Lady Red Devils prevail in 34-28 defensive battle over Wheeler

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
2-05-2008

Saturday, February 2, 2008 - Non-conference game in UNION TOWNSHIP, IN

LOWELL (34)  Gabi Goetz 4-2-10, Kim Bell 1-7-9, Mallory Lampa 1-1-3, Jessica Schiessle 1-1-4, Katelyn Utley 0-2-2,  Gretchen Barker 2-0-4, Kelsi Blankenship 0-2-2, Amanda Underwood 0-0-0, Katie Haberlin 0-0-0, Erin Gavelek 0-0-0, Mallory Pratt 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  9 (15-19) 34.

WHEELER (28) Alyssa Vasquez 1-0-2, Jacquelyn English 1-3-5, Sammy Stern 1-0-2, Serina Garcia 0-1-1, Brittany Stelter 7-4-18, Brooke Hutchins 0-0-0, Mackenzie Moss 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 10 (8-19) 28.

FREE THROWS:  LOWELL (15-19, 78.9%) Lampa 1-2, Schiessle 1-2, Utley 2-2, Goetz 2-2, Bell 7-8, Blankenship 2-3;  WHEELER (8-19, 42.1%) English 3-4, Stelter 4-7, Hutchins 0-4, Garcia 1-4.

REBOUNDS:  LOWELL (32) Goetz 13, Bell 7, Barker 4, Schiessle 3, Lampa 2, Utley 2, Blankenship;  WHEELER (23) Stelter 8, English 6, Vasquez 3, Hutchins 3, Garcia 2, Stern.

STEALS: LOWELL (10) Lampa 3, Barker 2, Blankenship 2, Goetz, Utley, Gavelek;  WHEELER (8) Garcia 3, Hutchins 3, English 2. 

ASSISTS:  LOWELL (2) Schiessle, Utley;  WHEELER (5) Stelter, English, Garcia, Stern, Hutchins.

BLOCKED SHOTS:  LOWELL (6) Bell 3, Goetz 2, Lampa;  WHEELER (2) English 2.

TURNOVERS:  LOWELL 8-9-10-6 (33);  WHEELER 7-4-5-4 (20)

3-GOALS:  LOWELL (1) Jessica Schiessle;  WHEELER (0).

UNION TOWNSHIP, IN (02-02-2008) -  In a Saturday lunchtime game, you saw two hungry teams.  You also saw why they were hungry.  Lowell committed 33 turnovers, and with a 32-23 rebound advantage, led all the way.  Wheeler, admittedly short two starters, simply had no perimeter offense as Lowell won a regular season-ending confidence builder 34-28 on the road.

How about our free throw shooting?" noted Lowell coach Patti McCormack, after the Devils sank a season best 15 of 19 from the line.  "Every dog finds a bone.  Two wins in a row.  I don't think we've done that this season."

Lowell got 20 rebounds and 19 points from senior forwards Gabi Goetz and Kim Bell and a rotating cast of guards was enough on this February afternoon in a game rescheduled dafter a weather postponement earlier in the week.

Wheeler is better than they showed.  They were without guards Lydia Naccarato and Marcy Medina and it showed.  Wheeler's 5-foot-10 sophomore center Brittany Stelter scored 18 points, but no one else had more than five and there was no balance to the Bearcats offense.

Lowell, which has had two eight-game losing streaks this season, led 6-0 and 17-6 as Goetz grabbed key first half rebounds.  The Bearcats did pull within 28-23 as they got the ball to Stelter for nine third quarter points, but Lowell was 6 of 9 from the line (Bell was 4-of-4) in the fourth quarter and they held on for their third road win of the year.

Wheeler is expected to have all hands on deck Tuesday night when they host Hanover Central (9-10) in the quarterfinals of the five-team Class 2A Wheeler Sectional, but they've got to find a way to reverse a 52-34 loss to Hanover 2-1/2 months ago.

"We've got to slow the game down," said Wheeler coach Marc Bruner.  "It's got to be a half-court game or we don't have a chance."

The Bearcats have lost 10 in a row after a 5-5 start, but they are 4-4 against 2A schools.  The ugly stat is that Wheeler averages only 30 points a game and it's obvious they'll need much more Tuesday.

"They are very quick and we aren't," said Bruner.  "We have to slow them down."

One of the things about Lowell that wasn't obvious until you were on the highway home... They were smiling and laughing as they played.  The Devils, who at 4-16, had had two long losing streaks.  So they were very pleased to end the season with two road wins, even if they were at 1A Hebron and 2A Wheeler.  If a team never reaches any potential until they win a couple in a row, Lowell may be ready for a peak effort, something they must have in the Class 4A Munster Sectional quarterfinals Wednesday night against Highland (17-3).

McCormack thought that defense at the guard position is the key to survival at Munster and she was hopeful as she got on the bus Saturday, even with an injury to sophomore guard Mallory Lampa.  Lowell played six guards Saturday including juniors Erin Gavelek and Mallory Pratt plus sophomores Lampa, Kelsi Blankenship, Amanda Underwood and Jessica Schiessle.

"We've got Erin, we've got Kelsi and we've got Lampa if we get her back," said McCormack.  "And whoever's still standing in the fourth quarter gets the brass ring."

You sense that Lowell likes to be in the underdog position. If only they weren't there so often.
  
DEVIL NOTES:  Lowell drew East Chicago in the 4A Gary West Side Sectional in 2007, winning 35-18.  The Devils then went two overtimes with Highland before losing 53-43.

Lowell sophomore guard Mallory Lamp hit her head on the floor with 5:43 to play and had to be helped to the dressing room.  She did not return.  If she has a concussion, the 5-foot-6 guard, who began the season on the JV but has become a starter, will not be able to play Wednesday night against Highland.

Lowell junior forward Gretchen Barker posted four points, four rebounds and two steals off the bench Saturday.  The Devils have been using as many as 12 players in games and foul trouble probably won't be a problem for them.

Because Class 4A sectional One expanded from six to seven teams (including Morton) this year, there must be play on Tuesday AND Wednesday night.  Lowell's game with Highland is the first game at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday night.  Gary West Side meets Morton in the second game.  Tickets for the double-header are $5.

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Revised: February 05, 2008 .