2006-2007 Girls Basketball  Week-5 Poll A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith (12-14-2006)

MICHIGAN CITY, IN - (12-14-2006)  - No change at the top of the poll as Michigan City and Andrean proved they belong at the front of NW Indiana teams as we reach mid-season.  There has been a lack of offensive players in NW Indiana with no one averaging more than 20 points a game.  Scores in the 30s have been commonplace and it highlights the fact that girls don't take the skills of the game seriously enough.

Girls who play year round are as rare as quality teams in the National Football League and the few stars can be stopped because their teammates have no offensive skills.  It must be a lot tougher to teach dribbling than I think it is, because so few can.  Every good team presses full court because no team truly handles it well.  It must be mind-blowing to coaches who produce strategies that the girls cannot execute because they can't dribble the ball against pressure.

I know it's a down year in NW Indiana and maybe that's coloring my view, but kids all want to shoot the ball for the '3' and they can't dribble or pass against anybody with athletic ability.  If I was a coach, I'd run a box-and-1 or triangle-and-2 offense on everybody.  I'd mark their best players and zone everybody else.

My girls wouldn't be learning the game playing zone, but I'd win more than I'd lose because every team has a couple of starters who can't hurt you.  When Kouts and Boone Grove, two of the top teams in the Porter County Conference (PCC) went head to head Tuesday night at Kouts, the final score was 46-45 for the Fillies.  Wheeler (7-1) plays Hammond (7-5) twice. These are supposed to be good teams.  The scores are Wheeler 35-34 (OT) and Hammond 32-31.  Thirty five points in 32 minutes?  Hey.  I like both of those teams, obviously; they're in this poll.  But you can't play a big game and score 35 points.  That's like paying to see a one horse race.  It doesn't matter who wins.

We need a hero.  We need somebody with some God-given talent to devote themselves to learning all the skills.  Forget that.  Learn one skill.  Dribble the basketball.  Somebody please.  Dribble the ball for an hour a day until further notice.  If you can dribble the ball so well that no one person can take it from you without fouling you, you will be a star player.  That's all there is to it.

What are the chances of Michigan City, the only remaining undefeated team in NW Indiana, finishing the season at 20-0?  Slim and none.  And 'slim' just left town.  They aren't that good.  Nobody in NW Indiana is "that good" this year at mid-season.  And nobody who is truly knowledgeable of the region would tell you any different.

1.  (4A) Michigan City (7-0)
2006 (14-11),  2005 (6-15),  2004 (6-16)

MICHIGAN CITY:  Michigan City coasted last week, stomping Chesterton 64-27 and New Prairie 68-32.  This team came on strong last week against weak foes.  Guard TaKenya Nixon (17.7 ppg) has led the way for Bianca McGee (10.3 ppg.) and Katie Knoll (10.2 ppg.).  The only player not scoring is 6-3 Emma Tucker, and she's averaging 10.3 rebounds per game.  Nobody goes to the state finals winning close games.  You have to drop bombs on people and Michigan City is going nowhere with Emma Tucker averaging 8 points a game.  The Wolves then put a spanking on Merrillville 75-60.  This is the kind of game MC has to win.  Not 31-27, like the final score against Valpo.  Nixon had 21 against Merrillville and she has to make sure the score gets jacked up at all times.  'Wolf Pack East' is a largely senior bunch and they have to want to blow people out starting with a big and tall Crown Point team Friday night.  In the back of their minds has to always be sectional rival and state No. 2 South Bend Washington (8-1) at Michigan City on Jan. 6.  They have nothing to say to anyone until that night.

2.  (3A) ANDREAN (8-2)
2006 (15-8),  2005 (9-13),  2004 (7-14)

MERRILLVILLE:  The future in now for the 59ers and they played like it in a four game sweep of the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) tournament.  Andrean didn't blow out Hammond and Munster in the finals at Highland last Saturday, but the games didn't come down to the last shot either.  6-2 center Annie Hovanec, who returned to the team this season after taking two years off, is the missing link for the 59ers.  Andrean doesn't care if you confront them with a big center now.  I still think they are a little slow and there's always occasional free throw issues (35 of 53, 66% in the 4 LAC games), although that seems to be improving.  What the 59ers have to do is push themselves to maximize this start.  All seniors.  All experienced.  If they need motivation, Andrean could play Hammond four times and they need to go 4-0.

3.  (4A) Gary West Side (3-2)
2006 (16-7),  2005 (23-5),  2004 (22-3)

GARY:   Gary West Side's 60-56 loss to Andrean does not look so bad now.  This is a good start for the 'Side'.  They've won three road games and lost to Andrean and Jefferson, both by four points.  5-10 Jasmine Brown scored 20 against Jefferson, but the Cougars were just 9-of-17 from the line.  The road is hard this week at Munster (8-2) and South Bend Riley.  Clay (7-1) and St. Joseph's (7-1) still remain on the schedule.  The Cougars will find more competition in South Bend this year than they will in Lake County.  The match up with Gary Roosevelt (5-4) at the Gary Holiday tournament in two weeks still matters, but the Panthers need to bring a lot more to the table than they have in the first half of the season.  West Side is still the team most likely to be facing South Bend Washington in the regional championship game in February.

