Hanover Lady Wildcats take 2 of 3 at Momence Holiday Tournament

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 
12-31-2005

Friday, 12-30-2005 at Momence Holiday Tournament - 5th place game

HANOVER CENTRAL  (40)  Anna Turturillo 1-2-4,  Krysta Rickey 5-5-16,  Jordan Kramer 0-2-2, Christy Bader 1-0-2, Andria Trock 2-2-6, Megan Parks 1-0-2, Sammy Plant 0-2-2, Chrissy Holmolka 1-0-2, Brittany Griner 0-0-0, Bethany Flores 1-1-3, Brandi Flores 0-0-0.   TOTALS:  12 (15-22) 40.

WATSEKA (33)  Alicia Matthias 2-1-5, Megan Nutter 3-7-13, Andrea McCann 1-1-3, Melissa Florido 4-0-8, Heidi Hasselbring 1-0-2, Ali Cowan 1-0-2, Patience Ault 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 12 (9-13) 33.

FREE THROWS: HC (15-22, 68.1%) Kramer 2-2, Rickey 5-6, Trock 3-4, Bethany Flores 1-1, Turturillo 2-6, Bader 0-1, Plant 2-2;  WATSEKA (9-12, 75.0%) Matthias 1-2, Nutter 7-7, McCann 1-1, Hasselbring 0-2.
   
3-GOALS:  Watseka (0);  HC (1) Krysta Rickey.

Friday, 12-30-2005 at Momence Holiday Tournament - Consolation semifinals

HANOVER CENTRAL  (53)  Anna Turturillo 2-5-9, Krysta Rickey 6-5-18, Jordan Kramer 2-3-8, Christy Bader 0-1-1, Andria Trock 0-1-1, Megan Parks 2-0-4, Sammy Plant 0-2-2, Chrissy Holmolka 2-4-8, Brittany Griner 1-0-2, Bethany Flores 0-0-0, Brandi Flores 0-0-0.   TOTALS:  15 (21-33) 53.

TRI-POINT (41)  Morgan Tharp 2-0-4, Sarah Haag 1-2-4, Candace Miller 4-1-9, Sarah Mylcraine 1-1-3, Kristin Opperman 4-3-11, Tera Moritz 4-2-10, Lesley Weston 0-0-0, Jenny Nelson 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 16 (9-21) 41.

FREE THROWS:  HC (21-33, 63.6%) Kramer 3-4, Rickey 5-6, Trock 1-2, Bethany Flores 0-2, Turturillo 5-7, Bader 1-3, Plant 2-2, Holmoka 4-6;  TRI-POINT (9-24, 37.5%) Haag 2-4, Miller 1-3, Mylcraine 1-2, Opperman 3-10, Moritz 2-5.

3-GOALS:  HC (2) Krysta Rickey, Jordan Kramer, TRI-POINT (O).

Thursday, 12-29-2005 at Momence Holiday Tournament - Quarterfinal

HANOVER CENTRAL  (41)  Anna Turturillo 3-1-7,  Krysta Rickey 4-4-12,  Jordan Kramer 2-2-6, Christy Bader 1-0-2, Megan Parks 1-2-4, Sammy Plant 0-2-2, Chrissy Holmolka 1-3-5, Brittany Griner 0-0-0, Bethany Flores 1-1-3.   TOTALS:  13 (15-20) 41.

P-B-L  (45)  Jamie Garrell 0-1-1, Josey Polson 3-1-7, Kelly Satterlee 3-0-6, Alyssa Swan 0-2-2, Lauren Boman 3-3-9, Jenna Seibring 5-0-10, Melissa Runge 3-2-8,  Liz Foster 1-0-2.  TOTALS: 18 (9-16) 45.

FREE THROWS: HC (15-20, 75%) Kramer 2-2, Rickey 4-4, Bethany Flores 1-2, Turturillo 1-2, Plant 2-4, Holmoka 3-4, Parks 2-2;  P-B-L (9-16, 56.2%) Garrell 1-3, Polson 1-2, Seim 0-1, Swan 2-2, Boman 3-4, Runge 2-4.

3-GOALS:  P-B-L (0);  HC (0)

MOMENCE, IL  (12-30-2005)  The girls were happy.  Coach Chris York was somewhat happy.  And everybody who wanted to be got home for dinner after Friday's Hanover Central participation in the annual Momence, lllinois Christmas Tournament.

One of these years, Hanover wants to win this thing again.  But if you don't win, it's not bad to go 2-1 and come home with a better record than you had when you left.

"I just told the girls that we wanted to be over .500 at the end of the (calendar) year and that's where we are," said HC coach Chris York after a less-than-stellar 40-33 win over Watseka in the fifth place game early Friday evening.  "I think they all agreed that this was the worst game we've played all year."

Maybe playing in Friday's 8:30 a.m. consolation semifinals had something to do with how bad Hanover was for three quarters.  HC lost the opener 44-41 to Paxton-Buckley-Loda and were dropped into the deepest end of the loser's bracket.  The Lady Cats led all the way to beat Tri-Point 53-41 in the sunrise game, went out to lunch and then came back to face Watseka, which had also split two tournament games.

