Lowell's Richie scores 50 en route to Red Devils' 93-60 win over Boone Grove

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-11-2011

BOONE GROVE (60) Lukas Kemp 7-4-20, Jake Clapp 6-1-15, Danny Malhous 6-0-14, DEan Hill 2-3-8, Brad Gaudin 1-0-3, Sam Eleftheri 0-0-0, Freddie Mioduski 0-0-0, Jim Buchanan 0-0-0. TOTALS: 22 (7-17) 60.

LOWELL (93) Kyle Richwalski 6-5-17, Danny DeBoer 4-3-12, Austin Richie 16-8-50, Jason Parker 2-0-4, David Stang 1-0-2, Mark Izrael 1-0-2, Austin Magley 0-3-3, Clark Mikesell 0-1-1, Nick Kijurna 0-2-2, Zack Van Hook 0-0-0, Brandon Bullitt 0-0-0, Jim Kennelly 0-0-0. TOTALS: 30 (22-32) 93.

FREE THROWS: BOONE (7-16, 43.7%) Kemp 4-7, Clapp 1-4, Hill 2-4, Eleftheri 0-1.
LOWELL (22-32, 68.7%) Richwalski 5-8, Richie 8-9, DeBoer 3-3, Kijurna 2-2, Magley 3-4, Mikesell 1-2, Stang 0-2, Parker 0-2.

REBOUNDS: BOONE (18) Clapp 10, Kemp 4, Buchanan 3, Malouhous; LOWELL (20) Stang 6, Richwalski 5, Kijurna 4, Magley 2, Bullitt, Parker, Richie.

ASSISTS: BOONE (13) Hill 10, Kemp 2, Malouhos; LOWELL (8) Richie 5, DeBoer, Izrael, Mikesell.

STEALS: BOONE (5) Hill 2, Buchanan, Clapp, Eleftheri; LOWELL (14) Riche 4, Magley 3, Parker 3, Richwalski 2, DeBoer 2, Mikesell, Kijurna.

FOULED OUT: LOWELL (1) Danny DeBoer (3rd Q) :36 left.

3-GOALS: BOONE (9) Hill 2, Malahous 2, Kemp 2, Clapp 2, Gaudin; LOWELL (11) Austin Richie 10, Danny DeBoer.

AUSTIN RICHIE (32.8) 16 games
Nov. 24: 31 vs. Hanover Central
Nov. 27: 36 vs. Gavit
Dec 3: 28 at Gary West Side
Dec. 11: 44 vs. Bishop Noll
Dec. 14: 31 vs. Hebron
Dec. 17: 40 at Hobart
Dec. 22: 39 at Calumet
Dec. 29: 47 at Zionsville
Dec. 29: 36 vs (SB) Washington

Jan. 8: 38 at Highland
Jan. 15: 32 vs. Griffith
Jan. 18: 33 at Lake Central
Jan. 22: 29 vs. Kankakee Valley
Jan. 28: 20 at Munster
Jan. 29: 25 vs. Merrillville
Feb. 9: 50 vs. Boone Grove

AUSTIN RICHIE - 33.2 - 16 games
2011 (33.2) 16 games
2010 (27.7) 21 games
2009 (15.4) 20 games.

ALL-TIME - Northwest Indiana -- single season scoring leaders
Ray Bulatovich (36.2) MERRILLVILLE (1972)
Kirk Manns (34.2) North Judson (1986)
Delray Brooks (33.4) Michigan City Rogers (1984)
Austin Richie (33.2) Lowell (2011)

LOWELL, IN (02-10-2011) Why go out on a night when the temperatures were in single digits to see an 8-7 team play a 1-14 team in a non-conference game? Because you didn't now what Austin Richie might do.

It wasn't an important game to either side and Boone is not a quality opponent this year. But he did something. Richie, Lowell's 6-foot-2 guard, scored 50 points for the second time in his 57-game career, posting 50 and 10 three-pointers in a 93-60 win over the Wolves.

Richie's 50s stand as the Lowell school record, but the total, which included 10 three-point baskets, allowed the Lowell senior to break the Lowell gymnasium record of 49, set by Dan Dakich of Andrean, Indiana University and now talk radio fame.

Richie stayed in the game long after the issue had been decided, but he was pulled before he broke his own record. His older brother, Lowell rookie coach Nate Richie, understood folks who thought he should have been pulled earlier and those who thought he should have been allowed to break his own record.

"All the kids on the bench wanted him to get the (gym) record," Nate Richie said afterwards. "They probably wanted it more than Austin. But he didn't need to break his own record."

Boone Grove (1-15), which had no returning starters from last season, didn't physically match up with a Lowell squad that includes 6-foot-9 Kyle Richwalski and 6-foot-8 David Stang, played a very spirited game. There was an intentional foul on Boone, a technical foul on Lowell. This was hardly a case of Boone just going through the motions. Sophomore guard Dean Hill had 10 assists and Boone sank nine three-pointers.

"I was a little disappointed in our defense," said coach Richie. "We can't have these breakdowns where we give up wide open shots."

Richwalski is turning into the story of the season for Lowell. The junior center scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds against the much smaller Boone squad. But this was a player that Lowell was not counting on ever being a factor a year ago.

"I wish the referees would let him play," said coach Richie. "He's getting called for fouls because he's big. I keep asking, what do you want him to do? He's doing what we want him to do and it's right. He is improving every single day. It's hard to believe how far he's come, and he's the kind of guy you need in Sectional one."

Lowell, at 9-7, is trying to break a streak they are not proud of. With Morton (7-8), Andrean (10-4), Wheeler (12-5) and Crown Point (14-3) yet to play, Lowell has not finished any season with a winning record since coach Steve Leonard's boys won the old Kankakee Valley Sectional in 1993 in the old one class tournament.

"We don't ever talk about that," said coach Richie. "It would be bigger to win the sectional. That's always the goal. Every year. But for the future of the program, that would be a very big deal."

It's difficult for Nate Richie to praise his brother too much publicly, but he was glad that Austin broke the Lowell gym record.

"It's nice to have someone with a Lowell uniform to hold that record."

DEVIL NOTES: Boone Grove has lost a school-record 15 games in a row since a season opening win over Washington Township. The Wolves have just one senior and no players taller than 6-foot-3 in the program.

Austin Richie scored just 10 of his 50 in the fourth quarter and was pulled with 2:30 to go. In the 50-point game at Hammond high last Jan. 7, 2010, Richie played the entire game and sank seven three-point goals. Lowell lost 81-72 as Richie was 15 of 16 from the foul line. Lowell coach Nate Riche knows that everyone is an underdog to Munster (15-0) in the East Chicago Sectional.

"I think we have a chance," said Richie, who admitted, "but it would be great to get a good draw."

Lowell guard Austin Magley has become a factor as a defensive compliment to Austin Richie. Magley, Lowell baseball catcher and a fullback-linebacker in football, is turning into a defensive stopper.

"He definitely sets the tone," said Richie after the Boone game. "He gets out there and he gets low and he picks up the defensive intensity. Him and (Jason) Parker are our defensive leaders."

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Revised: March 07, 2011 .