2016 Boys Basketball Sectional Preview for Northwest Indiana A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 03-01-2016

Lowell and coach Joe Delgado carry an 18-5 record up to East Chicago for the seven-team Class 4A Sectional 1 this week.

Crown Point is 15-8 overall, but the Bulldogs are 10-0 on their home court and CP hosts Class 4A Sectional 2 this week. (Photos by Mark Smith)

MERRILLVILLE (03-01-2016) The 2016 boys state basketball tournament is already blessed because it didn’t start last week. 4A Sectional 2 site Crown Point was under 14 inches of snow last week.

Coming in from the north, you couldn't even get close to 3A Sectional 18 site Rensselaer. The town of LaPorte was on lock down travel-wise. Nobody was going anywhere. But the snow is all melted and if it doesn't snow again (apparently a relevant question), we’re ready to roll.

You see the battle of inside-outside again here.

Crown Point and Lowell rely on outside shooting (CP has 180 3-point baskets in 23 games) with an inside dribble drive game, while East Chicago and Merrillville rely on the inside dribble drive game with some outside shooting.

The issue at the sectional is always playing three games in four or five days and shooting well in the third game when your legs are tired. Shooters like to play at home which is a big advantage for CP, EC and Griffith.

Cass 3A No.1 Griffith’s return path to the Class 3A state finals is rough. They could see 3A No. 2 Marian (18-4) at the regional and 3A No. 2 Northwood (20-2) at the semistate. The ‘M Squad’ is led by guard Jair Rodgers (21.2 ppg.) who shoots 40% from 3-point range and 89% (117 of 131) from the foul line for Marian.

In 4A, Warsaw (22-1) and Merrillville (22-1) could meet at the Michigan City Regional, but I’d bet again that. Warsaw is 39-6 the last two seasons but they have won four games in overtime this season.

And don’t say this out loud. But if Bishop Noll or Bowman beats Boone Grove at the Boone sectional, odds are they won't stop until they get to the state finals. Look at who is in their path. I think we have multiple regional champions from Northwest Indiana this month (it's not a ‘given’, please check the recently concluded girls tourney). I just wish the title games were on TV so we could see them.

Two things: 1.) Kids. It's okay to wear pant suits like Hillary, white hair like Bernie or drink water and sweat a lot like Marco Rubio. Just don’t imitate Donald Trump. And 2.) Boys. Just because you saw Steph Curry do it on TV does NOT mean you can shoot 30 foot jump shots and dance in front of the student section. Your coach will not understand.

Lets look at the local Northwest Indiana post-season sites including the two ‘fully loaded’ 4A sectionals.

Class 1A
MORGAN TOWNSHIP Sectional
Tuesday, March 1
LaCrose (7-14) vs. Westville (11-10)
Washington Township (16-7) vs. Kouts (11-10)

Friday, March 4
LaCrosse /Westville vs. 21st Century (16-6)
WT/Kouts vs. Morgan Township (14-7)

MORGAN TOWNSHIP: This sectional is in play for public schools (and 21st Century) because Marquette was bumped up to 2A. Class 1A No. 6 21st Century is another of the charter schools that have changed the face of Indiana athletics. The Cougars are led by all-state gun-slinger Eugene German, a 145-pound guard, who averages 34 points a game. German is listed as shooting 60% from the floor, which means he gets a lot of breakaway layups. The next generation (the 22nd Century, I guess) is led by 6-foot-2 sophomore DeAndre Gholston (14.6 ppg.) who averages 10.2 rebounds per game. Host Morgan Township clearly got a good draw, but they will have to slow the game down considerably to beat 21st Century, which averages 78 points a game. Team captain Jake Koselke (19.3 ppg.) a 6-foot-3 forward and 5-foot-8 guard Jake Hernandez (13.2 ppg.) lead the way for the ‘Cherokee Nation’ which only has to win one Porter County Conference (PCC) rematch (either Washington Township or Kouts to get to the final, but Morgan has lost to both teams.

Washington is 33-15 the last two years and 5-foot-7 senior Alec Perez (15 ppg.), 6-foot-2 senior Nate Line (13.3 ppg.) and 6-foot junior Nate Johnson (10.5 ppg.) can get it done. Perez is 50-for-123 (41%) on 3-point shots.

When you pick a 6-team sectional, you lean towards the teams that only have to win two games to win it all. Especially if one of them is the host team. And since it's much easier to slow a team down than it is to speed them up, I like Morgan, which is 32-15 the last two years, to win a sectional for the first time in five years.

