Garrett overpowers Lady Wildcats 69-38 in Regional semifinal

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-24-2009

Saturday, February 21, 2009 - Class 2A Culver Regional Semifinal - girls basketball at CULVER, IN

GARRETT (69) Heather House 5-0-10, Madison Diederich 8-1-17, Megan Getts 3-0-6, Courtney Wisel 7-0-14,  Lindsey Yarde 2-1-5, Alex Watwood 2-1-5, Tatum Kelham 3-0-6, Ashley Overbay 3-0-6, Stephanie Crawford 0-0-0, Andrea Funk 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 33 (3-5) 60.

HANOVER (38) Lindsay Martinez 4-1-9, Danielle Graham 5-0-10, Jordan Kramer 2-4-10, Kayla Higginbotham 2-0-6, Courtney Pattison 1-0-2, Kayla Garthus 0-1-1, Sammy Huffnagle 0-0-0, Ashley Hahn 0-0-0, , Kim McKeague 0--0-0, Abby Schweitzer 0-0-0, Lauren Jacobsen 0-0-0. 14 (6-11) 38.

FREE THGROWS:  GARRETT (3-5, 60%) Watwood 1-2, Yard 1-2, Diederoch 1-1; HANOVER (6-11, 54.5%) Martinez 1-2, Garthus 1-2, Kramer 4-7;

3-GOALS:  HANOVER (4) Jordan Kramer 2, Kayla Higginbotham 2.

CULVER (2-21-2009) It was disappointing.  Again.  It almost served no purpose to go through the details of Hanover Central's 69-38 season-ending loss to third-ranked Garrett in the Culver Regional semifinals early last Saturday.  It was similar to HC's 76-41 season-ending loss to Garrett in the 2008 Culver Regional semifinals.

"They are a very good team," said third year HC coach Doug Nelson, somewhat at a loss for words.  "They are quicker and stronger than we are.  They play the game at a speed that we just don't see."

Garrett (25-1), which won its second consecutive regional title later Saturday with a 51-43 win over Fairfield (21-6), jumped out to a 15-0 lead in a game which began at the painfully early hour of 9:30 a.m.

Hanover did not score until Jordan Kramer's free throw with 2:21 left in the opening quarter.  HC rallied to within 22-18 on back-to-back three -point baskets by junior Kayla Higginbotham, which had the small-but-loud Cedar Lake fan section on its feet cheering for the Porter County Conference girls.

But Garret's guards, 5-foot-6 senior Madison Diederich, 5-foot-6 Lindsey Yarde and 5-foot-3 Courtney Wisel, sparked a 14-5 run that rebuilt the Garrett lead to 36-23 at halftime.

"We just couldn't stop them," said Nelson.  "Nothing that happened today had anything to do with offense.  They moved the ball.  They got shots.  We didn't stop them."

I wish it was that simple.  You can teach solid defense.  But you can't teach high school players how to handle the basketball under pressure.  HC had three girls, Kramer, Danielle Graham and Lindesy Martinez, who could dribble under pressure and Kramer is really the only one with better than average ball-handling skills.

It's something coaches know but can't really say.  You can teach defense so you harp on it.  You cannot teach high school girls how to dribble the basketball under pressure.  By the time they get to high school, it's too late.  So there's no point in discussing things you can't change.  You have to deal with the limitations of the players you have.  I don't know if Hanover played Garrett 10 times if HC would win any of them.

As the lead mounted to 48-30 and then 61-32, it was obvious there would be no comeback.  Hanover dominated two games at the River Forest sectional, rolling over Lake Station 71-33 and River Forest 59-37 but they were just outmanned here.

"We worked on playing faster," said Nelson, who saw his girls win back-to-back sectional crowns, only to be routed at the regional.  "We tried to tell them that they aren't playing quickly enough.  But it's hard to tell them that when they have success.  Things that work against River Forest just don't work against Garrett."

The format, which seems to favor HC, may indeed work against them.  The Lady Cats live in a soft sectional and a very difficult regional.  The jump from the sectional title game to the regional semifinal will always be large.  But to be a two-time sectional champion and to win more than you lose is somewhat of a happy ending, although it won't always be.

"I love the seniors," Nelson said of Kramer, Graham, Martinez and back-up guard Ashley Hahn, who have been anchors for the program for four years.  "I'm proud of the comeback they made.  The girls are great.  These girls have set the bar high for those who will follow."

With Saturday's news that the IHSAA is not going to allow a vote on a proposed change from four classes to three in Indiana basketball, Hanover is going to remain in a five-team sectional with Lake Station, River Forest, Bishop Noll and Wheeler.  For at least 2010 and 2011, HC will have a solid chance to return to Culver in  2010.   But they are overmatched here.  It's just that now its up to girls not yet on the varsity to do something about that.

REGIONAL NOTES:  Hanover Central battled illness all week long and 5-foot-9 junior Abby Schweitzer was unable to play more than a couple of minutes at a time against Garrett. Freshman Kayla Garthus, a 6-foot center, got extensive playing time.

Hanover Central wasn't affected by last Saturday morning's pre-dawn snowstorm.  The Lady Cats stayed overnight prior to the regional semifinal, something that truthfully isn't an option with the IHSAA's 9:30 a.m. (CST) start for regional semifinals.

Garret graduates senior guards Madison Diederich, Courtney Wisel and Lindsey Yarde, but regional finalist Fairfield (21-6) has only two seniors.

Hanover Central will be different by the time they take the floor for the 2010 PCC tourney in January.  Garthus and 5-foot-8 forward Courtney Pattison will give the Lady Cats a larger front and Schweitzer will probably move to guard, her natural position.  There are reportedly eighth grade candidates to take over Kramer's lead guard role.  HC will contend for the PCC crown, although Boone Grove (16-7), which returns every varsity player including all five starters, will be the PCC favorite.

Jordan Kramer's 36 points in the sectional championship game against River Forrest put her over the 1,000-point mark for her career.  The last 1,000-point scorer was Melanie Brumbaugh, who graduated in 2000 and played four years of NAIA basketball at Taylor University in Upland, where she was team captain her last two seasons.

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Revised: February 24, 2009 .