11-27-2002:  84-49 Portage (3-2)
11-30-2002:  35-63 at No. 1 Kokomo (6-0)

12-3-2002:  75-29  Munster (1-6)

LC center Jen Vander Zanden (12.6 ppg.) pivots for Kim Haviar (12.0 ppg.) and Linsey Smith (13.3 ppg.). No one in the region has this balance. No one in northwest Indiana has played their schedule. Losses to Carmel and Kokomo almost don't count because they are 4A top-10 teams. They'll be in the DAC next year and if they were already they'd be 2-0.




2. Gary West Side (3-0)

11-20-2002:  63-60 (OT) Chesterton

11-27-2002:  46-29 at Hobart  (3-2)
12-6-2002:    74-37  Gavit (1-4)

They are still number two because they won another game but they won't be here much longer 'cause their schedule is lame. I still don't understand why they don't play Crown Point, Lake Central, Highland or Valparaiso.  Belinda Drake (15.3 ppg.) and Isabella Rhenwick (9.3 ppg.) are a top duo. The Cougars have outscored the opposition 58-20 in the first quarter.

3. Highland   (5-0)

11-22-2002:  56-40 Munster
11-23-2002:  56-43  Portage
11-29-2002:  54-39 at Merrillville (1-4)

12-5-2002:     46-24 at Lowell (3-4)
12-6-2002:    44-40 South Bend Riley (4-2) at the Hammond Civic Center

Julie DeMuth (18 ppg.) scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to help beat Riley 44-40. Another key was that DeMuth had 12 of Highland's 43 rebounds (they outboarded Riley 43-25). But other than all-purpose player Lyndee Arnold (8.2 ppg.) there's not much else here right now. The foul shooting (67 of 116, 57.7%) has gone south again.

4. CROWN POINT (5-2)

11-15-2002:  74-19 Hebron
11-16-2002:  40-47 at Andrean
11-22-2002:  55-30 Kankakee Valley
11-23-2002:  52-30 at Munster
11-29-2002:  42-46 Warsaw (2-0)
12-3-2002:  53-34 Lowell (3-4)
12-6-2002:  47-28  at Portage (3-3)

All of CP's wins have been like 19 points or more so they are formidable.
The schedule is their biggest asset.  They are battle-tested and will be more so after the holiday tournament with Martinsville and No. 11 Carroll.
  The next focus is DAC games Merrillville and Valparaiso.  

5. East Chicago (6-0)

11-13-2002:  41-36 Valparaiso
11-16-2002:  65-52 (SB) Clay
11-20-2002:  45-42 (SB) Riley
11-22-2002:   39-27 at Maine West (Palatine, Ill.)
11-27-2002: 56-41 Merrillville (1-4)
12-3-2002:  100-18 Gary Roosevelt (2-3)

The Cardinals have had some time off to sit on six wins.  It will be interesting with a young team if they continue to play with success after a time off.

6. ANDREAN  (3-1)

11-16-2002:  47-40 Crown Point
11-23-2002:  56-43 at Lowell
12-2-2002:   43-56  at Hobart (3-2)

12-6-2002: 42-32 at Munster (1-6)

Kim McCloskey (12.0 ppg.) and Kelly Swisher (11.0 ppg.,) form a significant 1-2 punch but they'll need inside scoring to succeed in the neighborhood Andrean vs. Lake Central match on Dec. 17.



7. Valparaiso  (3-4)

11-13-2002:  36-41 at East Chicago
11-16-2002:   28-45  at Carmel
11-16-2002:  29-41  Jefferson (at Carmel)
11-23-2002:  49-37 Penn
11-30-2002:  48-38 at Plymouth (4-1)

12-5-2002:  34-25 Chesterton (3-3)
12-6-2002:  44-47 at (South Bend) Adams (4-1)

  The Vikings scored a big win over Chesterton 34-25 which was a key to this season. Lauren Hutton scored 16 in the 47-44 loss at Adams one day later. 6-3 center Cassie Kerns has averaged 11.7 ppg.  in her last four games. He're s another team that lives on a tough schedule.  They'll host Crown Point on Dec. 21 and they win the DAC if they win that day. Unbeaten Warsaw (4-0) is on the horizon.

8. Chesterton (3-3)

11-16-2002:  57-39 Munster
11-20-2002:  63-60 (OT) Gary West Side
11-22-2002:  38-48 Lake Central
11-27-2002:  46-42 at New Prairie (1-3)
12-3-2002:  50-22 at Bishop Noll (2-4)

12-6-2:  25-34 at Valparaiso (3-3)

The loss to Valparaiso was the second big game this year (LC was the other one) where Chesterton has come up short. Chesterton shot 6-of-31 from the field in the first half. There is a fear that the Trojans don't have the offense to win big games.