Class 2A
BOONE GROVE Sectional
Tuesday, March 1
River Forest (12-10) vs. BOONE (17-6)

Wednesday, March 2
Gary Roosevelt (6-15) vs. Bowman Academy (14-8)
Bishop Noll (15-7) vs. Whiting (12-10)

Friday, March 4
RF/BOONE vs. Lake Station (2-21)
Velt/Bowman vs. Noll/Whiting

PORTER TOWNSHIP: Again, the focus is on the charter school, 2A No. 10 Bowman Academy. Bishop Noll is ranked ninth but Bowman ‘acquired’ a 6-foot-8 addition in senior Brandon Johnson, an athletic perimeter forward, who has averaged 16 points per game in the nine games he’s played. 6-foot-3 Kenny Stalling (10 ppg.) and 6-foot-3 sophomore Langston Stalling join with 6-foot-1 senior Martell Barfied (13.2 ppg.) to give the Eagles a lot of high speed offense and defense.

Noll has played a strong schedule outside of the Greater South Shore Conference (GSSC) including Merrillville (22-1) and Griffith (20-3). The Warriors can slow the pace with perimeter players like Roman Penn (14.6 ppg.), Akil McClain (12.8 ppg.) and Kenny Greenwell (10.6 ppg.) so they can compete with Bowman. Those two teams have not met in three years.

The trick here is that Boone Grove doesn’t have to defeat both Bowman and Noll. Boone would only face the Noll-Bowman survivor if they reach the title game. That’s a good position to be in on your home floor. Noll and Bowman both have to win three games in four nights but Boone enters the sectional with a 3-game losing streak.

I like the winner of Noll-Bowman and I’m thinking that’s going to be Bowman Academy. The Eagles are faster and larger than any of the other teams here.

Class 3A
GRIFFITH Sectional
Tuesday, March 1
Gavit (8-14) vs. Lighthouse (9-13)
Clark (4-19) vs. Griffith (20-3)

Friday, March 4
Gavit/Lighthouse vs. Hammond (12-10)
Griffith vs. Kankakee Valley (7-15)

GRIFFITH: Griffith must win three times in five nights, but they’re at home and they can't see anyone who has won more than 12 games. The Panthers are led by high-flying 6-foot-5 twins Anthony and Tremell Murphy and Griffith’s big advantage is that most of their roster played seven playoff games last year. Ranked No.1 in Class 3A, Griffith is undefeated (7-0) against other 3A schools. The recent 64-57 loss to 2A No. 10 Bowman Academy may say more about Bowman than it does about Griffith.

The only knock on Griffith is the schedule: They didn't play any of the eight teams in the big school Duneland Conference except Crown Point (15-8), a team they topped 54-51 on Jan. 16.
But that won't matter at the sectional. Not only has Griffith previously defeated all of the other five schools, the have beaten them all by 20 points or more. The Panthers will be businesslike here in repeating as sectional champs.

Class 3A
RENSSELAER Sectional
Tuesday, March 1
Wheeler (10-12) vs. Rensselaer (8-14)
Calumet (9-12) vs. Twin Lakes (17-6)

Friday, March 4
Wheeler/Rensselaer vs. ANDREAN (8-14)
Twin Lakes/Calumet vs. HANOVER CENTRAL (9-13)

RENSSELAER: I still don’t understand why Twin Lakes is in this sectional, but they could win it. Big Dane Holmes (6-6, 237) averages 19.4 points and 6.6 rebounds. 6-foot-2 brothers Blake Bennington (11.1 ppg.) and Bryce Bennington (.7 ppg.) also add firepower. Guard Matt Conrad is 44 of 99 on 3-pointers. Twin Lakes is 51-23 the last three seasons. So who beats them?

Hanover won six of their last 10 and they’ve got a big-time 3-point shooter in Blake Maris (13.8 ppg., 52 3-point baskets). I wish they played someone other than Twin Lakes to start the sectional.
Wheeler has lost their last four and they only average 49.5 points a game. It doesn't look like they can win three times in five nights.

Andrean has played a very difficult schedule including Merrillville (22-1), Griffith (20-3), Lowell (18-5), Noll (15-7), Marquette (16-8), Crown Point (15-8), Bowman (14-8), Lafayette Catholic (13-9), East Chicago (15-5) and Chesterton (15-8). Even though the 59ers have lost 8-of-their-last 10 and have little experience, there is a real chance they can jump up and win two games here.

But Twin Lakes, even playing late Tuesday, late Friday and traveling through time zones three times, is still the favorite.

Class 4A
EAST CHICAGO Sectional
Tuesday, March 1
LOWELL (18-5) vs. Lake Central (13-11)

Wednesday, March 2
Highland (5-18) vs. Gary West Side (2-20)
East Chicago (15-5) vs. Munster (10-13)

Friday, March 4
LC or LOWELL vs. Morton (14-9)
Highland/West Side vs. EC/Munster

EAST CHICAGO: Munster and Lake Central usually win here, but the Mustangs haven't won three games in a row all year and Lake Central may be (hand injury) without Skyler Smith (14.0 ppg., 80 3-point baskets), their top scorer. Lowell is 6-0 against the other six teams here led by Nick Mantis (19.0 ppg.) and brothers John (14.3 ppg.) and Brandon (14.0 ppg.) Cory. Lowell has 167 3-point baskets in 23 games and they shoot 70% from the foul line.

East Chicago lost to Lowell by 21 last month but the Cardinals don’t play in a conference so their entire focus is sectional play. I wouldn't put it past them to downplay the regular season meeting with Lowell, knowing they’d see them again in the sectional. EC is led by 6-foot-4 senior Damien Jefferson (26.1 ppg., 8.1 rebounds per game.) and 6-foot-3 junior Jermaine Couisnard (17.2 ppg.) and they can add size with Charlie Cleveland (6-4, 230) and 6-foot-9 junior Johnnie Jones. Football quarterback DeVontae Jones is also a factor as is the home court.

The 8,200-seat Barrato Center will be near capacity if it's Lowell vs. East Chicago (a rematch of sectional football) in the 4A Sectional 1 title game March 4.  EC has to win three times in four days, but Lowell would have to make the long trip from the south end of Lake County up to the north end three times.

But I don’t know if Lowell and EC will survive LC and Munster in the first round. Lowell hasn’t won a sectional in 23 years, but surprisingly, East Chicago hasn’t won a sectional in eight years. I know I want the final game to be EC-Lowell, but I don't know who will win.

Class 4A
CROWN POINT Sectional
Tuesday, March 1
MERRILLVILLE (22-1) vs. Valparaiso (18-6)

Wednesday, March 2
CROWN POINT (15-8) vs. Michigan City (12-10)
Chesterton (15-8) vs. Hobart (12-11)

Friday, March 4
Valpo/M-VILLE vs. Portage (9-15)
CP/MC vs. Chesterton/Hobart

CROWN POINT: If I’m not sure who wins at East Chicago, I have no idea here. Host CP is 1-8 against Michigan City in the last five years. Merrillville is 22-1, but they open against Valparaiso and the Vikings are 36-11 the last two seasons. And why can't Chesterton win? The Trojans have defeated Hobart and Valparaiso. They lost to CP by six and Merrillville by six.

The Pirates are rated second in the state with only a 55-50 loss at Crown Point. 6-foot-4 forward Jarius Stevens (15.3 ppg.) is the top scorer and football QB DJ Wilkins (13.2 ppg.) is one of many who contribute in the back court. Cameron Wilbon (10.3 ppg.) has not been 100% healthy lately, but the Pirates have a lot of players.

Host Crown Point has 6-foot-4 Sasha Stefanovic (16.0 ppg.), who has averaged 20 per game the last six games. 6-foot-6 senior Grant Gelon (14.8) has 85 3-point baskets and 6-foot-7 post player Andrew Kenneally (11.6) shoots 62% from the floor. Senior guard Blake Bonin (6.5 ppg.) averages five assists a game.

Valpo has defeated CP and they have all kinds of experience in 6-foot-4 guard Steve Helm, 6-foot-7 mobile senior center Conner Ten Hove and guard Evan Walls, who had 14 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and five assists in the win over CP on Feb. 12.

Michigan City is 12-10 with five losses by eight points or less. MC eliminated Crown Point at the sectional level two years ago and MC beat CP three times three years ago. That may not matter. But the Wolves topped Crown Point 58-55 in January and that matchup was the same teams that play Wednesday.

It's hard to pick who wins the title game here, because you can't predict who will be in the title game. I’ll cop out the way I did in the 4A Sectional 1 preview. I know I want the final game to be CP-Merrillville, but I don’t know who wins.


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Revised: March 03, 2016 .