4.  (4A) Munster (9-2)
2006 (19-5), 2005 (17-6), 2004 (6-15)

MUNSTER:  To be honest, Munster looked good in losing their LAC title last week.  They won three out of four and lost to Andrean 55-46.  The Lady Ponies have a strong starting lineup with Jen DiConstanzo in the middle for Chelsea Kimes and Lauren Meneghetti with good newcomers like Kristen Pagane.  DiConstanzo scored 13 in a 55-40 semifinal win over Highland and  Meneghetti averaged 18 ppg. in the tournament.  Good news for the future is freshman Marissa Meneghetti, who takes over at guard next year.  Munster has had better teams than this one.  But they are not at full strength yet, and with the demise of East Chicago (1-8) and the troubles at Lake Central (2-6) and Lowell (2-6), the window of opportunity is there for Munster.  Now that the marathon LAC tourney is history, Munster has to test themselves against Gary West Side and then gear up for the stretch run.  Munster doesn't want to be the 'Kenny Williams' of Lake County, resting on the laurel of two winning seasons and not living in the present.  The Mustangs have the lead guard you need to have a chance to win a title. They might want to crank up the heat defensively, especially in the full court.  The door is open.

5.  (4A) MERRILLVILLE (6-3)
2006 (19-3),  2005 (12-10),  2004 (12-8)

MERRILLVILLE:  The Pirates lost at LaPorte 58-55 after beating Chesterton 56-46.  I don't know if the Pirates have enough on the backboards to stay near the top of polls and leagues.  What Merrillville has not seen yet is the taller teams like Crown Point and Lake Central.  They may have the speed to blow those teams over but that remains to be seen.  The Pirates, who got leveled 75-60 against Michigan City on Tuesday, now have Lake Central, Munster (9-2) and Crown Point (6-3) in a 10-day stretch now, and this is the moment of truth.  You love their speed and the Pirates have ball handlers.  They can't lose too many in a row.  But they were 15 of 24 from the line against Chesterton and that is a concern.  They could not control MC's runners.  With all the doubts, I think this heavy schedule works for them and that's why you can't rate teams like Wheeler (7-1) and Boone Grove (8-1) ahead of them.  During the regular season, repeat after me:  It's not who you beat, it's who you play.

6.  (3A) Hammond (7-5)
2006 (15-8),  2005 (15-7),  2004 (8-12)

HAMMOND:   Hammond should have done better in the LAC tournament.  They got squeezed out 43-38 by Andrean and then got punked out by host Highland 49-31 in the third place game, an embarrassing loss.  The Wildcats seemed to be happy to hand Wheeler that first loss of the year, 32-31 in the quarterfinals.  They were not focused on playing after that and it's hard to say why.  I don't understand why the ball doesn't go to Denita Phelps every time down the floor until she's double-teamed.  Hammond takes a lot of bad shots and they need some more intensity on defense.  This team has been held to less than 40 points five times in 12 games and there's no excuse for that.  They should score 40 on steals and transition alone.  But Hammond gets four chances to play Andrean (8-2) and its just 1-0 Andrean at this point.

7.  (4A) LAKE CENTRAL (2-6)
2006 (11-10),  2005 (7-14),  2004 (11-10)

St. JOHN:  Okay, so the 46-44 loss to Crown Point is a setback.  LC led in the final minute and gave it up defensively.  The losses are to Michigan City (6-0), LaPorte (6-4), Crown Point (6-3), Munster (8-2), Carmel (8-1) and Hamilton Southeastern (9-0).  Permission to speak freely?  I flat out simply... bet your bottom dollar refuse to accept that this team isn't any good.  But, here they are again at 2-6.  Last year, LC was 2-8 and they finished 11-10.  It could happen again.  And it needs to.  Janelle Kapelinski scored 11 and grabbed four steals against Crown Point.  LC led 36-33 at the top of the fourth quarter.  They should have won and they didn't.  But you have to be able to say honestly that Wheeler (7-1) or Boone Grove (8-1) would beat Lake Central to move them ahead of the Indians.  Nobody thinks that Wheeler or Boone Grove beats Lake Central.  Nobody.

8.  (2A) BOONE GROVE (8-1)
2006  (14-11)   2005 (21-2)  2004 (17-5)

PORTER TOWNSHIP:   Boone lost 46-45 to Kouts (8-0) three nights after they won 51-49 over Crown Point (6-3).  The wins and losses don't matter.  Boone is playing tough teams and that's what counts.  Boone sank 11 three-point goals against CP and Courtney Flanigan scored 21 points with six assists against Kouts.  Boone depends a lot on Flanigan, who averages 20 per game and is over 1,000 points for her career, but they have the wing shooter in Jessica Dowdy, who has 23 3-pointers.  'Wolf Pack West' is fine.  They have intensity problems that will take care of themselves.  A rematch with Kouts is coming in the finals of the South County Tournament in two weeks.  Another rematch with Kouts is possible in the PCC tournament in January.  There are probably two games with Wheeler on the horizon and a matchup with powerful North Judson.  Only Chicago Bears fans want their team to keep lucking out against pitiful competition and when you play good teams, you get beat.  Nobody needs to be undefeated in the regular season if your goal is post-season gold.  Boone needed a loss.  They're fine.

