develop but it will have to because the BearCats will
play DAC powers Chesterton and Merrillville. You hesitate to pick teams
that may have ball-handling trouble. Senior guard Lindsey Schiess has to
be a scorer. They've got to beat Boone Grove to win the PCC.
6.
Oregon-Davis (1-0)
Candi Rust scored 21 in the season-opening 70-41 win over Kouts last Tuesday
(11-12-2) as O-D is off and running. Down the line, the run-and-gun of
Oregon-Davis must meet the patience and defense of Washington Township.
East
Chicago 41, Valparaiso 36
Griffith 49, Hobart 41
Oregon-Davis 70, Kouts 41
Bishop Noll 80, Gary Roosevelt 44
BOONE GROVE 58, River Forest
28
East
Chicago's
second consecutive win over Valparaiso points to their freshman Delaquese
Jernigan and Kelly Watts, who totaled 19 points. But EC doesn't win if 6-2
Cassie Kerns (stress fracture) is able to play.
Griffith
is exactly what they were last season. A limited team that gets almost
everything out of their players. The Panthers made 21-of-29 from the foul line.
Bishop Noll's Nicaya Rapier score 14 with six assists and Karen Phelps scored 30
in a walk over Roosevelt.
RIVER
FOREST:
Boone Grove broke away from a 10-10 first quarter tie to dominate River Forest.
River Forest isn't as bad as this score indicates. Coach Al Detterline
pulled his starters due to poor performance at the start of the fourth quarter.
Sophomore
point guard Karissa Walter scored 15 with six steals and four assists and looked
much more comfortable and formidable than she did last year.
"I think a lot of that had to do with her being a freshman," said
coach Candy Wilson. "Plus she had a pulled groin. That slowed her up."
With track star sisters Jenn and Becky Keller, Boone is a very athletic team that forced 30 River Forest turnovers and will win half the time on their pressing defense alone. Jenn Keller scored 10 points in the first quarter and then didn't look for her shot much after that. She may not believe it but she has 20-point per game potential.
"That baseline drive is real good for her," said Wilson. "She jumps so high, there's no way they're going to block her shot."
Boone
did not display any outside shooting and better teams will force them to find
some. The Wolves will also regain 5-10 starter
Rachel Jenkins by the Knox game on Nov. 22. Not only did the Kellers play
on the varsity together for the first time, Boone gave a peek at their senior
class of 2005 with 5-10 Lani Marsh at center, 5-10 Danielle Jacobs at forward
along with Becky Keller and Sara Martinovich on the wings and Walter at the
point. That could be one of Boone' s all-time best teams.
NOTES:
Marsh, whose sister Kai Marsh started for Boone the last two years, had four
points and six rebounds in her first varsity game but she missed some short
shots that she will eventually make.
"She's
so strong," said Wilson. "We just haven't had a lot of time to work on
her post moves this last week." Martinovich, a 5-6 sophomore, played
in the JV game and then scored eight points with five rebounds in the varsity
match-up. She worked especially well with Walter. Boone Grove made
23 turnovers and appeared lost when Walter wasn't in the game.
"That's something we're going to have to address," Wilson agreed.
"Last year we also had Kai at the point. We've got find another point
guard."
Boone plays at Hebron
Saturday night (Nov. 16) in the game where Hebron's six seniors from last year's
state finals' team will be honored. Hebron has four varsity freshmen this
season. The Hawks had no junior players last year so they figured to have no
seniors this year. But 5-10 Stephanie Alsop returned to the squad, after
not playing for two years.
"I wish she'd been with us," said Jerry Bechtold. "She may be ready to contribute by the end of the season." Don't tell Bechtold he can't compete this winter. "I know that (Crown Point's) Tom May could beat us 100-40 if he wanted to. But I think we could be in position to win the sectional by the end of the season. We've got three freshman who are pretty good and they'll be playing."
Bechtold said that some are surprised he's still at Hebron. "I know," he said. "One coach said he gained a lot of respect for me when I stayed around. "I love the community. I didn't move here just to stay for three years. I'm not going anywhere."
When you think about it, Bechtold actually is exactly where he wants to be. He has two more girls who will attend Hebron and eldest daughter Lauren, the PCC MVP the past two seasons, is beginning her college career at nearby Valparaiso University. It' couldn't be better for me," he smiles. "I can see all her home games."
Lowell
will
probably be shorthanded when they play at North Newton Friday and host Bishop
Noll Saturday. Kristin Kania had bronchitis and was in poor condition
during last Monday night's scrimmage (11-11-2) and junior guard Natalie Hanas
was struggling to play with a torn rib cage muscle.
Forward Lisa Schulfer scored only six points but she seems primed to have a big
season at the '4' position. Schulfer was miscast as a center for two
seasons.
Chesterton's
first five players were outscored by Lowell in four exhibition quarters but the
second '5', including 5-10 freshman Kelly Pellar (14 points) outscored Lowell's
reserves 37-4. Chesterton's shot selection was poor but coach Jack
Campbell didn't place too much significance on the struggles of his starting
five.
"When you miss shots, you look a lot worse than you are," he said.
"We'll be okay." Some have said that Chesterton could win the
DAC, "Somebody has a high opinion of us," Campbell smiled. "I
don't know about that. We've got a lot of work to do." Junior Holly
Melton hit four three-point baskets off the bench.
Lowell
will again have a scrambling defense led by Kania and McKensey Wietbrock and 6-1
Mary Taylor seems ready to be a solid varsity center but the Red Devils will
need more scoring.
"I was surprised," said coach Patti McCormack after the scrimmage,
"that we didn't shoot better because, in practice, our wings had been
taking good shots."
Lowell started Natalie Hanas, Mary Erpelding, Brooke Bell, Schulfer and a
freshmen center in 5-9 Rachel Thiel. Junior Jackie Wojcik, a 5-10 center, did
not come out for the team this year.
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Revised: July 10, 2004
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