11-27-2002:  84-49 Portage (5-3)
11-30-2002:  35-63 at No. 1 Kokomo (8-0)

12-3-2002:  75-29  Munster (1-8)

12-10-2002:  84-39  Kankakee Valley (3-5)
12-14-2002: 61-42 at Lowell (3-5)

   You have to look very closely at the schedule here.  Solid wins over Portage and Jefferson and the only losses to Carmel and top-ranked Kokomo. No one in northwest Indiana would be 6-2 against this schedule.  Katie Mitchell scored a career-high 19 Saturday against Lowell. She's only had 35 points total (5.0 ppg.) in the seven previous games.



2. Gary West Side (5-0)

11-20-2002:  63-60 (OT) Chesterton (3-2)

11-27-2002:  46-29 at Hobart  (3-2)
12-6-2002:    74-37  Gavit (1-4)
12-12-2002:   70-27 Munster (1-8)
12-14-2002:  85-72 (Chicago) Marshall (4-2)

There were extenuating circumstances to the win over Marshall. The Commandoes were coming off a 19-point loss to (Chicago) Hope, the top Class A (there are only two Illinois classes) in the state.  But throw that out.  West Side had never beaten Marshall. That win is a giant sized red flag for the rest of the region in Class 4A.  The guards, Belinda Drake (11.6 ppg.) and Isabella Rhenwick (8.6 ppg.) are the key.  Who is 5-7 sophomore Ashley Gates (11.0 ppg.)?  They should beat South Bend Riley (6-2) Saturday night.

3. Highland   (7-0)

11-22-2002:  56-40 Munster (1-8)
11-23-2002:  56-43  Portage (5-3)
11-29-2002:  54-39 at Merrillville (2-4)

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

12-10-2002:    55-25 Hobart (4-4)
12-13-2002:    54-43  at Griffith (6-2)

  Highland is where they should be. The toughest part of their schedule is still ahead with Lake Central, Crown Point, Penn and Jefferson. They'll host Andrean Saturday night.

Before anybody starts talking state finals: Highland foul shooting:  94-163, 57.6 percent.

4. CROWN POINT (7-2)

11-15-2002:  74-19 Hebron (0-9)
11-16-2002:  40-47 at Andrean (5-2)
11-22-2002:  55-30 Kankakee Valley (3-5)
11-23-2002:  52-30 at Munster (1-8)
11-29-2002:  42-46 Warsaw (5-0)
12-3-2002:  53-34 Lowell (3-5)
12-6-2002:  47-28  at Portage (5-3)
12-13-2002: 50-43 Merrillville (3-6)
12-14-2002:  54-49 at Boone Grove (7-2)

The Lady Bulldogs had two slow first halves and had to hustle to win against Merrillville and PCC leader Boone Grove. The season's been fun but now it gets serious with Valparaiso (5-4) and 4A No. 12 Carroll (8-0), and 3A No. 2 Highland (7-0) in the next three weeks.  Cassie Pruzin's strong second halves against two quick teams established her as the area's top pure point guard.  But is this group ready for prime time? We'll know two weeks from now.

5. East Chicago (8-0)

11-13-2002:  41-36 Valparaiso (5-4)
11-16-2002:  65-52 (SB) Clay (4-4)
11-20-2002:  45-42 (SB) Riley (6-2)
11-22-2002:   39-27 at Maine West (Palatine, Ill.)
11-27-2002: 56-41 Merrillville (3-5)
12-3-2002:  100-18 Gary Roosevelt (2-5)

12-10-2002:  70-37  Hammond (6-2)
12-14-2002:  58-54 at (Harvey, Ill. ) Thornton (6-2)

The win over Hammond was impressive but Hammond had played a very soft schedule. The 30 turnovers in the win at Thornton is a signal that this team has the shelf-life of Trent Lott. I do not think they can win Jan. 9 at Gary West Side and they also have Lake Central on the schedule.

