H.S. Boys Basketball: Hanover Central beats Lake Station 78-41; loses to S. Newton 45-42

Team	1st Qtr	2nd Qtr	3rd Qtr	4th Qtr	Final
Lake Station (0-1)	10	3	12	16	41
HANOVER CENTRAL (1-1)	9	30	23	16	78

LAKE STATION (41) David Robb 5-2-14, Tony Perez 3-1-8, Jacob Ray 1-0-3, Neil Anderson 2-0-5, Tim Mason 1-2-4, Juan Tinoco 2-2-7, Scott Stover 0-0-0, Gabe Lopez 0-0-0.

FTS: 7-15, 46.6% Perez 1-2, Robb 2-4, Anderson 0-2, Tinoco 2-4, Mason 2-4.
FOULED OUT: None
3-POINT GOALS (6) Robb 2, Ray, Tinoco, Perez, Anderson

HANOVER CENTRAL (78) Jeff Johnson 4-3-13, Greg Shroka 5-3-13,
Owen Goff 4-2-11, David Ploetz 6-0-12, Doug Billinski 2-1-5, Billy Nordyke 2-0-4, Jeremy Peterson 6-2-14, Adam Suarez 1-4-6, Matt Jackson 0-0-0, Jacob Rush 0-0-0.

FTS: 15-20, 75.0% Johnson 3-3, Goff 2-2, Shroka 3-4, Billinski 1-2, Peterson 2-3, Suarez 4-6.
ASSISTS: Greg Shroka - 5
REBOUNDS: Greg Shroka - 5
FOULED OUT: none
3-POINT GOALS (3) Johnson 2, Goff.

CEDAR LAKE (11-29-2003) - Hanover Central's quick start to the new season didn't last very long. After a dominating debut against Lake Station, the Wildcats returned to sea level pretty quickly Saturday afternoon with a 45-42 loss to South Newton.

The loss truly had no meaning because the Porter County Conference (PCC) season hadn't begun and Hanover was without second leading scorer, Brandon Hegg. Sometimes a loss is a teaching tool, instructing how to win. There were a lot of ways Hanover could have reversed this outcome, but the simplest way would have been to hit a few more open shots.

"We were 6-for-25 in the first half," said second year coach Dave Uran. "We've been trying to tell kids if your shots' not going in, penetrate and try to get to the line. There were a lot of things we should have done. We had trouble setting screens. There's just inexperience. Coming off the game against Lake Station, I think we were a little overconfident. We knew nothing about South Newton. They hadn't played a game yet. Their coach has won almost 300 games and they were prepared."

South Newton coach Michael Hall, who began the season with a 282-222 record, saw his team build a nine-point fourth quarter lead before the home team rallied in front of abut 1,200 home fans. With a two-point lead and 6:30 left, the Rebels, with a senior lineup of no one over 6-2, held the ball against Hanover's flowing 2-3 zone.

"We saw them play against Lake Station and Station stayed with them for a quarter." he said. "They were behind 10-9 and then they outscored Station 30-3 in the second quarter. They were all over the place like sharks smelling blood. Stealing passes and making easy baskets. A little like what happened to us in the fourth quarter. I was worried that we'd handle that pressure."

The Rebels from Kentland, IN handled the pressure. South Newton wasn't perfect but 14 of 21 free throws pushed the visitors over the top for a season-opening victory. "That's the situation. They had five team fouls and we only had two. Two more and they'd eventually come out and foul us. I was going to gamble. We never fell behind. It was tied but we never fell behind. But I had some confidence in my kids. We had some kids out there who hadn't played varsity basketball before today."

Hanover never had control of the game, but it always seemed they would rally to win. The Cats have the kind of team that can score 30 points in three quarters and then score 30 in the final quarter. A lot of that is Jeff Johnson (14.2 ppg last year), a streak shooter, who hit a three-point basket in the first minute of the game and two more in the final minute to finish with 14 points.

"Jeff had some good looks," said Uran. "Jeff (Shroka) couldn't get going. We had five guys in double figures Tuesday (against Lake Station). We missed Brandon. He'd have gotten to the line a couple of times. They had some wide bodies and he'd have helped there, too. But we had some layups that we missed. If you miss those, they come back and bite you. If you hold somebody in the 40s, especially playing our style, you figure you'll be all right. They were tired. They wanted to slow it down."

"But they did a nice job of hiding the ball. I'm not going to complain about the officials. We were 6-of-25 in the first half. We dug ourselves in a hole. This is one we definitely thought we could win. But there are bigger ones down the line."

CAT NOTES: Senior guard Brandon Hegg, who averaged 10.7 per game and was named Hanover's MVP last year, will miss this week's game with Hebron.

"We're hoping he'll be back for Washington Township," said Uran. "He has a stress test he needs to take. He has a hairline fracture in his ankle. He feels no pain but his leg isn't strong. He might be back for Washington Township (Dec.12). Maybe South Central (Dec.19). Definitely by the Wheeler tournament."

Hanover Central makes their debut in the Wheeler Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27. The opponent has not been announced. "I would think we'll play Hammond high," said Uran. "It's supposed to be a blind draw but I would think that we won't play Wheeler in the first round. I would think they'd play Hobart. But I don't know. I haven't heard a thing about that yet."

Coach Mike Hall admitted he didn't have Hanover heavily scouted, "I didn't know much about Hanover," he said, "but I called Steve Leonard (coach of LaCrosse) and he said, 'Mike you've got to get up in his (Jeff Johnson's) face. He can shoot the ball. He really didn't shot the ball that well Tuesday (against Lake Station) but, after what Steve told me, we made sure we got on him. He got a couple at the end but he didn't get many."

Wheeler Tournament
Dec. 26 (F) semifinals (vs. Hammond or Hobart)
Dec. 27 (S) finals (vs. Wheeler, Hammnd or Hobart)
Jan. 3 (S) at Lowell (2-0)
Jan. 6 (Tu) Whiting (0-2)
Jan. 9 (F) at BOONE GROVE (0-1)
Jan. 13 (Tu) Beecher (Ill.)
Jan. 15 (Th) at Gavit (0-2)

Hanover Central splits first two games of season: 78-41 over Lake Station but lose 45-42 to South Newton

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith