H.S. Basketball: Hanover Central Boys lose 88-79 to Hebron; HC Girls win 73-49

Team	1st Qtr	2nd Qtr	3rd Qtr	4th Qtr	Final
HANOVER CENTRAL (1-2, 0-1)	24	16	25	15	79
HEBRON (1-2, 1-1)	20	19	19	30	88

HEBRON (88) Ryon Brindley 7-2-18, Dane Borman 3-3-9, Drew Gericke 5-5-17, Greg Luchene 3-2-8, Ryan Carden 1-0-2, Ryan Guzrek 3-4-10, Caleb Biggs 6-7-24. TOTALS: 28-23-88.
FTS: 23-37, 62.1% Biggs 6-8, Bormann 3-6, Gericke 5-8, Guzorek 4-4, Luchene 2-7, Brindley 1-3
REBOUNDS: Eric Luchene - 8
Assists: Caleb Biggs - 4
FOULED OUT: Ryan Guzorek (4th Q - :25 left)
3-POINT GOALS (9) Caleb Biggs 5, Drew Gericke 2, Ryon Brindley 2.

HANOVER CENTRAL (78) Jeff Johnson 7-6-24, Adam Suarez 5-0-10, Greg Shroka 3-3-9, Dave Ploetz 3-0-6, Owen Goff 5-2-12, Jacob Rush 1-0-2, Jeremy Peterson 3-1-7, Matt Jackson 3-1-7, Jacob Rush 0-0-0, Larry Pempek 0-0-0, Doug Billinski 0-0-0, Billy Nordyke 0-0-0. TOTALS: 30-15-75.
FTS: 15-20, 75.0%
....Johnson 6-6, Shroka 3-4, Suarez 0-4, Nordyke 2-2, Matt Jackson 1-1. Goff 2-2, Peterson 1-1.
ASSISTS: Jeff Johnson - 7, Owen Goff - 6.
REBOUNDS: Adam Suarez - 5.
FOULED OUT: Adam Suarez (4th Q - 1:08 left), Dave Ploetz (4th Q - :30 left)
3-POINT GOALS (4) Jeff Johnson 4

Team	1st Qtr	2nd Qtr	3rd Qtr	4th Qtr	Final
HANOVER CENTRAL (1-3, 1-0)	15	22	21	15	73
HEBRON (2-4, 2-2)	11	16	13	9	49

HEBRON (49) Justine Duck 4-0-8, Jaz Aguilar 4-0-12, Lauren Kalis 2-1-6, Heidi Freund 2-0-6, Cindi Boricich 0-2-2, Jessica Sheets 0-4-4, Renee Passine 1-7-9, Melissa Weinglarz 0-0-0, Amanda Pollock 1-0-2. TOTALS: 14-14-49.

FTS: 15-27, 55.5% Duck 0-2, Kalis 1-3, Boricich 2-4, Sheets 4-6, Passine 7-10.
REBOUNDS: Justine Duck - 5
ASSISTS: Heidi Freund -3, Cindi Boricich 3.
STEALS: Lauren Kalis - 4
FOULED OUT: Renee Passine (4th Q - :44 left)
3-POINT GOALS (7) Jaz Aguilar 4, Heidi Freund 2, Lauren Kalis.

HANOVER CENTRAL (73) Katie Burke 2-2-6, Christie Wick 3-2-10, Alisha Staley 3-2-8, Jill McElmurry 8-0-19, Bess Copak 4-5-13, Krysta Rickey 4-3-11, Randyl Rohm 1-0-2, Andria Trock 1-0-2, Katie Westerhoff 1-0-2. TOTALS: 27-14-73.
FTS: 13-17, 76.4%
....Burke 2-2, Wick 2-2, Staley 2-2, Copak 5-6, Rickey 3-4, Rohm 0-1.
ASSISTS: Krysta Rickey - 7
REBOUNDS: Bess Copak 5
FOULED OUT: none
3-POINT GOALS (5) Jill McElmurry 3, Christie Wick 2.

HEBRON (12-5-2003) - The whole thing lasted four hours. In a gym with the walls covered with Hebron homecoming banners and signs singing the praises of the junior class or the sophomore class. Some of the parents slid in and out of their seating area in the tiny Hebron gym, changing places depending on whether the boys or girls were playing. In a colorful, old school setting, both sides came in with a lot to gain and little to lose.

And after four hours packed with athletic highs and some very real lows, both Hebron and Hanover Central left with a little bit of something. Hebron's boys rallied to beat Hanover 88-79 Friday night before Hanover's girls ran past the home standing Hawks 73-49 in a rare boys-girls double-header.

The night, designed to be a celebration of Hebron students (Hebron has no football so their homecoming game is a basketball game) appeared to be a total nightmare for the visitors until the HC girls salvaged something to take home to Cedar Lake besides injured boys and hurt feelings.

Hanover's boys lost a game and two players. Junior Doug Billinski broke his nose in the first quarter but he was able to return in the second half. Junior Jacob Rush won't be back. After scoring his first varsity basket in the third period Rush raced back on defense and tried to block a shot by Hebron's Ryon Brindley. Leaping up to block the shot with his right hand, Rush came down, landing on his left hand and snapping his wrist backwards, a painfully severe and obviously season-ending injury. The 5-9 guard was carried off the floor to a standing ovation from the 750-1000 fans packed into the Hawk and rushed to the hospital for surgery that denied nerve damage in his hand and arm.

"He scored his first varsity basket just before that," said Hanover coach Dave Uran. "And it might be his last of the year. When he was down on the floor, the first thing he asked was, 'Did Brindley score the basket?' He was still thinking abut winning the game."

After Rush's injury, Hanover (1-2) built a 70-63 lead within 6:10 left in the game. But Hebron's 5-9 sophomore Caleb Biggs made his presence felt. Biggs, a pure shooter, with only nine points after three quarters, hit three consecutive three-point baskets to close the gap to 70-69 with 5:16 left. Drew Gericke sank a three-point shot from the top of the circle for a 72-70 lead and a driving three-point play by Greg Luchene upped the count to 75-70. When Biggs sank two foul shots with 4:40 to play, Hebron had scored 14 consecutive points and taken control of the game.

"We just didn't play very smart," said Uran. "He hit five three-pointers against Kouts. We knew he could shoot. I kept asking the guys, 'Who has him? Which one of you have him?' How many three-pointers did they get? Nine?

Hebron coach Mike DeFries was very happy with the much-needed win. "We never gave up. That's how it's going to be for us. We have two post players, 6-2 and 5-10. Our guys have faith in themselves. We just couldn't go to 0-3."

Biggs, who cant weigh more than 100 pounds, is a classic PCC player. He won't post anybody up or hand out bruises under the boards. But when he lines up his stand still jump shot, the home crowd comes to their feet.

"They were rushing him in the first half," said DeFries, of his itty bitty impact player. "He was shooting off balance. We run some screens for him to get him open and when he gets his feet set, he can hit a lot of shots in a row. He's a lot stronger than he looks."

The unusually high scoring game appeared destined to end in a Hanover victory as the Cats had a season-best 64 points after three quarters. But the Hawks delighted a roaring crowd with the 14-0 run and a 30-15 final quarter.

HC guard Jeff Johnson passed out five assists and scored seven points in the third quarter when the Wildcats slipped through what appeared to be a tiring Hebron defense. But Biggs, Brindley and Gericke turned the tide and the Hawks survived 11 of 20 foul shooting in the final quarter to beat a major rival.

Johnson and 6-2 senior Owen Goff were strong for three quarters but Hanover had a terrible final period. "We gave them a lot of easy lay-ups," said Uran.

But what looked like a total loss night for Hanover turned around when the girls took the floor. Hebron was 2-1 in league play but the Lady Cats ran out to a 13-3 lead on hot shooting by 5-9 senior wing Jill McElmurry and strong inside play by 5-5 'center' Bess Copak. The Hawks already have league wins over Washington Township and Morgan Township.

Hebron was able to shoot over Hanover's 1-2-2 zone defense and tie the game 17-17 with a couple of four first half three-point goals. But McElmurry, who had scored only 17 pints in the first three games, had 15 in the first half at Hebron as the Lady Cats built a 37-27 half-time lead.

The difference in HC was a confidence level they had not shown. On a turnover or rebound, Hanover had three girls running out instead of just one or two. Instead of waiting for one player to shoot, HC had McElmurry, Christie Wick and Krysta Rickey all moving and taking their chances.

"We should have beaten Lowell," said Rickey after the victory. "Tonight was the most fun I've had playing. Everybody was running and everybody was scoring."

"We didn't have that many turnovers (13)," said girls coach Chris York. "Most teams don't think we can shoot but we can and we'll be proving that. A lot of girls are getting into games now and playing more and they're more comfortable. They made a lot of mistakes before but they've learned. The schedule favors us right now and we've got to win before the Momence (holiday) tournament."