6. ANDREAN  (5-2)

11-16-2002:  47-40 Crown Point (7-2)
11-23-2002:  56-43 at Lowell (3-5)
12-2-2002:   43-56  at Hobart (4-5)

12-6-2002: 42-32 at Munster (1-8)
12-10-2002:   25-49 at Valparaiso (5-4)
12-12-2002: 38-31 at Bishop Noll (4-6)
12-14-2002: 61-47 Whiting (4-4)

If you take away that win over Crown Point on Nov. 16, this team doesn't look so good. Remember the start of the season when we said they'd need 10-15 games to get it together?  That still applies. Games with Lake Central and Highland won't go so well but the 59ers will rally after the first of the year.



7. Valparaiso  (5-4)

11-13-2002:  36-41 at East Chicago (8-0)
11-16-2002:   28-45  at Carmel (7-2)
11-16-2002:  29-41  Jefferson (7-2) (at Carmel)
11-23-2002:  49-37 Penn (4-2)
11-30-2002:  48-38 at Plymouth (6-2)

12-5-2002:  34-25 Chesterton (4-5)
12-6-2002:  44-47 at (South Bend) Adams (6-1)
12-10-2002:   49-25  Andrean (5-2)
12-13-2002: 41-27 at Michigan City (2-2)

Here's a vastly improved team at the crossroads. They need a win over Crown Point on Dec.21 in the key Duneland Conference game and South Bend St. Joseph's (6-1) and Warsaw (5-0) are major challenges in the Warsaw Holiday Tournament.  Can they handle Crown Point's full court press?

8. Chesterton (4-5)

11-16-2002:  57-39 Munster (1-8)
11-20-2002:  63-60 (OT) Gary West Side (5-0)
11-22-2002:  38-48 Lake Central (6-2)
11-27-2002:  46-42 at New Prairie (3-5)
12-3-2002:  50-22 at Bishop Noll (4-6)

12-6-2002:  25-34 at Valparaiso (5-4)
12-10-2002;   37-59 at (South Bend) St. Joseph's (6-1)
12-13-2002:  43-29 Hobart (4-5)
12-14-2002:   55-70 at (South Bend ) Riley (6-1)

The Trojans have promise but the two losses in South Bend are worrisome. With Portage, Jefferson and Crown Point to come, Chesterton still has work to do.

9. Portage (5-3)

11-12-2002:  52-46 Washington Township (7-4)
11-16-2002:  68-31 Gavit (2-5)
11-23-2002:  43-56 Highland (7-0)
11-27-2002:  49-84  at Lake Central (6-2)
11-29-2002: 72-43 Kankakee Valley (3-5)

12-6-2002:   28-47 Crown Point (7-2)
12-10-2002:  52-42 at Griffth (6-2)
12-13-2002:  46-41 at LaPorte (1-6)

The narrow win at LaPorte is worrisome but victories over Washington Township and Griffith look better all the time. This team has tournament action at Twin Lakes in two weeks and at Penn at the end of the season.

10. Hobart (4-5)

SMALL SCHOOLS

1. North Judson (6-1)

11-23-2002:  87-73 over Twin Lakes (2-4)
11-29-2002:  71-67 at Bremen (3-5)
11-29-2002: 82-40 at Kouts (1-7)
12-3-2002: 55-43 at North White (5-3)

12-6-2002:  45-54 at Plymouth (5-2)
12-10-2002:  78-76 at Oregon-Davis (7-2)
12-14-2002: 67-51 West Central (3-4)

The schedule makes this team and the tough part of it truly has not begun. The Triton game Thursday (Dec. 19) will be a barometer of progress for the Jays.  They have Tippecanoe Valley (9-1), Rochester (7-0), Benton Central (7-2) and Boone Grove (7-2) still to play.