9.  (2A) Wheeler (7-1)
2006 (14-7),  2005 (18-8),  2004 (19-4)

UNION TOWNSHIP:  Wheeler lost 32-31 in the quarterfinals of the LAC and that's not a bad thing.  They held the high-scoring Hammond girls to just 32 points.  Here's another team that needed a loss.  Almost no one wins undefeated state titles in basketball and no one needs the overwhelming suck-up treatment from local media that happens to an undefeated team.  The Bearcats are another team that's clearly a step slow all over the floor, but they can overcome it like Andrean has.  Wheeler meets Hammond again at the Wheeler Holiday Tournament and no matter what happens, Wheeler's 6-2 Becca Bruszewski and the rest of the Wheeler front line can't let Hammond's Denita Phelps get 12 rebounds again.  Wheeler's always a lot better at midseason than they are at the end because their schedule dumbs them down in the second half of the year.  The Bearcats' schedule after the first of the year is about as weak as it gets.

10.  (4A) LaPorte (6-4)
2006  (8-14),  2005 (8-13),  2004 (4-17)

LaPORTE:  The Slicers jolted Merrillville 58-55, but they were bad in a 41-34 loss to Portage (4-4).  Senior forward Sarah Dermody (17.8 ppg.) is not getting a lot of scoring support as no one else averages over 10 per game.  I like this team as a significant DAC title threat, but the Slicers are starting to look as overrated as Butler University basketball.  If you are a loser almost half the times you go up to bat, you aren't a candidate for anything other than a position in the Bush administration.  Like Crown Point, all the losses are on the road and we're just at mid-season.  But this team should be better than 6-4 and they probably know it.

ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN.....

11.  (4A) CROWN POINT (6-3)
2006  (11-11),  2005 (9-13),  2004 (7-14)

CROWN POINT:  The Lady Bulldogs often look better losing than they do winning.  Losses at LaPorte and Boone Grove 51-49, were much better than wins over Chesterton 44-32 and Valparaiso 49-44.  Center Courtney Perry has had 10 or more rebounds five times in nine games, but she's fouled out four times in nine games and that can't continue.  CP is unpredictable.  Their experienced people are not very athletic and their athletic people are not very experienced.  Anjellica Rospond is scoring at 12.6 ppg. average in her last four games.  CP is 44 of 62 (71. 2%) from the line in the last five games, but they are still soft against the press and all Michigan City and Merrillville do is press.
 

12.  (2A) North Judson (6-3)
2006  (19-3),  2005 (22-4),  2004 (12-9)

NORTH JUDSON:  Judson is making the expected charge with a three-game winning streak.  The Jays have lost to Plymouth (7-2), Twin Lakes (7-3) and Kouts (8-0).  Plymouth can do that to people.  Judson has scored 60 or more in their last three games and they average 50 per game.  Kristen Bolen (17.0 ppg.) is the kind of guard that makes a team a contender.  Bolen also averages 6.8 rebounds, although I don't know how, because she's only 5-foot-3.  Whitney Trusty (12.6 ppg.) and Chelsea Howard (10.6 ppg.) give NJ balance, but somehow they've got to develop depth.  Next up is 3A Tippecanoe Valley (6-3) Saturday night.
 

GAME OF THE WEEK:

(4A) Crown Point (6-3) at (4A) Michigan City (7-0)
Friday, Dec. 15, 2006 at 6:00 p.m.  -  JV

MICHIGAN CITY (12-15-2006)  - A contrast in styles as somebody tries to slow down the undefeated DAC leaders.  MC wants to press and run with lead guard TaKenya Nixon (17.9 ppg.) and 6-2 center Emma Tucker defending the basket.  CP will slow the game and match Courtney Perry (9.3 points, 9.1 rebounds) against Tucker and 5-10 soph Daniela Tarailo against Nixon.  Michigan City has passed every test so far, but this is a different one.  Crown Point is 0-3 on the road, while Michigan City has won the last three games by 15 points or more.  But this is also the fourth game in eight nights for both sides and MC's 65 points-per-game offense may be easier to slow under these circumstances.  CP may go without Amanda Moore, a 5-9 starter, who sprained her ankle Tuesday night.  Subbing Maegan Maloney or Sydnee Reeves for Moore makes CP less experienced, but faster.  That's something they'll need on this night.  MC doesn't want to play at CP's pace, but CP can't play at MC's pace.  The score at the end of the first quarter will tell you who's going to win.