9. Portage (3-3)

11-12-2002:  52-46 Washington Township
11-16-2002:  68-31 Gavit
11-23-2002:  43-56 Highland
11-27-2002:  49-84  at Lake Central (4-2)
11-29-2002: 72-43 Kankakee Valley (2-2)

12-6-2002:   28-47 Crown Point (5-2)

Couldn't get started against Crown Point but Portage never beats the Lady Bulldogs. The Indians' three losses are all to top teams. Nikki McDonald (10.8 ppg.) was held to just two against CP. The Indians have to be almost perfect against good teams because they have so little size.

10. Hobart (4-3)

SMALL SCHOOLS

1. North Judson (4-1)

11-23-2002:  87-73 over Twin Lakes
11-29-2002:  71-67 at Bremen (3-1)
11-29-2002: 82-40 at Kouts (0-5)
12-3-2002: 55-43 at North White (2-2)

12-6-2002:  45-54 at Plymouth (5-2)

North Judson is 2A, Plymouth is 3A. That loss is no knock on the Blue Jays. Tiffany Trusty has scored in double figures in every game this year.  Like Lake Central, Judson benefits from playing a very tough schedule which includes a game at Triton (5-0) on Dec. 19.

2. BOONE GROVE (6-1)

11-12-2002:  58-28 at River Forest
11-15-2002:  45-34 at Calumet
11-16-2002:  71-47 at Hebron
11-23-2002:  62-55 at Knox
11-26-2002: 89-34 LaCrosse (0-5)
12-2-2002:  57-67 at Kankakee Valley (2-2)
12-6-2002:  79-61 at Wheeler (5-3)

Boone lifted their profile with the big win at Wheeler, the first winning team they've beaten. You need a top point guard, a tough full court defense and a good half court offense to succeed.  Lead guard Karissa Walter (15.2 ppg.) will be put to the test against Washington Township and Crown Point. After scoring 23 points in six games, AJ Puller scored a career-high 17 against Wheeler. Boone Grove gets to the foul line over 25 times a game (116-184) and shoots well (63.0 percent) and that's the key to top teams. Boone also has a lot of home games coming including Crown Point Saturday (Dec. 14) night.

3. North Newton (3-0)

11-16-2002:  72-62 Lowell
11-21-2002:  58-44 at Frontier
12-3-2002:  64-39 at Covington (2-4)

Little is happening with them but a stretch of six games in 10 days begins this week. They could advance to 9-0 because there's no one in this stretch they can't beat.

4. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (4-3)

11-16-2002:  46-52 at Portage
11-20-2002:  52-61 Calumet
11-22-2002:  68-31 at Hebron
11-23-2002: 70-24 at (MC) Marquette

11-27-2002: 40-42 Oregon-Davis (4-1)
11-30-2002: 53-31 at Wheeler (5-1)
12-3-2002: 57-47 at Whiting (3-3)

12-6-2:  54-49 West Central (3-2)

Christi Gladdis (18.1 ppg.), a 5-8 guard has been virtually unstoppable lately. Alisha Polite (11. 3 ppg.), a 6-foot sophomore forward, has also been effective and 5-4 guard Aimee Mishler (10.5 ppg. - 7 games) is a coming star.   Here's another team with a very strong sophomore class. The foul shooting (93-167, 55.7 %) is not good, though.

5. Oregon-Davis (6-1)

11-12-2002:  70-41 at Kouts (0-6)
11-19-2002:  53-59 Bremen  (3-4)
11-23-2002:  72-28 at LaCrosse (0-6)
11-25-2002: 42-40 at Washington Township (5-3)

Northland Conference Tournament
12-4-2002: 88-48 South Central  (0-5)
12-5-2002:  60-36  River Forest (2-3)
12-6-2002:  53-40  Argos  (4-4) title

The competition is not strong but O-D rolled through the Northland Conference Tournament. North Judson is next and that will be different. But O-D, which averages 61.2 points per game,  needs more tough games.

DECEMBER NOTES:  Oregon-Davis plays at undefeated Triton (5-0) on Feb.6.  Outside of O-D, only Highland (5-0), Gary West Side (3-0), North Newton (3-0) and East Chicago (6-0) are left among northwest Indiana undefeated teams and none of them meet, although EC and West Side will meet in the Gary West Side Sectional.

North Newton vs. North Judson is Jan. 16 at North Newton and Tippecanoe Valley (5-2) plays an afternoon game at North Judson on Dec. 28. 
Highland at Crown Point is set for Jan. 3.  Crown Point at Hanover Central is set for Jan. 4.

The three teams at the Carroll County Classic (involving Lowell) are Carroll, Rossville and Monrovia.

Gary West Side hosts 20-time Chicago city champ and seven-time Illinois state champ Marshall (3-0) on Friday, Dec. 13.

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Revised: July 10, 2004 .