2. BOONE GROVE (7-2)

11-12-2002:  58-28 at River Forest(3-5)
11-15-2002:  45-34 at Calumet (4-4)
11-16-2002:  71-47 at Hebron (0-9)
11-23-2002:  62-55 at Knox (1-7)
11-26-2002: 89-34 LaCrosse (1-7)
12-2-2002:  57-67 at Kankakee Valley (3-5)
12-6-2002:  79-61 at Wheeler (6-4)
12-13-2002:  72-63 Washington Township (7-4)
12-14-2002:  54-49 Crown Point (7-2)

Boone will now go 11-2 because the next four teams are non-competitive. Forward Rachel Jenkins scored a career-high 17 against Crown Point.   Heather Moy (11.2 ppg.,) has scored in double figures in six games. The second half of the season is tougher with North Newton (5-0) and North Judson (6-1) 

3. North Newton (5-0)

11-16-2002:  72-62 Lowell (3-5)
11-21-2002:  58-44 at Frontier (5-3)
12-3-2002:  64-39 at Covington (3-5)

12-12-2002:  73-38 at River Forest (3-6)
12-14-2002:   63-55 at Rensselaer (3-5)

North Newton is struggling with teams they should beat easily. Either Rensselaer and River Forest are a lot better than they've played, or North Newton is about to hit a bump in the road.

4. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (7-4)

11-16-2002:  46-52 at Portage (5-3)
11-20-2002:  52-61 Calumet (4-4)
11-22-2002:  68-31 at Hebron (0-9)
11-23-2002: 70-24 at (MC) Marquette (0-7)

11-27-2002: 40-42 Oregon-Davis (6-1)
11-30-2002: 53-31 at Wheeler (6-4)
12-3-2002: 57-47 at Whiting (4-4)

12-6-2002:  54-49 West Central (3-4)

12-10-2002:  58-35 LaCrosse (1-7)
12-12-2002:  63-72 at Boone Grove (7-2)
12-14-2002:   79-21  Westville (1-9)

Christi Gladdis, Aimee Mishler and Alisha Polite all average in double figures.  The Senators have completed more than 50% of their season already. So after the Mid-Winter Classic (Dec. 27-28), they'll have a lot of down time after the first of the year.

5. Oregon-Davis (7-2)

11-12-2002:  70-41 at Kouts (1-7)
11-19-2002:  53-59 Bremen (3-5)
11-23-2002:  72-28 at LaCrosse (1-7)
11-25-2002: 42-40 at Washington Township (7-4)

Northland Conference Tournament
12-4-2002: 88-48 South Central  (2-7)
12-5-2002:  60-36  River Forest (3-6)
12-6-2002:  53-40  Argos  (4-4) title

12-10-2002:  76-78 (North Judson (6-1)
12-14-2002: 77-63 at Knox (1-7)

Obviously the schedule hurts them but I'm not sure who else they can play where they are.  This team has to be very good because their fast-break style of play is not conducive to success in the state tournament where the game slows down.

DECEMBER NOTES:  Lowell plays Rossville (2-6) and Carroll (1-6) at the Carroll County Classic in Flora this Saturday (Dec. 21). Lowell hosts Whiting Friday night so they play three games in a 24-hour span.    The four teams in the South County Tournament, as always, are Hebron, Boone Grove, Kouts and Morgan Township. The four schools at the Warsaw Holiday Tournament are Warsaw (5-0), St. Joseph's (6-1), Valparaiso (5-4) and Perry Meridian (8-1).  There are rumors that Nequa Valley, a 3,000-kid Illinois school, has replaced TF South in the small school Momence Holiday Tournament. That would be very bad news for Hanover Central and South Newton, who would have a difficult time beating Nequa Valley's JV.  There must be more to that story.  East Chicago (8-0) is in the LaPorte Holiday Tournament when they should be in the tourneys at Crown Point or Gary.

Neither Boone Grove or Crown Point are in the state rankings in Class 2A and 4A.  Griffith is rated 16th in Class 3A although they'd be hard-pressed to beat either Crown Point or Boone.  Hebron is 0-9 but they'll beat Kouts on Dec. 21.


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