'Spirited play' leads Lady Cats to back-to-back wins over Hebron, Kouts
A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 in Cedar Lake

HEBRON (45)  Justine Duck 2-8-12, Lauren Kalis 1-6-8, Jaz Aguilar 2-2-7, Heidi Freund 1-4-6, Stephanie Alsop 2-0-4, Liz Zurawik 2-2-6, Toni Lindley 0-0-0, Jessica Sheets 0-0-0, Kasey Harper 0-0-0.   TOTALS: 10-24-45.

FTS: 24-48, 50%
REBOUNDS:  Stephanie Alsop - 10
STEALS: Lauren Kalis, Heidi Freund 3
TURNOVERS: 37
FOULED OUT: Heidi Freund -4:02 left (4th Q)
3-POINT GOALS (1) Jaz Aguilar

HANOVER CENTRAL (60)  Jill McElmurry 6-0-13, Melissa Braner 2-1-5, Karrah Adam 2-3-7, Amanda Wendlinger 4-5-13, Alisha Staley 2-1-5, Christie Wick 2-1-5, Sarah Csikos 1-0-2, Krysta Rickey 2-2-6, Katie Burke 0-3-3, Rachel Williams 0-1-1, Katie Westerhoff 0-0-0.   TOTALS: 21-17-60.


FTS: 17-35, 48.7 percent
TURNOVERS: 20
FOULED OUT: none
3-POINT GOALS (1) Jill McElmurry

Team	1st Qtr	2nd Qtr	3rd Qtr	4th Qtr	Final
KOUTS (0-6, 0-1 PCC)	9	12	7	25	53
HANOVER CENTRAL (2-3, 2-1)	16	22	17	13	68

Saturday, Dec 7, 2002 in Cedar Lake

KOUTS (53)  Brittney McNeil 5-2-12, Jessica Kristoff 5-1-13, Samantha Timpe 1-0-2, Nicole Schustske 2-1-5, Sarah Redelman 1-4-6, Nicole Griffey 4-7-15, Angela Edwards 0-0-0, Stephanie Madden 0-0-0, Ashley Waton 0-0-0. TOTALS: 18-15-53.

FTS: 15-28,  53.5 %
REBOUNDS:  Nicole Griffey -8, Sarah Redelman - 7
STEALS: Nicole Griffey -5
ASSISTS: Nicole Griffey - 5
TURNOVERS: 37
FOULED OUT: none
3-POINT GOALS (0) none

HANOVER CENTRAL (68)  Jill McElmurry 2-3-7, Melissa Braner 1-2-4, Karrah Adam 3-0-6, Amanda Wendlinger 3-0-6, Alisha Staley 3-0-6, Christie Wick 5-2-14,  Krysta Rickey 6-1-13, Katie Burke 4-0-8,  Rachel Williams 2-0-4, Katie Westerhoff 0-0-0, Bess Copak 0-0-0.   TOTALS: 29-8-68.
FTS: 8-12, 66.7 %
REBOUNDS: Melissa Braner - 7
ASSISTS: Krysta Rickey - 3
FOULED OUT: Katie Burke  (4th Q)
3-POINT GOALS (2) Christie Wick (2)

CEDAR LAKE (12-6-2)   It probably just seemed like one long game.  But Hanover Central's girls team got two wins out of it.  Playing the front end of a boys-girls double-header against Hebron at 6 p.m. Friday night and taking on Kouts Saturday at one p.m., Hanover could get themselves ready for the Porter County Conference (PCC) race, the PCC tournament and the Class 2A Sectional or they could get ready for next season.

Hanover did a little of both.  The Lady Cats (2-3, 2-1 PCC) battled long and hard through two flawed, mistake-prone games. But they established themselves as a team with promise, beating Hebron 60-45 and Kouts 68-53.

"We're getting better," said second-year coach Chris York, after Friday's win over the Hawks (0-7, 0-2).  "It's a step forward.  I thought we should've led by 20 in the first half (HC led 28-20). If we could have made just a couple of plays we would have. We played with lots of intensity."

Looking at it one way, Hanover could be undefeated in league play. They lost to Wheeler (5-3, 1-2) by only a point. Looking at it another way, the Lady Cats have only beaten winless teams and Wheeler has been routed by PCC front-runners Boone Grove and Washington Township in the last two weeks.

"We're still making some elementary mistakes," York admitted.  "The fact that we were able to stretch it (the lead) out a bit when things got ugly, that's good.

"The bottom line is, we got our first win and we needed it desperately."

The first win did not come easily as Hebron and coach Jerry Bechtold, an all new team after taking a senior-dominated squad to the state championship game last year, still plays the rough-and-tumble physical style that worked for them in their 25-3 state finals' season. There were 53 fouls (30 on Hanover) and 83 foul shots in a game that lasted about two hours and 10 minutes. It was painful to watch at times.

