A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith
1-15-2005

Thursday, 1-13-2005 - at Cedar Lake

GAVIT (75) Sam Riddle 5-2-12, Antonio McNeal 5-5-15, Alex Bravo 5-3-13, Josh Miller 8-3-22, Randy Maclin 2-1-5, Cade McDonald 1-1-3, Marvin Sanders 2-1-5, Andrew Delgado 0-0-0. TOTALS: 28-16-75.

HANOVER CENTRAL (61) Jacob Rush 4-2-10, Eric Gross 7-3-17, Billy Nordyke 2-0-4, Greg Shroka 9-6-24, Scott Krager 1-0-2, Stephen Goff 0-2-2, Mike Wendlinger 0-2-2, Charlie Huffnagle 0-0-0, Mark Myszkowski 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-15-61.

FREE THROWS: Gavit (16-21, 76.1%) Miller 3-3, Riddle 2-3, McNeal 5-6, Sanders 1-2, Bravo 3-3, McDonald 1-2, Maclin 1-2.

HANOVER (15-23, 65.1%) Gross 3-6, Rush 2-2, Shroka 6-9, Wendlinger 2-2, Goff 2-2, Nordyke 0-2.

REBOUNDS: GAVIT (26) Riddle 12, McNeal 5, Miller 3, Bravo 3, Sanders 2, McDonald. HANOVER (23) Rush 9, Shroka 5, Gross 3, Nordyke 4, Wendlinger, Huffnagle.

STEALS: GAVIT (11) Miller 4, Riddle 2, McNeal 2, McDonald 2, Bravo. HANOVER (9) Rush 4, Shroka 2, Nordyke 2, Gross.

ASSISTS: GAVIT (17) Miller 8, McNeal 5, McDonald, Delgado, Bravo, Sanders; HANOVER (17) Rush 9, Shroka 4, Nordyke 2, Gross 2.

TURNOVERS – by quarter: GAVIT (3-7-7-6 = 23), HANOVER (7-6-5-7 = 25)

THREE-POINT GOALS: GAVIT (3) Miller 3.

FOULED OUT: Andrew Delgado (G) 4^th Q - :49 left.

CEDAR LAKE, IN (1-13-2005) - Gavit coach Gary Meyer told his boys that the sky was the limit after their 75-61 win over Hanover Central Thursday night.

Previously, the limits had been slightly lower as the Gladiators had lost the first nine games of the season. But that's all over now.

“I told them that the Chicago Bulls lost the first nine games of the season,” said the 450-win coach, a long time veteran of Illinois high school basketball. “Now, everybody is talking about them making the (NBA) playoffs.”

Truthfully, Gavit will win a second consecutive 3A sectional before the Bulls make the playoffs. The Gladiators had too much for undermanned Hanover Thursday in an unusually high-scoring contest before about 300 fans on a cold January night.

“Nothing against the rest of the teams we'll play,” said HC coach Dave Uran. “But we won't see speed and strength like that again this year. And we were shorthanded.”

Hanover went without senior forward Jeremy Peterson (vacation) and senior guard Larry Pempek (left hand injury) so it was actually a pretty frisky effort to post 61 points and pull within eight in the middle of the third quarter of a racehorse game where defense sometimes took a second string role.

But Gavit was a tad more frisky, led by 5-11 guard Josh Miller, who scored 22 points with eight assists and four steals. The difference in the game was that Miller was a strong confident floor director and Hanover just didn't have anybody like him.

“Everything we do goes through him,” said Meyer. “He was hurt and missed four of our games. You can imagine how we look out there without him.”

Except for a three or four minute stretch of the third quarter when HC's half court trap defense forced a series of Gavit turnovers. Miller was able to get the ball into scoring position against the Wildcat defense.

“I thought we did a good job tonight,” Uran said. “(Greg) Shroka was back in good form after his broken nose. Eric Gross did a good job. But they've got some quickness and strength that we don't have.”

“We could have used Larry tonight. He's not that big or quick but he's strong and he wouldn't be pushed around. This was not bad. 61 points was not bad.”