Maybe it was something they ate.  It was 7-2 Watseka after one quarter, 12-10 Hanover at the half and 19-18 Hanover after three periods.  If you did not see it, you did not miss much.  But after scoring just 19 points in the first three periods, Hanover scored 21 in the final quarter including 11 of 13 from the foul line to send the Lady Cats home on the happy bus.

"I guess what we know is that if we look that way again in the future, we can still pull it out.  I guess that's what little you take out of this one.  We did hit free throws down the stretch, which is something we've been able to do all year.  That allows me to do what I want to do with defense and offense.  It's frustrating when you want to do things (substitutions) and you can't because you miss the free throws."

When senior Krysta Rickey stole the ball and raced half the length of the floor for a layup and a three-point play, HC led 30-23 with 3:04 to go.  But Watseka's 5-foot-6 Megan Nutter got fouled twice after grabbing offensive rebounds and her four free throws helped close the gap to 30-29 with 1:25 left.  HC was clearly on the verge of losing the lead.

The Lady Cats called time out with 1:11 left and, the way the foul shots had been dropping, they probably hoped just to hold the ball until they got fouled.  But 5-6 sophomore Bethany Flores, who had scored just one previous basket in the entire tournament, decided to take matters into her own hands.  Flores took a pass on the left wing and headed to the basket.  Sailing through the converging Watseka defense, Flores banked in a layup and was fouled.  Her free throw made it 33-29 and Watseka never recovered.

"She saw a wide open lane and she took it," said York. "I'm glad she made it.  I think she would have been fouled anyway.  But there were a lot of things that happened out there that could have gone either way."

Krysta Rickey was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 15.3 points in the three games.  Hanover was 51 of 75 (68.0%) from the line in the tournament.

"We've got Calumet coming up Thursday and that could go either way," said York.  "Almost all of our remaining games are in that category."

LADY CAT NOTES:  Hanover Central lost 45-41 to Paxton-Buckley-Loda in the quarterfinals after leading 18-17 at the half and holding a one point lead with 3:30 to play.  HC was 15 of 20 from the foul line and Krysta Rickey scored 10 of the Cats 12 fourth quarter points as PBL, a three-school consolidation, squeaked out the win.  Junior guard Lauren Boman, a highly-skilled ballhandler, dulled the impact of  HC's pressing defenses and scored all nine of her points in the second half.  HC played without 5-7 senior Andria Trock against PBL, who was ill and missed practice last week.

Hanover's offense is still clearly a work in progress.  Lead guards Krysta Rickey and Jordan Kramer occasionally show spectacular backcourt co-ordination, but also occasionally run into each other.  It's obvious that both have been lead guards all their lives and are new to being wing players.  York will keep both on the floor because both are top ballhandlers.  The combination of Rickey and Kramer makes HC a very difficult squad to press full court.  HC continued to have distance shooting problems.  Defenses probably know that no one other than Kramer or Rickey will even attempt a three-point shot.

Hanover is still having major problems rebounding.  With just two players taller than 5-7 (Anna Turturillo and Christy Bader), the Lady Cats were out-rebounded at Momence and that is a major concern with taller teams like South Central and Boone Grove ahead on the schedule.  HC coaches are hoping for some major growth spurts in the off-season, because Hanover doesn't have anyone taller than 5-10 in the entire program.

Class 1A South Newton (7-5) won the Momence tournament for the first time beating PBL 58-49 in the semifinals and Peotone 38-29 in the title game late Saturday night.  First time Momence entry North Newton (4-4) lost two out of three.

Coach JoAnn Heldt's Hanover Central junior varsity won the four-team Momence frosh-soph bracket with victories over North Newton 44-13 and Peotone 59-39.  Freshman Danielle Graham scored 18 against Peotone and Lindsey Martinez added 15.  Graham, a 5-6 wing player, scored 14 against North Newton.  Hanover already has 11 players on the varsity so it is unlikely that Graham and Martinez will be added to the varsity until the state tournament.

At the upcoming Porter County conference (PCC) tournament, you are allowed to play in either the JV or varsity tournament but not both. HC, with six freshman off last season's PCC championship eighth grade team, will be one of the JV tournament favorites this month even with freshman lead guard Jordan Kramer playing on the varsity level.

In Illinois, the reserve team is called the freshman-sophomore or 'frosh-soph' team and juniors must be varsity players.  South Newton, with four sophomores on the varsity, did not have a junior varsity team.

HC athletic director Dave Seils, who used to coach at Grant Park, Illinois (six miles from Momence) was in the stands for two of HC's three holiday games.  Seils looked at Hanover's listed enrollment of 560 (in the tournament program) and added, "That's a little low.  We're up to 650 now."  Peotone is listed with 630 students and Momence has 450.

USA-365.com Notes:  The next Crown Point girls basketball game to be broadcast via the Internet on USA-365.com will be Chesterton at Crown Point in a rare boys/girls varsity double-header on Friday, January 6.  Live coverage begins with the pregame show at 5:45 p.m. and the tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., CST.  The Chesterton-CP boys game will follow 20-minutes after the conclusion of the girls game.  Dave Woodworth (play-by-play) and Mark Smith (analysis) return to call the action. The PODcast and story will be posted later that weekend on www.USA-365.com.   

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