Mustangs gallop away from Red Devils with 68-35 win

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-01-2009

Friday, 01-30-2009 -  Northwest Crossroads Conference (NCC) game at MUNSTER, IN

LOWELL (35) Austin Richie 5-4-14, Joe Bell 1-2-5, Trevor Kersey 1-1-3, Brandon Grubbe 1-0-2, Keith Greer 1-1-3, Craig Austgen 2-0-4, Mathew Hilbrich 1-2-4, Jordan Muscari 0-0-0, Ray Skamay 0-0-0, Kyle Richwalski 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 12 (10-16) 35.

MUNSTER (68) Brian Stolarz 2-1-5, Krste Ruiz 2-0-4, Alex McGuire 7-2-16, Kyle Ruiz 2-0-4, Tony DiCostanzo 1-2-4, Justin Gill 2-0-4, Joe Crisman 1-3-5, Josh Lukoshus 4-0-10, Matt Gaskey 3-0-8, Kevin Watterson 1-0-2, Zach Vega 3-0-6.  TOTALS: 28 (8-12) 68.

FREE THROWS: LOWELL (10-16, 62.5%) Richie 4-4, Bell 2-4, Kersey 1-1, Muscari 0-2, Greer 1-3, Hillbrich 2-2.  MUNSTER (8-12, 66.7%) DiCostanzo 2-2, McGuire 2-5, Stolarz 0-1, Crisman 3-4.

REBOUNDS:  LOWELL (17) Bell 4, Greer 4, Hillbrich 3, Richie 2, Kersey 2, Muscari, Grubbe;   MUNSTER (42) Gill 10, McGuire 8, Crisman 6,  DiCostanzo 5, Ritz 4, Garkey 4, Stolarz 2, Lukoshus 2, Ruiz.

STEALS:  LOWELL (7) Bell 3, Muscari 2, Richie, Austgen;  MUNSTER (10) McGuire 2, DiCostanzo 2, Crisman 2, Gaskey, Stolarz, Ritz.

ASSISTS: LOWELL (3) Grubbe 2, Bell;  MUNSTER (16) Gill 4, Crisman 4, McGuire 2, DiCostanzo 2, Watterson, Gaskey, Ruiz, Ritz.

3-GOALS: LOWELL (1) Joe Bell; MUNSTER (2) Matt Gaskey 2.

MUNSTER (1-30-2009) There's a reason Munster is undefeated.  And you almost have to see them in person to get it.  The 2009 Mustangs aren't especially quick, aren't big and they aren't exceptional shooters.  They just play the game a lot faster than you do.  A lot faster.  Munster's game was a lot faster than Lowell's last Friday and the Mustangs rolled to 12-0 on the season with an easy 68-35 win over the suddenly slumping Red Devils.

Coming off a stunning 64-39 loss to Griffith three days earlier, Lowell trailed 6-0, 18-8 and 28-10.  The Red Devils never led and they seemed intimidated, losing to Munster for the eighth consecutive season.

"They're a very good team," said Lowell coach Mike Magley.  "Very well coached.  We played better than we did Tuesday.  But we've got a lot of things we need to get better at.  Stopping transition.  Stopping number 24 (Alex McGuire) in transition.  It's not like we didn't talk about it."

Lowell, which began the season 6-3 before these two blowout losses, committed 15 first half turnovers and gave up a dozen 'run out' baskets where a steal or an outlet pass off a rebound led to a lay up at the other end.  Other than Matt Gaskey, who sank the Mustangs' two three-point goals, I couldn't tell you how good any of Munster's shooters are off of this game.  They didn't have to shoot much other than lay ups.

One player didn't beat Lowell.  Talent-wise, it's hard to say that Munster is 33 points better than the Devils.  It was a series of deflections, steals and quick drive attacks.  Nobody plays 32 minutes a game and the intensity wears on the opposition.  It's a speed and a style that Munster has clearly gotten all players to buy in to.

"It's a problem we don't have anymore," said Munster coach Mike Hackett, who is 149-46 in nine years at the 'rich kid' school in Lake County.  "It's just understood.  When we first came in here, it's something that I tried to stress and sell to them.  The boys have seen other (Munster) teams play that hard for a few years now and they've seen us have success.  These kids have grown up watching them and they know that's how we play."

Hackett suggests that Munster has lost some players in past years who didn't want to be part of a 10 to 12-man rotation that sacrifices individual numbers for team numbers.

"The boys all understand now that this is how we're going to do it," Hackett continued.  "If you don't want to play that hard, then go play 'Biddy Ball.'  But you won't play here.  It's not something that's talked about much anymore.  It's understood.  The kids seem to enjoy making it tough on the other team."

That's an understatement.  It's easy to see how Munster has won 11 games by 10 points or more, including a 17-point whipping of an offensive-minded East Chicago (9-5) squad and a 39-point win over Hammond (8-4).

With that said, something has happened to Lowell.  Two blowout losses in a row in league play left the team with a lot of questions.  Munster used a diamond and one press that traps the ball-handler in the back court.  Lowell's strength is at the guard position, but they do not deal well with full court pressure.

"You can make the pass over the top," said Magley.  "But you have to be able to draw two defenders to you and then make the pass.  There are open players."

Munster was the more confident team and their leaping, scrambling defenders tipped a lot of passes, which other Mustangs were able to steal.  Lowell trailed by 20 or more most of the second half as Munster shuttled 12 players in and out of the game and the Mustang public address announcer repeated ticket information for the following nights' game against Valparaiso (12-1).

"We've been really consistent on the defensive end," Hackett said.  "We weren't real good offensively tonight.  When you can do what we've done defensively, it helps your offense.  Eventually, though, we're going to have to start playing a little better on offense.  Hopefully that will come."

Lowell should be able to bounce back.  The problem could simply be a rough stretch in the schedule.  It's not like they a have a history of beating Munster and were shocked by this defeat, which gave the Mustangs (12-0, 4-0) the lead in the Northwest Crossroads Conference.  When Magley saw Munster and Merrillville (9-5) back-to-back in the final weekend of January, he knew storm clouds were on the horizon.

"And then we play Andrean (Feb. 6) and they won't be easy.  Then we go to Boone Grove (9-2).  Then we've got Hobart, Calumet and Crown Point.  We just have to go back to work and get better.  It hurts to lose like this, but that's all we can do."

DEVIL NOTES:  Lowell had junior Craig Austgen in the starting lineup for the first time.  The 5-foot-10 guard had four points and three rebounds.  The significance of that is that there probably isn't any.  Coach Mike Magley uses a different starting lineup almost every week, based on performance in practice.

Munster's 6-foot-5 'center' Alex McGuire, who scored 16 points Friday, is the same kid who played guard for them a couple of years ago.  The Mustangs have him run the opposition's center up and down the floor, turning a weak spot into a strength.  But McGuire isn't really a center.

"We have Alex out of position," said coach Mike Hackett.  "His natural position is small forward.  But we have a center because he's the biggest kid we have.  He's a skilled kid.  He's going to play in college and he'll make some coach very, very happy.  Down the road, he may be one of the best kids to come out of here.  He's got that body and those skills."

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Revised: February 11, 2009 .