Lowell Girls drop close one on road to Andrean 59ers, 51-48

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith
12-24-2005

Wednesday, 12-21-2005 - Lake Athletic Conference game at Andrean

LOWELL (48) Ashley Cosentino 6-6-18,  Rachel Thiel 6-0-12, Kara Lamb 0-1-1, Mallory Pratt  0-0-0, Katie Haberlin 0-0-0, Kim Bell 0-3-3, Julie Swisher 4-3-14.  TOTALS: 16 (13-23) 48.

ANDREAN (51) Meagan Stickler 3-3-9, Val Tyburski 4-1-9, Michelle Hynes 2-0-6, Suzanne Cunningham 1-2-4, Amy Blane 1-1-3, Kelleigh McCrea 3-3-9, Rachel McGinty 0-2-2, Courtney Pishkur 2-0-6, Marie Harris 0-0-0, Jiori Orfanos 0-0-0.  TOTALS:  17 (12-18) 51.

FREE THROWS:  LOWELL (13-23, .565)  Lamb 1-3, Cosentino 6-10, Bell 3-4, Swisher 3-4, Thiel 0-2.    ANDREAN (12-18, .667)  Stickler 3-6, McCrea 3-3, Cunningham 2-3, McGinty 2-2, Tyburski 1-3, Blane 1-1.

REBOUNDS: LOWELL (26) Thiel 11, Cosentino 5, Swisher 4, Lamb 3, Bell 2, Haberlin; ANDREAN (23) Blane 5, Stickler 3, McGinty 3, Tyburski 2, McCrea 2, Hynes 2, Cunningham 2, Harris 2, Pishkur, Orfanos.

ASSISTS:  LOWELL (6) Cosentino 6;  ANDREAN (5) Tyburski 2, Stickler, Blane, Cunningham.

STEALS:  LOWELL (5) Cosentino 3, Lamb, Bell;  ANDREAN (11) Stickler 3, Cunningham 3, Tyburski 2, Hynes 2. Blane.

BLOCKED SHOTS:  LOWELL  (3) Bell 3, ANDREAN (0)

3-GOALS:  LOWELL (3) Julie Swisher 3;  ANDREAN (5) Courtney Pishkur 2, Michelle Hynes 2, Kelleigh McCrea.

FOULED OUT: Suzanne Cunningham (A), Rachel McGinty (A); Kim Bell (L), Rachel Thiel (L).

MERRILLVILLE  (12-21-2005) -  You hope this was a pivotal game for one team and not the other.  What started out as a nightmare for Andrean ended up as one for Lowell.  For three quarters, the 59ers were getting beat and looking bad doing it.  They were about to revisit the .500 mark with a butt-kicking home court loss.

Lowell was leading 38-26 after three quarters and on the verge of a solid road win that would keep them walking down happy street in the Lake Athletic Conference.  But the 59ers never gave up and, in a wild fourth quarter run that saw four players foul out and Lowell unable to survive a very physical Andrean defense, some clutch Niner shooting and some uncharacteristic Red Devil misses from the foul line, Andrean reached out and stole one, a dramatic 51-48 come-from-behind win.

"This is an example of what we can do," said Andrean coach Ken Markfull, referring to the 25-10 run in the final eight minutes. "We haven't played since a week ago last Saturday (10 days) and in the first half, we played like we hadn't played in a week and a half.  Once we found that intensity level, the shots were in rhythm and we got things going.  Defensively we got the double teams on (Ashley) Cosentino and took her out of what she wants to do which is go right through us."

Lowell coach Patti McCormack also saw the focus on Cosentino, a slick left-handed senior who averages 15 points and five steals per game,  as the key.

"Nobody stepped up and helped Ashley get the ball up the floor," said McCormack, who thought the physical defense on her senior lead guard was a bit much.  Most of the time she can beat two defenders, but not when they're laying on her the way they were."

It was a loosely called game that had both coaches shaking their heads most of the night.  Andrean was hurt when 5-10 senior forward Rachel McGinty fouled out with 4:49 to play.  But Lowell (10-2), which had previously lost only to LAC tournament champion Munster (10-3),was hurt worse when 5-10 senior center Rachel Thiel fouled out with 1:32 to go.

Trailing 38-26, Andrean started to close the gap on a three-point play by Amy Blane.  Courtney Pishkur's three-point shot off the left wing made it 40-32 with 5:54 to go.  Lowell could have put the game out of reach at this point from the foul line, but Kara Lamb could only split two free throws with 5:12 left and Thiel missed a 1-and-1 chance with 4:50 to go.

The Niners (5-3), who have lost only to Merrillville (9-1), St. Joseph's (8-0) and Munster (11-3), got rapid succession three-point plays from 5-9 sophomore Kelleigh McCrea and 5-10 junior Val Tyburski to make it 41-38 with 4:23 left.

Cosentino drove the length of the floor for a layup, but Pishkur hit a second three-point shot to make it 43-41.  Cosentino, the Devils only top-caliber ball-handler, was now fighting a trapping full court press to get the ball up the floor.  With Theil in foul trouble and the tide clearly turning in front of a small but vocal crowd, no one else stepped up to advance the ball and Andrean put as much defensive pressure on Cosentino as they could get away with.

"We cant win a game that's called like that," said McCormack. "But what were we from the foul line?  13 of 23?  We had chances to put it away.  There's going to be a lot more games like this.  Our posts have to step out and help against the press and they both had four fouls so they were timid.  You've just got to go back door against pressure like that and we couldn't do it."

Stickler, a smooth 5-8 junior ball-handler, spun into the lane for a 10-footer that tied the game 43-43 with 2:40 to go.  Cosentino was fouled but the little lefty, an almost 80-percent foul shooter on the season, could only split two shots.

Andrean missed two, three-point attempts but Cosentino was called for a five-second violation with 1:33 left when no teammate came to help her near the mid court line.  Suzanne Cunningham, who had a dismal offensive first three quarters, got fouled by Thiel (her 5th foul) and sank two free throws to put her side ahead with 1:27 left.

As Cosentino brought the ball up the court, Michelle Hynes slapped the ball away from the Lowell senior and Stickler ran away to the basket drawing another foul.  Stickler split two free throws to make it 46-44 with 1:12 left and the 59ers stole the ball on the press again with Cunningham scoring a runaway layup for a 48-44 lead with 49 seconds left.

Cosentino was called for stepping over the baseline while she was inbounding the ball giving Andrean the ball with a four point lead, but McCrea missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 28 seconds left.  Cosentino pushed the ball up the floor and found Julie Swisher on the right wing. Swisher's 20-foot three-point basket made it 48-47 with 17 seconds to go and Cosentino fouled Stickler who hit one of two foul shots with 13 seconds left.

Andrean almost gave Lowell the tying points when Cunningham inexplicably fouled Lowell's Kim Bell, who was rebounding Stickler's missed shot.  But Bell, an 80% foul shooter through 11 games, could only hit one of two foul shots with 13 seconds to go, leaving the score at 49-48.  Bell immediately fouled McCrea, who sank two foul shots for a 51-48 Andrean lead.  On the game's final play, Cosentino was double-teamed and her pass to Swisher for a potential game-tying shot was intercepted by McCrea as the clock ran out.

"When we got down to 10 seconds," said McCormack, "we wanted to run off a double baseline screen.  But they just came out and double-teamed Ashley.  You've got to have post come up and help on that.  We had Rachel (Thiel) off the floor and Kim (Bell) was off the floor.  You have to have somebody who's visible and vocal and we didn't have anybody there."

Andrean coach Ken Markfull was very aware that this win establishes the 59ers as LAC Black Division title contenders, even with the 54-27 LAC tournament loss to first place Munster. LAC tournament games do not count in the league standings.

"And I can promise you that we are not 27 points worse than Munster," said the 59er coach.  "That game got away from us near the end."

Certainly, this rescheduled game at Andrean on a Wednesday night (this was originally scheduled for Nov. 26, the day Lowell won the state football title) got away from the Red Devils, who lost Theil to fouls with 2 1/2 minutes to play.  Lowell uses six players regularly while Andrean has a nine player rotation.  When both teams lost two players to fouls in the final minutes, the 59ers were left in much better shape.  Both sides had significant complaints about inconsistent officiating but a winning team should hold a 12-point lead with eight minutes to play under any circumstances.

"It's a shame," said McCormack, whose team shot 76 percent from the foul line before this night when they sank just 13 of 23.  "We had their lead post out of the game (on fouls) and we didn't get the ball inside. Just reverse it and get it inside.  They just didn't listen to us  on that tonight.  We just have to play a lot better on the road.  We have a team that can make a run for the conference title and then we play a game like this.  It is very, very disappointing."

LAC NOTES:  Lowell's loss denied them an 11-1 start, best in school history.  No Lowell team has ever won more than 17 games.  Both sides thought the officiating left a lot to be desired.

"But I told them you're not going to get the call here," said Lowell coach Patti McCormack of late game situations. "You've got to play through it because you're not going to get calls on the road."

Andrean appeared to get a major break at the end of the first half when Rachel McGinty appeared to take three dribble-free steps before she scored a layup at the buzzer.  Andrean thought that Ashley Cosentino initiated fouls by jumping into the defenders when she has a step on them zipping to the basket.

"She's a tough player to deal with," said Andrean coach Ken Markfull, who agreed that the Lowell guard puts a lot of pressure on the referee.  "Because she creates the contact.  We only gave up three three-point baskets to (Julie) Swisher?  That's pretty good actually. We probably gave her too many shots, though. We weren't on her on that last shot."

Swisher, who had 25 of 75 before the game from the three-point range, was 3-of-12 against the 59ers.  Lowell's Rachel Thiel had 12 points and 11 rebounds but only got six shots from the floor. The Red Devil senior was 6-of-6 from the floor.

Lowell sophomore Gabi Goetz returned to action on the junior varsity after missing the entire season with knee problems.  Goetz, a 5-9 center, ran the floor well but had to be iced down after the contest.  Had she been totally healthy, Goetz, the younger sister of 2005 Lowell graduate and all-state football running back Toby Goetz, would have gone into the varsity game when Theil and Kim Bell fouled out late in the fourth quarter.  She was originally projected to be with the varsity this season and may yet be.

Lowell junior Kelly Johnson, the Devils' leading scorer last season, who has missed all 12 games after pre-season knee surgery, is not ready to return yet.  Johnson, a 5-5 guard who averaged 11.4 points per game last season, warms up with the team before the game.  But she is still limping and is still 2-4 weeks away from playing in the best-case scenario.

Andrean freshman point guard Jen Dranchak, who was projected to be with the varsity in the pre-season, is out of action recovering from a stress fracture in her foot.  A skilled dribbler, Dranchak may also be back on the floor in mid-January.

Andrean faces Hammond high (7-3) at the Wheeler Invitational in a semifinal game that will start at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27.  If the 59ers win, they will play either Wheeler (5-4) or Hobart (5-5) for the title Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m.  Lowell, which swept three games over 24 hours against Calumet, Rossville and Carroll over the Dec. 16-17 weekend, does not play again until they travel to Bishop Noll on Tuesday, Jan. 3.  Because they advanced to the finals of the LAC tournament, Lowell will play 21 regular season games this year.

USA-365.com Notes:  0ur Internet broadcast team takes a Christmas - New Year's holiday break, then returns to action for the Portage at Crown Point boys basketball game to be broadcast via the Internet on USA-365.com on Tuesday, January 3.  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 girls basketball game to be broadcast via the Internet on USA-365.com will be Chesterton at Crown Point in a rare boys/girls varsity double-header on Friday, January 6.  Live coverage begins with the pregame show at 5:45 p.m. and the tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., CST.  The Chesterton-CP boys game will follow 20-minutes after the conclusion of the girls game.

Dave Woodworth (play-by-play) and Mark Smith (analysis) return to call the action. The PODcast and story will be posted later that weekend on www.USA-365.com.  

Copyright © 2005 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: December 24, 2005 .