Andrean holds off Lady Wildcats, 63-52

MERRILLVILLE (12-27-2008) Andrean was supposed to beat Hanover Central Saturday.  They are a bigger, stronger team and Hanover hadn't played in two weeks.  But Andrean's gym is a small brick place that's especially loud.  And when Hanover cut a 14-point lead to six at 54-48 midway through the fourth quarter, the 50 or so Cedar Lake folks in the bleachers made it sound like this was the most important game of the year, not a holiday weekend non-conference match.  So when Andrean held on and won 63-52, the losing team felt a little better about it than the winning team did.

"I don't think we played that badly," said Hanover coach Doug Nelson, whose squad was on the floor against strangers for the first time in 15 days.  "Once we got our legs under us a little bit, we were OK.  We played OK.  Andrean's a nice team.  They're deep.  They've got size.  Hopefully, this will get us ready for the games that are coming.  It was just nice to play again."

Andrean coach Ken Markfull would like two good games in a row.

"We've done this all year," he said.  "We've beaten some good teams.  But we beat West Side and we lost to Munster.  With all respect to Munster, Munster is not West Side.  Last week we beat Hobart and it was a good win.  Then today, we have nice lead and they (Hanover) want to pick up the pace to catch up.  What do we do?  We start running up and down the floor with them and they start catching up.  We don't seem to understand about playing the clock and the score."

Hanover (4-4) looked like they hadn't played in two weeks early when the 59ers (7-4) jumped out to an 18-9 lead.  Kris Kauffman scored six in the first period while sophomores Kelsie Plesac, Brittany Anderson and Natasha Zurek controlled the rebounding areas.

When Kelly Tunberg, a 5-foot-4 senior, sank a three-point basket with 5:10 left in the third quarter, Andrean led 46-31 and everybody started thinking about getting home in the windy rainstorm that roared outside.

But Hanover's Danielle Graham scored three baskets in a 10-0 run that pulled the Lady Cats within 46-39 with 2:10 left in the third quarter.  Andrean could not (or would not) slow the game and a basket by Jordan Kramer cut the lead to 54-45 with 7:11 to go.

Nelson was called for a technical foul for protesting what he thought were illegal 'moving' screens by Andrean and three foul shots made it 57-45.  But an offensive rebound basket by HC junior Courtney Pattison and two foul shots by Graham cut the edge back to 57-49.  It was 59-51 before the Niners finally pulled away for good.

"I think Danielle's getting some confidence," said Nelson.  "I think she's gone to the line more than anybody else in the area.  She had 55 free throws before today and she had 10 more today.  Now, she's only shooting something like 50% so we have to work on that.  But she was good today."

Hanover schedules bigger schools like Andean and Crown Point so they can beat the other Porter County Conference schools like Boone Grove and Kouts.  That's why Nelson's day won't be over after the late afternoon (3:30 p.m.) finals of the Hanover Central Holiday Tournament (which includes Beecher, Illinois; Clark and Bishop Noll) next Saturday, Jan. 3.

"That's the same night as the finals of the South County Tournament (with Boone, Kouts, Hebron and Morgan Township) isn't it?" Nelson asked.  "I'll be able to do some scouting on my way home."

Andrean has high hopes if they can ever play a series of strong games.  The Niners appear to be the equal of Griffith (7-2) and Calumet (10-1), the other strong teams in the 3A Knox Sectional.

"This is the biggest team I've ever had," said Markfull.  "We have five girls taller than 5-foot-10 and I've never had that here.  The season's half over and I don't think they realize how good they can be."

NET NOTES:  Hanover Central junior Abby Schweitzer is homeless after a fire on Dec.19  wiped out the house that she and her family had lived in all their lives.

"We're staying at a friend's house right now," Abby said Saturday.  "There's six of us.  I have a brother and sister who are away at college and they're home for Christmas.  After we all go back to school, there will only be four of us."

"How do I feel?  We lost everything.  I was worried about playing today.  I knew Andrean would be tough and I was worried about how I'd play, but it was all right."

The phrase 'total loss' is unfortunately accurate here.

"They dug the basement in the house the day I was born," said Abby's dad.  "It's the only home I've ever had.  I took it over from my parents.  There was my mother's stuff.  My mom's mother's stuff.  There was a hand made mirror and my wife was the seventh generation that owned it.  Stuff you can't replace."

"I think coming back to play basketball and having the girls support me is big," said Schweitzer.  "The team is raising money.  Selling T-shirts.  They're really supporting us."

Hanover Central coach Doug Nelson admitted he was a little stunned.

"It's incredible," he said.  "I don't know what that's like.  People talk about how certain things are a distraction.  That is a distraction."

"Jordan (Kramer), Ashley (Hahn) and Lindsay (Martinez) have started a fund for them.  Last time I heard, they were up to $5,500.  We're trying to sell T-shirts at the tournament.  All the girls are involved but Jordan, Ashley and Lindsay really started it.  Knocking on doors and making phone calls.  I called Jordan to let her know what happened and I said, 'We've got to do something.  For the next six hours, they were on the phone talking to people."

"They all had a lot of great ideas so the next day we met with (athletic director Dave) Seils and said 'Let's get it moving.  Lindsay's mom is a representative of the Booster Club."

"The outpouring has been great. The community is really trying to help."

The second annual Hanover Central Holiday Tournament is Friday and Saturday, Jan. 2-3 with all varsity and junior varsity teams in action.  On Friday, Beecher, Illinois will face Bishop Noll in junior varsity action at 3:00 p.m. and in varsity play at 4:30 p.m.  Hanover's junior varsity takes the home floor at 6:00 p.m. against Clark with the varsity game following at 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Jan. 3, the junior varsity consolation game begins at 11:00 a.m. and the JV championship (between Friday's JV winners) begins at 12:30 p.m.  The varsity third place game begins at 2:00 p.m. Saturday and the varsity championship starts at 3:30 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for students.  Noll (4-4) has already defeated Clark (3-6) in a November match up 53-45.

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