Richie scores 50 to set Lowell record, but Devils lose 81-72 at Hammond in boys basketball

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
01-10-2010

David Stang (52) scoring on an offensive rebound in the second half of Lowell's nonconference game at Hammond Tuesday night (01-05-2010).

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Lowell's Jason chases Hammond's Malcolm Turner (11) in the Lowell/Hammond matchup on Jan. 5. (All photos by Mark Smith)

Lowell's Kyle Richwalski (54) guards the lane against Hammond as the Devils try to rally.

Lowell's Austin Richie (22) faces double team pressure against Hammond Tuesday night.  (All photos by Mark Smith)

Richie broke Lowell's single game scoring record of 44 with a 50-point game n Lowell's 81-72 loss to Hammond.

LOWELL (72)  Joe Bell 1-4-6, Ray Skamay 1-0-2, David Stang 2-0-4, Austin Richie 14-15-50, Austin Magley 1-0-2, Jason Parker 3-0-6, Kyle Richwalski 1-0-2, Cole Midgett 0-0-0, Joe McIntosh 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 23 (19-24) 72.

HAMMOND (81)  Malcolm Turner 2-7-11, Kendall Harwell 8-3-23, James Williams 2-9-13, Grant Brooks 5-7-18, Eric Frazier 1-0-2, Seth Brown 1-0-3, Eddie Woods 0-3-3, DeVontae Jones 3-2-8, Robert Stone 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 22 (31-42) 81.

FREE THROWS:  LOWELL (19-23, 82.6%) Bell 4-6, Richie 15-16, Stang 0-1; HAMMOND (31-42, 73.8%) Turner 7-9, Harwell 3-5, Williams 9-12, Brooks 7-9, Jones 2-3, Woods 3-4.

REBOUNDS:  LOWELL (20) Bell 5, Richie 3, Stang 3, Richwalski 3, Magley 2, Parker 2, McIntosh, Skamay; HAMMOND (26) Brooks 9, Williams 7, Jones 5, Harwell 3, Turner, Brown.

ASSISTS:  LOWELL (8) Bell 3, Richie, Skamay, Magley, Richwalski, Parker; HAMMOND (10) Turner 4, Harwell 2, Brooks 2, Williams, Woods.

STEALS:  LOWELL (6) Richwalski 2, Skamay 2, Parker 2; HAMMOND (11) Harwell 3, Brooks 3, Williams 2, Jones 2, Frazier.

3-GOALS:  LOWELL (7) Austin Richie 7; HAMMOND (6) Kendall Harwel 4, Grant Brooks, Seth Brown.

FOULED OUT:  LOWELL (2) Joe Bell (4th Q) :22 left; Jason Parker (4th Q) 0:07 left.

HAMMOND, IN (01-05-2010)  If your basketball team scores 72 points, you really don't want one player to score 50 of them.  But it sure is fun to watch.  In a long, uneven nonconference game played on a Tuesday night during the worst week of the year, Lowell junior Austin Richie scored a school record 50 points in an entertaining 81-72 loss at Hammond high.

In the first game after the holiday break, Lowell led 19-14, trailed 60-40 and then rallied to within 75-70 in the final minute before Hammond's free throw shooting won out.  I wouldn't call it a game Lowell should have won, although it was one they could have won.  It won't be remembered as either.  It will go down in Lowell history as the night that Richie, a 5-foot-10 guard, scored 23 points in the final quarter to finish with 50 and break the 20-year old school record of 44 set present day assistant coach Chris Jusevitch in 1988.

"It amazing," said coach Mike Magley.  "He's a competitor.  He got 50 points and I don't think he forced shots.  Obviously, we tried to get him as many touches as possible.  Our adjustment (when Hammond double-teamed him) was that we set more screens in the back court to free him up and give him a chance to go at one defender.

"He played a whale of a game.  Sometimes he struggles against all the (defensive) attention he gets.  We need two or three guys to step up and hit their shots.  Not anything special.  Just hit THEIR shots to take the pressure off him."

You can only be so encouraged by a loss that drops your record to 2-5.  But the Red Devils' 32-point fourth quarter where they cut a 20-point lead down to five against one of Northwest Indiana's quickest teams, suggests that good things could still be coming for this team.

"Sometimes they're afraid," said Magley.  "Afraid of making a mistake.  You've got to go ahead and play.  If it's a good shot, take it.  It's not a mistake.  Being afraid or tentative or hesitant, you will always make a mistake."

DEVIL NOTES:  Lowell's Austin Richie became a bit of a local sports celebrity after scoring his 50 points against Hammond and 25 more against Highland Saturday (1-9-2010) night.  He was featured in the Times newspaper the next day.  He was voted player-of-the-week by some local media.  Lots of people have consistently congratulated him.  Richie seemed a little embarrassed that it came in a losing effort.

"It is what it is," he said of the notoriety.  It goes away.  I just want to win some games."

Richie is 100% after suffering a black eye in a pre-season accident.  The Lowell junior looked like a tall racoon for a couple of weeks.

"I'm okay now," he said Saturday.  "I was worried there would be some problems with my eye but there haven't been."

Hammond has a 25-7 all-time edge on Lowell in boys basketball.  Junior Cole Midgett got his first start at guard as coach Mike Magley continues to look for a consistently effective mix of five players.

Lowell's 6-foot-4 senior forward Joe Bell was injured in practice after the Hammond game and missed the 49-40 win Saturday night over Highland.  Bell will be out indefinitely.

2010 LOWELL (3-5)
Coach Mike Magley, 67-108 (9th year) 10-10 (2007), 9-13 (2008), 9-15 (2009)
Dec. 8 (L) 67-82 at Gavit (4-5))
Dec. 12 (L) 57-86 at Bishop Noll (8-1)
Dec. 15 (W) 55-53 Calumet (4-4)
Dec. 18 (L) 37-42 Hobart (2-9)
Dec. 22 (W) 52-40 North Newton (1-9)
Dec. 23 (L) 39-49 Gary West Side (4-4)
Jan. 5 (L) 72-81 at Hammond (6-3)

Jan. 9 (W) 48-43 Highland (0-6)
Jan. 14 (Thurs) at Griffith (6-3)
Jan. 15 (Fri) at Hanover Central (7-1)
Jan. 19 (Tues) Lake Central (5-4)
Jan. 23 (Sat.) at Kankakee Valley (2-8)
Jan. 29 (Fri) Munster
Jan. 30 (Sat.) at Merrillville
Feb. 2 (Tues) at Hebron
Feb. 5 (Fri) at Andrean
Feb. 11 (Thurs) at Boone Grove
Feb. 20 (Sat.) Crown Point
Feb. 23 (Tues) Wheeler
Feb. 26 (Sat.) at Morton

Munster (4A) Sectional
March 1 (Tues) quarterfinals
March 4 (F) semifinals
March 5 (S) finals

Valparaiso (4A) Regional
March 12 (S) semifinals (a.m.)
March 12 (S) regional final game (p.m.)