Gavit's 6-4 junior forward Sam Riddle was also an issue. Riddle, at 210 pounds, was a powerful force under the boards. Playing far from a perfect game, Riddle reached double figures in points and rebounds and could have done a lot more. The Gladiators, who have lost some crushing games in the first two months, seemed to gain confidence during this game.

Gavit sank a season best 16 of 21 free throws, something that was not lost on Meyer. “You see where Antonio McNeal was 5-of-6 from the line tonight,” Meyer said. “He was 3-of-9 the other night. Hopefully we'll gain a little confidence form this. We have a couple of games we can win now. We were 2-8 last season and we won the sectional. It's not hard to sell them on this because we did the same thing last year.”

Hanover's Shroka looked as good as he has all year, flying through the air to grab feeds from teammates like senior Jacob Rush. who recorded a season-high nine assists. Shroka missed four games in December but the 6-2 forward is athletic enough to fire up the larger crowds that should attend next week's PCC playoffs. Uran was trying to pump his side for next week's Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament.

“The favorite never wins that tournament,” said Uran who has coached and played in the PCC playoffs. “We've got Morgan Township and if we can do something about (Nate) McGinley, we can stay with them. We won't have Larry Pempek, but I think the guys are going to be excited about out chances.”

CAT NOTES:  Hanover opens against Morgan Township at 7 p.m. Wednesday night Jan. 19 in the quarterfinals of the 82^nd Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament at Boone Grove.

The Cherokees pose a problem up front with 6-6 senior Nate McGinley, an accomplished high jumper and low-Division I prospect at forward.

In the darkness of game nights, the framework of the next Hanover Central gymnasium is rising to the west of the present school. No one knows for sure, but the new structure is said that it's going to resemble Morgan Township's gym, the home of the PCC girls playoffs. Everyone connected with the basketball program expects the gym to be available by the end of the calendar year 2005.

Without Pempek, Hanover will stick with 5-8 freshman Charlie Huffnagle at point guard and hope he gets better quickly. “He's just not very big right now,” said Uran. “He's got to make better, quicker passes and he's got to learn to step through the double team. But he's just 15 years old and we need him. It's just hard for him right now. By the time he's a junior, he'll be going through people like Miller does.”

Hanover lost 75-65 at Beecher, Ill. on Tuesday, Jan. 11.

“They had everybody back from last year,” Uran reported. We were down 5 before we made a run. The losses to Beecher and Gavit were the first time all season that HC had scored 60 points in consecutive games. HC has been held under 50 points five times this season.

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HANOVER CENTRAL (2-6)

Coach: Dave Uran, 25-31 in 3rd year at school

DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT / TIME	OTHER INFO
Nov. 23	at Lake Station {2A}	W   56-  53
Nov. 27	at South Newton {1A}	L   59-  61
Dec. 3	Hebron {1A}‡	L   48-  64
Dec. 10	at Washington Twp. {1A}‡	L   46-  58
Dec. 17	at South Central (Union Mills) {1A}‡	L   50-  54
Dec. 28	at Wheeler {2A}	L   44-  62	tournament
Dec. 29	(n)Hammond {3A}	L   53-  81	tournament
Dec. 30	Lowell {4A}	W   43-  29
Jan. 4	at Whiting {1A}	L   33-  47
Jan. 7	Boone Grove {2A}‡	L   53-  60
Jan. 11	at Beecher (Ill.)	L   65-  75
Jan. 13	Hammond Gavit {3A}	L   61-  75
Jan. 19	Morgan Twp. vs. Hanover Central Porter County Conference Tournament (through Jan. 22)	7:00 pm
Jan. 28	Morgan Twp. {1A}‡	7:30 pm
Jan. 29	at North Newton {2A}	7:30 pm
Feb. 4	LaCrosse {1A}‡	7:30 pm
Feb. 9	Hammond Clark {3A}	7:30 pm
Feb. 18	at Kouts {1A}‡	7:30 pm
Feb. 25	at River Forest {1A}	7:30 pm
‡PORTER COUNTY CONFERENCE GAME

Hammond Gavit (1-9)

Coach: Gary Meyer, 13-20 in 2nd year at school, 460-288 in 29th year overall

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Revised: January 15, 2005 .