Jordan's 36-points leads Lady Wildcats to 59-37 Sectional Championship win over River Forest

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-17-2009

Saturday, February 14, 2009 - Class 2A River Forest Sectional Championship - girls basketball at HOBART TOWNSHIP, IN

HANOVER CENTRAL (59) Lindsay Martinez 3-1-7, Abby Schweitzer 1-0-2, Jordan Kramer 10-7-36, Danielle Graham 5-1-11, Kayla Higginbotham 1-0-2, Courtney Pattison 0-0-0, Sammy Huffnagle 0-1-1, Lauren Jacobsen 0-0-0, Ashley Hahn 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 20 (10-15) 59.

RIVER FOREST (36) Mary Salinas 1-0-2, Jordan Maeder 0-1-1, Katie Buehler 4-2-10, Sherri Sisk 2-0-5, Natalie Sovich 8-3-19, Amanda Pennington 0-0-0, Ashley Nieves 0-0-0, Ashley Nieves 0-0-0, Vanessa Bono 0-0-0, Jessica Perez 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  15 (6-12) 37.

HOBART TOWNSHIP (2-14-2009)  It's a question not anyone can really answer.  But it's the central question in all of organized sports.

Why is it that in a big game that a ballplayer, totally ready for the big moment, can do nothing right, miss 25 shots and fumble the ball away six times.  Then, the same player, in another big game, again totally ready for the big moment, can hit 10 of 15 from the field and score 36 points like Jordan Kramer did in the River Forest Sectional championship game last Saturday night?  Does anybody understand that?

"No," said Kramer afterwards.  "Not really.  It is frustrating as can be.  But when you have those bad nights, it makes these nights that much better.  If you look at it like that, then it's all right.  I'll take it."

Kramer sank nine three point baskets in the game and finished with 36 points, erasing her own personal best of 35 set against River Forest in last year's season opener on this same floor.
Kramer only tallied five points in the season opener, won by HC 54-49 over River Forest in Cedar Lake.  But this game was not going to be anything like that.  Hanover led 23-5 at the quarter as Kramer scored 12 points in a row.

"All week long, we've been talking about how to control that," said Hanover coach Doug Nelson, who evened his three-year HC record at 32-32.  "We talked about nervous tension and how to use the energy in a positive way.  We even looked on line to find out what others have said about that."

"We tried to use that energy in a positive way as opposed to being a mouse in a wheel.  We're trying to channel nervous energy in a positive way.  So tonight, she was just on fire.  She didn't feel anything.  You have nights like that."

It isn't fair to say that the Ingots (8-13), who upset Bishop Noll the night before in the sectional semifinals, didn't have a moment.  They cut the lead to 13 in the third quarter behind 5-foot-10 senior Natalie Sovich, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.  But Danielle Graham had 11 points for Hanover.  Lindsay Martinez grabbed six of the Lady Cats' 16 steals.  The better team won.

River Forest coach Rich Heavlin wasn't happy with the loss, but he admitted his side had made progress this season.

"We went to some camps over the summer," he said, "and it gave us a purpose.  We've made some strides.  From that point on our goal was to be in this game tonight.  But Hanover was ready to go.  You have to give them credit."

Hanover didn't expect to play River Forest, a 49-45 winner over Bishop Noll in the semifinals.  The late change in the expected foe might have affected Hanover.

"They (RF) have pretty good post players once they get the ball to them," Nelson said.  "We  tried to put a lot of pressure on their guards.  That was the plan and the girls executed it very well."

You might think that winning a five-team girls basketball sectional is no big deal, but Hanover doesn't think that way.  The victory was the fifth sectional basketball title in the 40-year history of the high school.  The boys have won one (1986) of them.  Other than girls softball, Hanover has very few post-season titles in any sport.  Only Hanover softball has ever won so much as one game at the regional.

The HC boys basketball team made the 15-mile trip north to back the girls.  Little kids showed up in all different kinds of colorful dress with painted faces to back the Lady Cats in the small RF gymnasium.  Nelson had previously said that under the present sectional alignment, his girls should have a victory party on sectional title night every year.

"Nothing's easy," said Nelson.  "Nothing is supposed to be.  Now we get to go back to Culver.  Hopefully we learned from last year's experience.  We seemed to be affected by the scene. The bright lights.  We hung with them for a awhile.  They are a good team.  It will take a good effort.  But we're playing well.  We'll see.  We'll show up."

But there was a feeling that Hanover Central had completed what was required of them by acquiring another sectional trophy.  The Lady Cats seemed to feel pride that they had given their little school another championship.  And for the four seniors, it fulfilled the promise of four little girls who won the eighth grade Porter County Conference (PCC) title.

"Nothing can replace the way the first sectional felt last year, but nothing can replace the way the last one will feel as well," Kramer said.  "To do it with this team is so awesome.  I didn't feel any different from any other night.  I just felt good.  Coach told us to play strong and we did." 

SECTIONAL NOTES:  Garrett (23-1) needed a basket with two seconds to play to beat Fremont 38-36  in the Class 2A Garret Sectional championship game.  Garrett vs. Hanover will be a rematch of the 2008 Class 2A Culver Regional semifinal game won by Garrett 76-41.  The Railroaders (Garret is an old Indiana railroad town), from northwest Indiana's DeKalb County, were 23-4 last year and 21-3 in 2007.

Jordan Kramer scored 18 in HC's 61-33 victory over Lake Station (0-21) in the sectional semifinals.  Abby Schweitzer and Danielle Graham added 11 as the Lady Cats led 42-19 at halftime.

Hanover soph Becky Fortner missed the sectional with a high ankle sprain and she is very tentative for the regional Saturday at Culver.

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Revised: February 18, 2009 .