Lowell's defense cost them the title here, and while they don't appear to have any great players in this group, Lowell's high school baseball program should find depth here.  Jake Fontanez, a left-handed hitting outfielder and pitcher, appears to be a natural leadoff batter.  Catcher Bryan Thomas was 5-for-11 in the three games batting in the third slot.  Spencer Kersey and Dillon Cohs are first basemen and pitchers who should help the high school the next four seasons and the Senior Little League the next two.

Hebron gets over a week to get ready for the finals where they will have to be a better defensive team.  Traditionally, the District II champ is a little overmatched when they reach the state level.  But Briggs, Kyle Joyce, lefty Billy Weaver and Spencer Sheets are a pitching foursome that gives the Hebron 14s an outside shot to win at least a couple of games.

"We're thinking a good showing would be winning it all," said manager Mike Rieck in the fever of the post-game celebration.  "We're going the to win it all and we can't look at it any other way."

LITTLE NOTES:  Hebron's victory is impressive due to the size of the Hebron Little League.  There are only 15 junior Little League players in the entire Hebron Little League.  They have 24, 12-and-under players and 36 in the 12-and-under bracket.

Hebron is not in the Senior Little League all-star playoffs.  They did not have the numbers to field a team.  When you ask about the Hebron Little League, they repeatedly assume you mean the girls softball program, which has won four district titles in four years.  Hebron boys baseball needed this win.

Saturday's championship double-header took five hours, but with temperatures in the upper 60s, the conditions were not a factor in any way.

Lowell won Saturday's first game 9-4 as Jake Fontanez had three base hits while Dylan Cohs and Luke Ison both had two RBI hits.  Lowell scored six unearned runs in the first inning after Hebron's infield misplayed three of the first four ground balls.

Since Junior Little Leaguers are weeks away (the 14 year-old area) from entering high school, Hebron's tourney win theoretically speaks well of Hebron's varsity baseball future.  But it may not work that way in this case.  Hebron 14s pitcher and shortstop Jeremy Briggs, easily the best player in the tournament, isn't going to Hebron.  He's reportedly going to enroll at Andrean.

First baseman and left-handed pitcher Billy Weaver also may not attend Andrean.  He's headed to a private Christian school.  Kyle Joyce, a quality shortstop and pitcher and catcher Jon Maneta could contribute in a year or two and others could grow physically and surprise.  But the heart of the Hebron squad isn't going to put on Hawk uniforms.

With that said, Hebron's Little League as a whole had a very good year.  The Hebron 12s were 2-3 in pool play at Munster and were competitive.  The 10s were 3-2 and reached the District II semifinals at Whiting.

A consensus is that Hebron formerly had players in T-ball (where batters do not face pitching) for three years and that, plus the size of the Hebron Little League, retarded their development.

The entire nine-game tourney went off without one rain delay at the wide open Roselawn Little League near the corner or Route 10 and Route 55.  The junior and senior (16 and under) Little League tournaments traditionally had been held at Lowell because the Lowell Little League field has lights for night play.