Turnovers hurt Lady Red Devils in 43-25 loss to Morton

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
11-20-2007

Thursday, November 15, 2007 - Non-conference game at LOWELL, IN

MORTON (43)  Shamika Crowder 4-5-13, Brittany Thompson 1-6-9, Crystal Torres 5-0-10, Kelsey Chance 2-0-4, Kym Daniels 1-0-2, Diamond McClendon 0-0-0, Jenn Stewart 0-0-0, Natalie Castillo 0-0-0, Jessica Gomez 0-0-0, Melissa Lawrence 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 15 (12-27)  43.

LOWELL (25)  Kim Bell 4-0-8, Gabi Goetz 1-0-2, Kelsi Blankenship 4-0-8, Gretchen Barker 2-0-4, Megan Bolanowski 1-0-2, Erin Gavelek 0-1-1, Katie Haberlin 0-0-0, Mallory Lampa 0-0-0, Kaitlyn Utley 0-0-0, Amanda Underwood 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  12 (1-7) 25.

FREE THROWS:  MORTON (12-27, 44.4%) Crowder 5-11, Thompson 6-6, Daniels 0-4, Lawrence 1-4, Torres 0-2.  LOWELL (1-7, 14.1%) Gavelek 1-2, Barker 0-3, Lampa 0-2.

REBOUNDS:  MORTON (37) Torres 9, Thompson 8, Crowder 7, Lawrence 5, Daniels 3, Chance 2, Castillo 2, Gomez.
LOWELL (19) Goetz 6, Barker 4, Lampa 3, Utley 2, Bell, Pratt, Schiessle, Haberlin.

ASSISTS:  MORTON (10) Lawrence 3, Torres 2, Thompson 2, Crowder, Castillo, Daniels.
LOWELL (7) Schiessle 3, Blankenship 2. Barker, Bell.

BLOCKED SHOTS:  MORTON (1) Diamond McClendon;  LOWELL (3) Kim Bell, Gretchen Barker, Katie Haberlin.

STEALS:  MORTON (16) Melissa Lawrence 6, Crystal Torres 3, Thompson 3, Crowder 2, Daniels 2; 
LOWELL (10)  Kim Bell 4, Megan Bolanowski 2, Jessica Schiessle, Gretchen Barker.

3-GOALS:  MORTON (1) Brittany Thompson;  LOWELL (0)

FOULED OUT:  MORTON (1) Kym Daniels (4th Q) 2:23 left;
LOWELL (2) Kim Bell (4th Q) 0:57 left; Jessica Schiessle (4th Q) 0:21 left.

LOWELL, IN (11-15-2007) -  Attacking Lowell is not exactly 'Mission Impossible' in the early part of this basketball season.  The Devils have three senior forwards who can score and rebound.  Opponents.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it (and everyone has so far) is to press the Red Devils' inexperienced guards so they don't get the ball to those forwards.

Morton (2-1) definitely got after it Thursday night down on Route 2.  Not that the Governors were much better for most of the game.  But a 24-11 fourth quarter sent the visitors home happy with a 43-25 victory.

The Devils (1-2), who were coming off an equally (if not more) ugly 45-21 home loss to Hammond high, committed more turnovers (31) against Morton than they scored points (25) or grabbed rebounds (19).

"We just aren't getting the ball up the floor," said a very frustrated Patti McCormack, who didn't have anyone score in double figures for the second consecutive game.  "We worked so hard on breaking the man-to-man press that it was hard to shift into the concept of facing the zone.  But at least we didn't totally fall apart like we did the other night."

Lowell trailed only 19-14 after three quarters as both teams defended each other into the shiny hardwood in the Lowell gym.  In the final period, 5-11 senior forward Shamika Crowder and 6-foot senior forward Brittany Thompson combined for 13 points as the Governors pulled away.  The Devils' 31 turnovers were the difference in the game.  It was the universal opinion that Lowell's performance against Morton was much better than the one against Hammond high.

"Well," McCormack said. "If we can get it down to 20 (turnovers) a game, we'll be all right.  Our defense has been fine for three games.  And I can't believe how tentative we are."

The physical nature of the game was a problem for Lowell.  I don't know if Morton is going to be a sectional title contender, but they won't be out-rebounded in many games.  And the backcourt of 5-3 veteran guards Melissa Lawrence and Crystal Torres, plus a total of six seniors means the Governors will win more than they lose as long as they don't come up with too many 13-point first halfs.

"There was no point in yelling at them at half-time," said Morton coach Bryan Dixon.  "Because I didn't think it would do any good.  We were terrible in the first half, but I told Shamika she's got to get going.  The hardest thing to do is to forget about bad plays or missed shots.  We're definitely going to have free throw practice."

"I thought this might happen.  We were coming off a win over Calumet Tuesday and that was big for us.  Thursday night.  This (Hammond to Lowell) is a long ride for us.  We just didn't play well in the first half."

The problem with Lowell is not totally unexpected.  They have junior and sophomore guards with very little experience.  The Devils are not consistently getting the ball up the floor and they are passing up open shots.  Lowell guards, at this point, rarely attack the basket and get fouled, which has been a Lowell staple in the last half dozen years.  The Devils got only seven free throws against a physical, slapping, pressing defense. That means they were not confident enough to slice towards the basket, take the contact and get to the foul line.

The only player who scored points in a hurry was 5-foot-5 sophomore Kelsi Blankenship, who scored three consecutive baskets late in the forth quarter after the game had been decided.  It wasn't much, but when you average less than 30 points a game, you jump on any positives.

"There will be a changing of the guard," said McCormack. "Figuratively and literally.  We've got to keep trying different things."

DEVIL NOTES:  Lowell's Kelsi Blakenship almost didn't get to play in the varsity game Thursday.  The sophomore soccer player, who for the moment plays both JV and varsity, was fouled hard by Morton late in the JV win for Lowell.  She turned and threw the ball at the Morton player drawing a technical foul.  JV coach Katie Porento made it clear that Blankenship has exactly one time to do that and that was the time.

"I think she knows she can't do that again."

Players may not know that throwing the ball at a player is cause for immediate ejection and if you are a JV-varsity player (you play on both teams), getting yourself thrown out of the JV game means you are out of the varsity game as well, not to mention the automatic IHSAA one-game suspension.

Lowell will travel to Hanover Central (2-0) for the annual Thanksgiving Eve neighborhood battle Wednesday night (Nov. 21) with the junior varsity game beginning at 6:00 p.m.

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Revised: November 20, 2007 .