Hanover scored 12 consecutive points to run a 37-30 third quarter lead into a 49-30 edge. Hebron played hard, but their ball-handling and youth showed against the more athletic Cats.

"We just believed in ourselves," said York. "You can see it in the girls' eyes. Jill wasn't pushing the ball. She was shooting it. Alisha (Staley) took the ball to the basket. Krysta took her shots. Christie Wick's always going to be a scorer. Katie Burke and Bess Copak played really well."

"That's how we have to play. We don't have the big girl inside. When we hit our shots, we are a dangerous team. If we can believe that sky is the limit, we can do a lot of good things. We can't do what we did in the first two games where we go into a shell when we get into trouble. But I think we've turned the corner."

Not everybody likes the boy-girl double-headers. Hebron and Hanover are one of the few schools that still use the format. But it fits the PCC, a more family-oriented, neighbor-friendly league than most of the others. This is the league that passes a traveling trophy called the 'keg' around to league members that beat each other during the season.

"Did Washington Township beat Boone?" asked Uran. "They did. Great. That means we can get the keg next Friday night (Washington is at HC). That's going be the focus this week. Our homecoming is next week."

That's the way it is in the PCC.

CAT NOTES: Jacob Rush's injury, which came with Hanover leading 50-48 in the third quarter, created a 15-minute delay, after which Hebron, having trailed by nine, rallied to win. Players are pushed away from injured teammates largely because they don't want the injured player to see frightened faces and think his injuries are more serious than they are. But more than one Hanover player walked away from the bench to go see Rush while he was down on the court.

"He's one of our smartest players," said Uran. "He doesn't have a lot of natural ability, but he worked hard to get in the lineup. They had to take him into surgery right away to try to save the use of his hand. It was a Joe Theismann-type injury."

Former NFL football star Joe Theismann once had his leg broken straight back in a vivid injury that was replayed again and again on national TV during a Monday night football game 20 years ago."

Hanover junior Amanda Wendlinger, out for the season with a torn ACL, said she had something in common with Rush. "We both got into one game and scored one basket," she said. "And we're both out for the season."

Wendlinger will need reconstructive knee surgery which will have her miss much if the 2004 softball season as well. She needs to have a tendon taken out of one knee and inserted into another. The operation will take place in Indianapolis on Dec. 18.

"The re-hab is four to six months," she said, realizing that six months would eliminate her from the entire regular season. "I'm going to hurry it up. Those early games (in April) are nonconference games and it's cold and I don't need to be out there with a bad knee. I think I can be back for most if the season." Wendlinger is an all-state softball pitcher for Hanover, which reached the state title game last season. Hanover, which will prepare former pitcher and all-PCC infielder Kelly LaPota to replace Wendlinger, was in line to be the preseason No. 1 softball team in the newly formed Class 2A (softball goes from three to four classes) next spring.

Jeff Johnson, who averaged 13.6 points per game and sank 61 three-point goals last year, had perhaps his career-best game with 24 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals and six of six from the foul line. Johnson, a 6-foot senior guard, has 10 three-pointers in three games so far this season.

Hebron's Homecoming included some unusual awards to the senior class. Jaz Aguillar was voted as having the "Best Smile." Justine Duck was given the "Baby Face" award. Caleb Biggs, a future, "Baby Face" candidate, hit six three-pointers against Griffith in a 61-50 Hawk loss on Nov. 25. Biggs was scoreless from the field in a 74-57 loss to Kouts (3-0).

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

Nov. 18     L, 35-45 Gavit (2-3)
Nov. 21   L, 39-58 at Wheeler (3-1)
Nov. 26   L, 49-55 Lowell (5-1)
Dec. 5    W, 73-49 at Hebron (2-4)
Dec. 6 (S) at Kouts (3-2)
Dec. 13 (S) LaCrosse (0-4)
Dec. 16 (Tu) at North Newton (2-3)
Dec. 18 (Th) at River Forest (0-3)

Porter County Conference Tournament
Jan 19 (M) PCC quarterfinals
Jan. 20 (Tu) PCC quarterfinals
Jan. 23 (F) PCC semifinals
Jan. 24 (S) PCC championship - 6 p.m.

Hanover Central Boys lose barn burner 88-79 to Hebron; Lady Wildcats counter Lady Hawks 73-49

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith