Hanover beats Lady Bulldogs 68-60 in early girls basketball match-up at CP

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
11-24-2015

Hanover coach Doug Nelson (left) talks to new Crown Point coach Chris Siebert. Nelson is in year nine of coaching Hanover. Siebert moved to Crown Point after coaching Portage for six seasons. (All photos by Mark Smith)

Hanover's Alyssa Gill (13) tries to block out Crown Point senior Katie Pawlowski (25) last Friday in Crown Point.

Crown Point's Caitlyn Phillips (10) tries to stop Hanover guard Brooke Sterkowitz (11) from driving to the basket last Friday. CP led early, but Hanover rallied to win 68-60.

CP's Katie Pawlowski fires up one of her three three-point baskets against Hanover Central Friday. CP has averaged 65 points a game over the first four games.

Crown Points' Sydney Taylor screens Hanover's Carley Siems (12) for the benefit of Hannah Albrecht (11) last Friday. Taylor and Albrecht combined for 35 points, but Hanover won 68-60.

Crown Point's Andrea Kutemeier (30) tries to keep the ball away from Hanover's Lisa Gac (24) last Friday at Crown Point. CP was 3-0 coming into the game against Hanover Central.

Crown Point's Hannah Albrecht (11) drives on Hanover's Jessy Siems (25) early in Crown Point's home game with Hanover Central Friday. Albrecht averaged 13 points a game after four games.

Crown Point's Katie Pawlowski (25) tries to push Hanover Central's Lisa Gac (24) away from the basket without being obvious about it. CP has no player taller than 5-foot-11 and they'll be pushing the big girls all season.

Crown Point's gymnasium scoreboard welcomed Hanover Central last Friday in CP. Crown Point plays in the eight-team Hanover 'Winter Classic' next month in Cedar Lake.

Hanover's Brooke Sterkowitz (11) was happy after HC's 68-60 win at Crown Point last Friday. That is believed to be the first Hanover win over Crown Point in varsity girls basketball in the 46-year history of the Cedar Lake high school. (All photos by Mark Smith)

Copyright © 2015 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved. Revised: November 25, 2015 .

Team /Record	1	2	3	4	Final
HANOVER CENTRAL (5-1)	13	18	20	17	68
CROWN POINT (3-1)	15	17	9	19	60

Friday, November 20, 2015 - nonconference game at CROWN POINT, IN

HANOVER (68) Lisa Gac 7-0-14, Brooke Sterkowitz 10-5-29, Alex Glidewell 2-0-5, Sarah Blue 3-0-9, Carley Siems 0-1-1, Jessy Siems f2-3-9, Kayla Davis 1-0-2, Alyssa Gill 0-0-0. TOTASLS: 25 (8-14) 68

CROWN POINT (60) Sydney Taylor 9-0-18, Hannah Albrecht 6-5-17, Katie Pawlowski 3-0-9, Kennedy Krutz 2-0-6, Andrea Kutemeier 1-3-5, Megan Morgan 1-0-3, Mya Schiedt 1-0-2, Caitlin Phillips 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23 (8-14) 60.

FREE THROWS: HANOVER (8-14, 57.1%) Brooke Sterkowitz 4-8, Carley Siems 1-2, Jessy Siems 3-4. CROWN POINT (8-14, 57.1%) Hannah Albrecht 5-6, Sydney Taylor 0-2, Mya Scheidt 0-2, Andrea Kutemeier 3-4.

REBOUNDS: HANOVER (29) Gac 13, Sterkowitz 8, Glidewell 4, Carley Siems 2, Jessy Siems, Gill, Davis;
CROWN POINT (30) Albrecht 11, Kutemeier 6, Pawlowski 5, Taylor 4, Barclay 2, Scheidt, Mrgan

ASSISTS: HANOVER (8) Sterkowitz 5, Carley Siems 2, Glidewell: CROWN POINT (11) Albrecht 6, Taylor 2, Scheidt, Phillips, Krutz.

BLOCKED SHOTS: HANOVER (4) Gac 3, Gidewell; CROWN POINT (1) Pawlowksi.

3-GOALS: HANOVER (10) Sterkowitz 4, Sarah Blue 3, Jessy Siems 2, Alex Glidewell; CROWN POINT (6) Katie Pawlowski 3, Kennedy Krutz 2, Megan Morgan.

Which didn’t turn out to be like “most times.”

“We’re the first Hanover team to beat Crown Point,” smiled Brooke Sterkowitz after the landmark win. “We talked about it before the game, during the game. After the game. It's crazy. We knew.”

Trailing 32-31 at halftime. HC started the third quarter scoring nine points in a row, led by top three-point shooting and the quick-handed dribble drives of Sterkowitz, the 5-foot-3 senior who scored 29 points.

“It's not like we didn’t work on cutting her off,” said new CP coach Chris Seibert. “She’s definitely a difference maker. We had to contain dribble penetration. We helped (double teamed her on the dribble) and when we helped, she kicked and they made us pay. They made their shots. When we got on a run, they hit a shot to stop it. They made their open shots.”

Hanover was coming off a one-point loss at Highland three nights earlier. A game where they led 47-30 going into the fourth quarter.
 
“That helped us win tonight,” said Hanover coach Doug Nelson.” That prepared us for tonight. I reminded us of that when it started happening again.”

Hanover led 53-41 when Sterkowitz, who has averaged 20 points per game over the first six games, committed her fourth foul with 7:22 to go in the game.

When she re-entered the game with 3:36 left, Crown Point had cut the lead to 56-50. But Hanover scored the next seven points to take a 63-50 lead with 2:11 left.

“She stayed positive,” said Nelson of his four-year starter. “I liked her positive attitude throughout the game. We talked about that a lot after we lost to Highland. It isn't about beating Highland or Crown Point. It's about having a positive attitude and expecting good things to happen.”

HC center Lisa Gac had 14 points and 13 rebounds, but Nelson says it isn't all about how many points she scores.

“We have to get the ball inside to her,” said Nelson. “Everything works off that. It's like running the ball in football to set up the pass. She’s getting better at kicking the ball out.”

“Jessy (Siems) made some shots. Sarah (Blue) did. We stepped up and made shots.”

Sterkowitz says that HC’s fast start this season and the win over CP could be a product of the fact that most of this year’s Lady Cats (5-1) all played regular roles the last two seasons.

“That could be it,” Brooke agreed. “Us playing a lot together in the offseason helps a lot. You play in the summer. They don’t call as many fouls. You have to play a little harder. It could be a disadvantage sometimes if we draw more fouls here. But I think it does help to play together over the summer.”

Crown Point’s senior Hannah Albrecht scored 10 of her 17 in the fourth quarter as the home team rallied. CP had made 14 three-point baskets in the 67-44 win over Andrean three days earlier, but they made just six against Hanover.

“When you score 60 points, you should win,” said Seibert, who coached Portage the last five years. “I thought our big girls battled. We’re not going to get size. It's not coming. They (HC) deserved this game. They played very well. We just have it get better defensively and we will.”

CAT/DOG NOTES: Crown Point could easily meet Hanover Central again in the annual Hanover ‘Winter Classic’ holiday tournament on Dec. 22-23. HC (5-1) and CP (3-1) have the two best records in the eight team field.

Two years ago, Hanover lost at Crown Point 68-28 and it was almost as bad as the score indicated. It's hard to determine if this was Hanover's first-ever girls basketball win over Crown Point, one of the most tradition-rich programs in Northwest Indiana.

HC didn’t play Crown Point during the 1980s and 1990s. CP was a state power and they didn't schedule the little neighbor school. What wasn't immediately known after Friday’s game was whether CP played Hanover in the 1970s in the old one class state tournament. CP won the Hanover Central Sectional in 1979 so obviously they didn't lose to Hanover that season.

A 1995 Crown Point basketball programs lists CP as having a 2-0 record against Hanover between the years 1980 and 1995.

Since class sports began in 1997, CP would never have met Hanover in a post-season game after the 1996 season. Hanover Central began varsity basketball in the 1969 season, so that probably means Hanover has never defeated Crown Point.

HC coach Doug Nelson, who has coached the varsity at Hanover nine years, also wasn’t sure. But the said, “I think that was our first win.”

Coach Chris Seibert was 58-77 at Portage the last six seasons. The Lady Bulldogs open Duneland Athletic Conference play hosting LaPorte (4-1) Friday night, Nov. 27.

Hanover is on the road in the Greater South Shore Conference (GSSC) at River Forest Saturday night and they host new coach and former Calumet star player Christy Bytnar Wednesday at 7 p.m.