Tuesday, 12-7-2004 - First Round LAC Tournament in Lowell

WHEELER (44) Allison Hayes 2-1-5, Amy Ketchum 2-1-5, Carissa Altaras 1-0-2, Becca Bruszewski 5-0-13, Ali Roper 7-3-19, Rachel Dean 0-0-0, Kim Alonzo 0-0-0, Courtney Dixon 0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-5-44.

LOWELL (40) Kelly Johnson 2-2-6, Bailey Wagner 1-0-2, Rachel Thiel 3-1-7, Ashley Cosentino 5-2-15, Julie Swisher 4-1-10, Michelle Johnson 0-0-0, Jennifer Sharkey 0-0-0. TOTALS: 15-6-40.

LOWELL: 6-11, 54.5% - Kelly Johnson 2-6, Thiel 1-2, Cosentino 2-2, Swisher 1-1.

REBOUNDS: WHEELER (20) Bruszewski 10, Roper 6, Hayes 1, Altaras 1, Alonzo 1, Dean 1.

LOWELL (28) Thiel 14, Cosentino 4, Wagner 4, Kelly Johnson 3, Swisher 1 Michelle Johnson 1, Sharkey 1.

TURNOVERS: WHEELER 20, LOWELL 16.

ASSISTS: WHEELER (11) Roper 5, Bruszeweski 2, Hayes 2, Dean, Altaras.

LOWELL (5) Wagner 2, Kelly Johnson, Cosentino 1, Thiel 1.

STEALS: WHEELER (9) Roper 3, Bruszewski 2, Hayes 2, Dean 1 , Ketchum 1.

LOWELL (6) Cosentino 3, Wagner 1, Kelly Johnson 1, Michelle Johnson 1.

FOULED OUT: WHEELER: none; LOWELL (2) Cosentino – 1:39 left (4^th Q); Kelly Johnson - :01 left (4^th Q).

LOWELL (12-7-2004) - To say that Lowell's performance against Wheeler in the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) tournament is promising is an understatement.

Playing basically with five players, the Red Devils battled the defending 2A sectional champions into the final minutes just four days after battling a much-taller Hobart team into overtime.

But you know what they say about promises. After rallying to tie Hobart, only to lose 45-43 in overtime, the Devils trailed Wheeler 25-6, rallied to tie the game 27-27, before eventually losing 44-40.

Much can be said about how well the Red Devils competed and how close they came considering their shortcomings.

But, considering that the short depth situation is not fixable in the short term, Lowell coach Patti McCormack doesn't want to hear how close they came.

“This was just like the Hobart game,” she said. “We can't keep falling behind at the start of the game. We've dug a hole in the last three games and we seem to be taking an extra scoop out. We did it tonight for no good reason. We did not do the things that we do well.”

“We cannot beat teams if we dig a big hole for ourselves and come from behind to win. We don't have a schedule where we can do that. We are a great rally team but we didn't close tonight. We were in foul trouble. I thought Ashley (Cosentino) did a great job. But when she sat down with her fourth foul, boom, the game changed.”

Trailing 25-6 after Wheeler's 5-10 Ali Roper (12) and 6-2 sophomore Becca Bruszewski (9) combined for 21 first half points, the Red Devils rallied behind the 5-2 Cosentino, who scored all 15 of her points in the first three quarters on three-point shots and slashing drives.

Cosentino drew her fourth foul with 1:28 left in the third quarter and Wheeler scored the next 11 points with Roper contributing four points, three assists and two steals.

“You've got to give Ali credit,” said first year Wheeler coach Doug Springer, who was the assistant coach last season. “She's staying after practice every day to work on her shot because she was in rehab. Our girls have all worked very hard. After we were eliminated in the regional last year, they were back to work, lifting weights and working out. They deserve the wins they're getting now.”

Soph guard Kelly Johnson scored two baskets to lead a second rally that pulled Lowell to within 42-38 with 1:14 left in the game. But the Bearcats (5-3) were able to stall 40 seconds off the clock before 5-1 junior guard Allison Hayes was fouled and hit one free throw. The Devils' Bailey Wagner scored with six seconds to play but a Roper free shot closed out the scoring with one second left.

“Our defensive intensity down the stretch wasn't good,” said McCormack, who watched three late Wheeler field goals on layups or short shots. “We fouled at the right time but we missed two block outs on the free throw line. We were there but we didn't hit (block out) hard enough. That's what young teams have to do.”

“But we have to learn how to come out of the blocks better. To use our strengths. We've got shooters and we can go to the basket. But why did it take us a quarter and a half to do that?”

Springer noted the dilemma Lowell operates with.

“You've got to give Patti credit” he said. “She's a heckuva coach. She has her kids ready to play. They're not very tall. She's got great kids. Lowell is a class act school. We're glad to play them. With me being a first-year coach I'm looking at the Highlands, the Lowells, the Crown Points. We don't play Crown Point. But that's where I want Wheeler. They play hard. Their kids are strong. They get after it. That's what I want them to say about us.”

Wheeler is an odd team in that both Roper and Bruszewski, by far Bearcats' tallest players, prefer to play on the perimeter. Bruszewski, who moved into the low post only briefly when the game was tied, scoring two baskets, was ineffective on the perimeter after three early three-point field goals. Lowell, which used only one player taller than 5-6, was able to stay in the game largely because Wheeler didn't anchor their tallest player close to the basket and get her the ball.

Springer says that his girls have the option of going down low anytime they want to but that both Bruszewski and Roper are 'face-the-basket' players, by nature.

“Ali has worked very hard on playing the post,” he explained. She's a 5-10 shooting guard. She's never ever played the post. I asked her to work on it this year. We've got eight kids who can put it on the floor. We run an open post offense and all our girls have the option of posting up whenever they want to.”

“Becca worked hard in AAU in the off-season to learn how to play the post. She's trying to get more comfortable and you may see a lot more of it. This is our eighth game and we're still trying to feel out what we can do. I'm a first year coach. I didn't coach Ali because she went right to the varsity. They don't totally know what to expect from me and we're trying to get the feel for each other.”

Lowell used sophomore backups Michelle Johnson briefly and 5-10 soph Jen Sharkey only in the final seconds. The starting five of Cosentino, Wagner, Kelly Johnson, Julie Swisher and Rachel Thiel played almost every second of the game.

There simply does not appear to be anyone else ready to play, especially against teams with big strong players like Bruszewski and Roper.

“How do you send somebody else in who matches up with those two?” asked McCormack. “But it was the defensive mistakes that got me. Standing up (out of the 'ready' stance) on defense. Not blocking out on free throws. Not getting the ball inbounds. All these kids are smart enough to prevent that.”

“That's what I mean about it (the win) being on the shelf. It was right there.”

But Lowell's games have been very competitive and the Red Devil girls are fun to watch.

“For you guys,” she said to visitors. “Not for me.”

DEVIL NOTES:  Lowell junior center Rachel Theil grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, including 11 in the first half. Thiel finished with 14 rebounds, two blocked shots, two steals and one assists. Cosentino scored 10 or more in four of her first five games. Julie Swisher tied her season high of 14 points in the 45-43 loss at Hobart. Swisher, a 5-4 junior, scored at least one three-point basket in each of Lowell's first five games.

The 11 Lowell free throw attempts were the lowest total in the Devils' first five games. “I thought we were going to the basket,” said McCormack. “But we didn't get the calls.”

The three teams Lowell has lost to, Hobart (5-2), Wheeler (5-3) and Crown Point (7-0), had a combined record of 17-5 after Tuesday night (Dec. 7).

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Revised: December 08, 2004 .