"In the first half, they (Hebron) only had three field goals," said York. "We missed a lot of easy shots, a lot of layups. There were a lot of things we could've done better and I'm sure Jerry (Bechtold) would tell you the same thing."

Hanover led 28-23 early in the third quarter when leading scorer Jill McElmurry scored on a feed from freshman point guard Karrah Adam and hit a short jump shot.  Krysta Rickey then scored on an in-bounds pass before Adam stole the ball and ran most of the floor for a layup to make it 36-23 with 3:27 to go in the third period.

Hebron never gave up and pulled to within 42-34 on two free throws by freshman guard Heidi Freund with 4:40 left. But Freund fouled out with 4:02 left and the Hawks had no direction after that.

The game was physical and spirited and definitely kept up the rivalry between the two schools. Before Hebron began their two-year run of domination in the PCC (they had a 27-game winning steak against league teams broken earlier this year) Hanover was the last team to beat them. Freund and Kalis, Hebron's freshman guards, will be battling Rickey and HC sophomores Christie Wick and Amanda Wendlinger for a long time to come.

"I'll probably be shaking up the starting lineup sometime soon," said York, "as soon as we see some things like who's the best '2' guard. We've got some people who aren't doing what they're capable of doing. They do it one game and then they disappear for a while."

Even though both HC victories were by 15 points, the win over Kouts came more easily as Hanover held leads of 16-9, 38-21 and 55-28.  Rickey (6.1 ppg.), who is emerging as a strong lead guard, scored a career-high 13 points with three assists. Wick (8.1 ppg.), the 5-9 sophomore, added 14 points and five rebounds.  Junior forward Katie Burke, who has been slowed by knee problems, scored eight and Hanover shot a season-best 8-of-12 from the foul line.

Bess Copak, who had missed two games with a reoccurrence of a knee injury, got back on the floor for Hanover Central but Sarah Csikos, who the coaches feared suffered a concussion when she was knocked to the floor in the third quarter against Hebron, sat out the Kouts contest.

"We have a lot of girls," said Wick, "and that will just allow some other girls some more playing time."


CAT NOTES: Hanover's Tuesday opponent, North Newton (3-0), plays four games in eight days beginning Dec. 13 against Rensselaer.  The Spartans, who eliminated Hanover at the North Newton Sectional last year, are ranked 15th in the state in Class 2A.  LaCrosse has lost by over 40 points to Oregon-Davis and Boone Grove.  Pairings for the Momence Holiday Tournament have not yet been announced.

For the Record: 2002-2003 HANOVER CENTRAL (2-3, 2-1)

Coach Chris York  (1 year  -  8-12)
PCC games in CAPS, Home games in bold
Start times are junior varsity starting times
11-12-2002: 43-51  at Gavit (1-4)
11-22-2002:  39-40   WHEELER (5-3)
11-27-2002:  34-49 at Lowell (3-3)
12-6-2002:  60-45  HEBRON (0-7)
12-7-2002:  68-53 KOUTS (0-6)
12-14-2002 (S)  at LaCROSSE  (6 p.m.)
12-17-2002 (Tu)  North Newton (6 p.m.)
12-19-2002 Th) River Forest (6 p.m.)
Momence Holiday Tournament  (Momence, Ill.)
12-27-2002 (F)  Quarterfinals  (TBA)
12-28-2002 (S) Semifinals and finals  (TBA)

1-4-2003 (S) Crown Point  (6 p.m.)
1-9-2003 (Th) at Calumet (6 p.m.)
1-11-2003 (S) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (6 p.m.)
1-18-2003 (S) Kankakee Valley  (6 p.m.)

Porter County Conference (PCC) Tournament
1-20-2003 M) PCC quarterfinals (6 p.m.)
1-21-2003 (Tu) PCC Quarterfinals (6 p.m.)
1-24-2003 (F)  Semifinals (6 p.m.)
1-25-2003 (S) PCC Girls Championship (6 p.m.)

1-30-2003 (Th) at BOONE GROVE (6 p.m.)
2-4-2003 (Tu) at Momence, Ill  (6 p.m.)
2-8-2003 (S) at MORGAN TOWNSHIP (6 p.m.)
Boone Grove (2A) Sectional
2-11-2003 (Tu) Quarterfinals  (6 p.m.)
2-14-2003 (F) Semifinals  (6 p.m.)
2-15-2003  (S) Championship (7:30 p.m.)
North Judson (2A) Regional
2-22-2003 (S) Semifinals  (11 a.m.)
2-22-2003 (S) Championship  (7 p.m.)