Merrillville Girls dominate 1st half at Lowell en route to 63-45 win over Lady Devils

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith
1-11-2006

Tuesday, 1-10-2006 - nonconference game at Lowell

MERRILLVILLE (63)   Brittney Moore 7-0-14, Sharon Houston 5-4-14, Britney Cruse 4-1-9, Britney Curry 4-0-8, Chrissy Lobodinski 2-1-5, Jamesha Harris 2-3-7, LaToya Noble 3-0-6, Gabrielle Walton 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  24 (9-15) 63.

LOWELL (45)  Ashley Cosentino 5-9-19, Kim Bell 3-0-6, Julie Swisher 2-1-6, Rachel Thiel 2-3-7, Kara Lamb 3-0-6, Katie Haberlin 0-1-1.  TOTALS:  15 (14-23) 45.

FREE THROWS:  MERRILLVILLE (9-15, 60%) Houston 4-4, Lobodinski 1-4, Harris 3-5, Cruse 1-2;  LOWELL (14-22, 60.8%) Cosentino 9-11, Swisher 1-2, Thiel  3-7, Haberlin 1-2.

REBOUNDS:  MERRILLVILLE (38) Moore 13, Lobodinski 10, Houston 7, Curry 5,  Harris 2, Cruse;
LOWELL (30)  Thiel 10, Bell 8, Swisher 5, Lamb 3, Cosentino 2,  Haberlin 2.

STEALS:  MERRILLVILLE (14) Harris 3, Houston 3, Moore 2, Curry 2, Cruse 3, Lobodinski;  LOWELL (12) Cosentino 5, Swisher 3, Lamb 3, Bell.

ASSISTS:  MERRILLVILLE (12) Moore 4, Houston 4, Curry 2, Cruse 2;   LOWELL (3)  Swisher, Thiel, Lamb.

3-GOALS:  MERRILLVILLE (0);  LOWELL (1) Julie Swisher. 

LOWELL  (1-10-2006)  Merrillville coach Amy Govert was accurate but charitable when she commented that the second half of Tuesday night's Lowell-Merrillville game was fairly even.  Point taken.  But the first half was not.

In a game that vividly describes the difference between the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) and the big school Duneland Athletic Conference, DAC leader Merrillville raced to a 15-point first half lead and rejected any challenge by Lowell in a solid 63-45 win.  Lowell had great difficulty adjusting to the speed and size of the Class 4A No. 9 Pirates and the game was over before they could do so.  Playing LAC teams like Griffith, Munster and Andrean simply doesn't prepare you for facing the size and speed of one of the state's top-10 teams.

"We made little mistakes," said Lowell coach Patti McCormack, "in terms of getting them backed out on the blocks.  Slow passes early.  We were so dialed in on what was going on underneath the basket that we lost track of what was going on behind us.  They hit their lay ups and we missed ours.  A lot of little things became one big thing."

The big Pirate lead made the game fun for the visiting team and eased worries on what, on paper, was a troublesome nonconference game.

"It's always tough to come to Lowell," said Govert. "We tried to tell the kids that they (Lowell) beat Crown Point. They were a good team. We're pretty happy with how they responded."

Merrillville (13-1) ran out to leads of 9-4 and 17-10.  An 8-0 run late in the second quarter, fueled by some of Lowell's 11 first half turnovers, made it 27-14 with 2:19 left in the half.  Lowell's 5-10 low post players, Kim Bell and Rachel Thiel, were dwarfed by Merrillville's 6-foot-2 center Brittney Moore and 6-foot-3 forward Sharon Houston, who outscored Bell and Thiel 14-4 in the first half and 28-13 for the game.  On the perimeter, Lowell's quick duo of Ashley Cosentino and Julie Swisher were confronted by an even quicker backcourt trio of Pirate underclassmen Jamesha Harris, Britney Cruse and LaToya Noble.

Lowell is fortunate that Merrillville is not in their sectional next month because the DAC leaders match up perfectly with the Red Devils (11-4).  As presently constituted, Lowell could probably play Merrillville 10 times and not win one.

"That's a really good team," said McCormack, who didn't quite agree. "I just think that if we'd have done some little things we could have provided a real challenge.  We had it down to 13.  To me, that's a red light to turn it on.  Go in hard and create some contact.  We just didn't finish tonight.  I don't know any other way to say it."

"I told them (her players), you'll see another team like this.  You'll see another team where we're out manned inside.  You'll see another team that releases the guards.  You may not see this level of athleticism."

The best thing about Merrillville Tuesday was that they didn't do the two things that could allow Lowell to win.  One: Start the game slowly.  Two: Shoot three-point baskets.  When you walk on the floor with a 6-foot-3 forward like Sharon Houston and a 6-2 center like Brittney Moore, the other side is praying you'll fire up a dozen 20-footers.  21st century basketball players buy into the ESPN mentality that a highlight is a three-point shot, not a three pass combination.

On this night, Merrillville didn't throw up three-pointers, opting for drives to the basket by Harris and Cruse of combination pass plays between the 6-3 Houston and the 6-2 Moore, options Lowell was stressed to stop.

"We made a lot of bad decisions in our earlier games that made those games closer than they needed to be," said Govert. "One game we ended the game with seven straight turnovers.  We watch a lot of film and sometimes they (her players) don't see what you're saying during the game.  But when they see it on tape, they say 'Okay, now I see.  We're improving a little at a time.  But right now, I have no complaints."

Lowell's only consistent offense was Cosentino, the 5-3 left-handed guard, tirelessly zipping down the lane, trying to beat the odds.  With no one else scoring in double figures and Lowell making a total of 23 turnovers, the final score was indicative of how the game was played.

When Merrillville is playing well, the Pirates are a well-constructed and balanced team.  Houston and Moore completed high post to low post passes for baskets over the smaller Devils and Lowell guards appeared overmatched in the middle of the floor against Merrillville's back court speed.

In the fourth quarter, Cosentino scored on a driving layup to start a 5-0 run that closed the lead to 56-43 with 2:45 to play.  But Houston, who plays as if she's 6-5 or 6-6, fired a high post pass down to Moore, anchored close to the goal for a spinning layup and a 58-43 lead, stopping the final rally.

Lowell is going through a rough stretch, but they knew the second half of the schedule would be more difficult than the first.  The obvious problems they have are correctable.

"We've got to get Julie (Swisher's) stroke back," said McCormack.  "Our posts have to finish inside and we've got to start hitting our free throws again or January can be a very ugly month.  You need a game like this to paint the scenery of exactly where you are.  That's a really good team.  I just don't like to come out of the gym without putting a really good challenge on them."

RED DEVIL NOTES:  Lowell was shooting 75% from the foul line as a team before they were 15 of 26 (57.6%) against Griffith and 14 of 22 (60.8%) against Merrillville.  The positive aspect is that Lowell is still getting to the line 20-30 times every night.  Foul shooters don't suddenly lose their stroke.  The Devils' charity accuracy should return.

Guard Julie Swisher, who was 31 of 90 (34.4%) on three-point baskets in Lowell's first 13 games, was held to a total of one three-pointer against Griffith and Merrillville, both Devil losses.  One witness can testify that the recent rise of Michigan City (10-6) is no fluke.

"Michigan City is playing well," said Merrillville's Amy Govert.  "I saw them play (4A No. 3) South Bend Washington and they were up seven. If they'd have gotten any calls at all, they'd have won.'

Merrillville has defeated Valparaiso twice this season but the Vikings know how to play them.  Valpo led by 11 points in the fourth quarter of the first game and missed two late game-winning free throws before losing in double-overtime this month.  Govert explained why Valparaiso has been a problem for the Pirates, who have dominated many other squads.

"We didn't execute," Govert said of the 56-53 double-overtime win on Jan. 4. "We missed 19 shots in the paint between our two big people.  If we make just half of those, its a completely different game.  Moore was 4-of-14 and Sharon was 4 of 19.  (Erica) Humes is going to get her points.  But we did not make shots."

Ashley Cosentino, who had 54 steals (4.2 avg.) after 13 games, stole the ball five times against Merrillville and seemed just as strong at the end of the game as she was at the start Tuesday.

Lowell still hopes that 5-5 guard Kelly Johnson, who averaged 11.4 per game in 2005, can come back from knee surgery this season.

"We're looking for a good report from the doctor," coach Patti McCormack said about a re-examination this week.  Johnson is on the bench for every Lowell game.

Sophomore center Gabi Goetz is also in uniform on the bench for varsity games and is playing in the JV games.  McCormack simply did not want to use the 5-9 Goetz against Merrillville's powerful senior front line Tuesday but there is a thought that she'll see varsity action in the final three weeks and be a front court backup in the playoffs. 

Lowell has used six varsity players almost exclusively and they probably will need seven and eight players in case they must play three playoff games in five days.

USA-365.com Notes:  0ur Internet broadcast team provides live coverage of the Lake Central at Crown Point Girls basketball game to be broadcast via the Internet on USA-365.com on Saturday, January 14.  Live coverage begins with the pregame show at 7:15 p.m. and the tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., CST.  

The next Crown Point boys basketball game to be broadcast via the Internet on USA-365.com will be Michigan City at Crown Point on Friday, January 20.  Live coverage begins with the pregame show at 7:15 p.m. and the tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., CST.  Dave Woodworth (play-by-play) and Mark Smith (analysis) call the action. The PODcast and story will be posted later that weekend on www.USA-365.com.  

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Revised: January 12, 2006 .