Griffith defeats Andrean 43-37 to win Wheeler Girls Holiday Basketball Tournament

Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - Wheeler Holiday Tournament Championship at UNION TOWNSHIP, IN

ANDREAN (37) Jacklyn Gonzalez 5-0-11, Kelsie Plesac 2-0-4, Natasha Zurek 3-4-10, Kris Kauffman 3-0-6, Kelly Dineen 2-0-4, Ana Nicksic 0-1-1, Brittany Anderson 0-1-1, Kelly Tunberg 0-0-0, Marissa Hulpa 0-0-0, Megan Ernd 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 15 (6-9, 66.7%) 37.

GRIFFITH (43) Shan Lynn Bias 6-1-13, Amanda Stinnett 1-2-4, Stephanie Negrete 1-3-5, Maggie Butkus 0-3-3, Presley Corich 1-0-3, Lauren Hansen 3-7-13, Sammy Marker 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 13 (15-25) 43.

FIELD GOALS:  ANDREAN (6-8, 75%)  Zurek 4-4, Nicksic 1-2, Anderson 1-2;  GRIFFITH (16-25, 64%) Hansen 7-10, Bias 1-1, Stinnett 2-3, Negete 3-4, Butkus 3-7. 

REBOUNDS:  ANDREAN (21) Zurek 7, Anderson 7, Dineen 3, Plesac 2, Gonzalez, Hulpa;  GRIFFITH (27) Hansen 7, Negrete 5, Butkus 5, Bias 4, Parish 3, Corich 2, Stinnett. 

ASSISTS:  ANDREAN (4) Anedrson 2, Dineen, Zurek;  GRIFFITH (6) Hansen 3, Corich 2, Stinnett, Parish. 

STEALS:  ANDREAN (11) Gonzalez 4, Anderson 2, Plesac, Zurek, Tunberg, Nicksic, Dineen; GRIFFITH (4) Bias 2, Hansen, Stinnett.

BLOCKS:  ANDREAN (2) Zurek 2;  GRIFFITH (1) Parish.

TURNOVERS:  ANDREAN (10); GRIFFITH (17).

3-GOALS:  ANDREAN (1) Jacklyn Gonzalez; GRIFFITH (1) Presley Corich.

UNION TOWNSHIP (12-30-2008) If Andrean meets Griffith again in the Knox Sectional in February, they're going to have to be strong-minded.  Griffith followed up a 47-38 home win over Andrean on Dec. 12 with a come-from-behind 43-37 win Tuesday in the championship game of the Wheeler Holiday Tournament.  If you meet a team in a winner-take-all third game, is there any advantage to having lost to them twice earlier?

"Not that I can think of," said Andrean coach Ken Markfull.

He can be forgiven for being a little cynical about a future showdown after his girls lost a game they should have won on the Wheeler hardwood in Porter County.  The Niners (8-5) led 28-24 late in the third quarter and had ties at 31-31 and 33-33 before they could simply mount no further offense against the typically tough Panther defense and watched the game slip away on a surge of foul shots.

The Panthers (9-3) did win the game from the line, but they also limited Andrean to jump shots late in the game.  Shots the less experienced 59ers could not make.

"Every possession with them is like climbing a mountain with them," said Markfull of Griffith, which allows 35 points per game.  "They play so well on defense.  And we didn't play smart in that fourth quarter."

Two foul shots by Stephanie Negrete gave Griffith a 35-33 lead with 4:51 to go and a three-point basket from sophomore sub Presley Corich gave the Panthers a five-point lead.  Andrean guard Kris Kauffman scored on a driving scoop shot to cut the lead to 38-35 with 3:20 to play, but the Niners missed a half dozen three point shots after that.  Griffith foul shots iced the game.

"We didn't hold anything back," said Griffith long time coach Tom Golumbeck, who was well aware of a likely third meeting in the six-team Class 3A Knox Sectional.  "We really wanted to win this tournament.  This is what we'd have to do to win a sectional.  Win two games in two nights on the road.  If we play them again, this game won't matter."

Griffith went with seven players most of the way, while Andrean shuffled nine in and out.  In the early going, the 59ers seemed quicker with small guards Gonzalez and Kauffman making an impact.  Andrean stole the ball two or three times with a half court press that 'shouldn't' have worked against an experienced backcourt, led by Lauren Hansen.

Griffith's 6-foot forwards Maggie Butkus and Ashley Parish were not major factors against Andrean, but multi sports star 5-foot-8 Shan Lyn Bias, a small forward, actually was.

"We thought the small posts could do a better job," admitted Golumbeck.  "Their 1-3-1 press bothered us.  We usually don't make that many turnovers."

There is a clear difference between the two teams as the Griffith girls are more powerfully built.  But Andean has more depth, and if they don't get into foul trouble next time (there was a question about several calls from the 59er standpoint) this outcome could be different.

"Them being in the bonus so early was a factior," said Markfull, who didn't want to blame the referees immediately after the game.  "But they had to hit the free throws and they did.  We bothered them a little.  There's a good chance we'll see them again in Knox."

NET NOTES:  Junior guard Lauren Hansen scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half, while Andrean's Jacklyn Gonzalez scored nine of her 11 in the third quarter.

Griffith won the Hanover Central Holiday Tournament in 2007, defeating Hanover in the title game.  Andrean has won six of their last 8 games and the two losses are to Griffith.

Andrean coach Ken Markfull is very happy that the 59ers will resume their natural rivalry with Crown Point next season.  He's not happy with the date of the game.

"We play them the night before we play Gary West Side," Markfull reports.

Kelsie Plesac is the sister of Ronnie Plesac, who pitched for Crown Point's Cal Ripken baseball all-star state champs in 2007.

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