2007-2008 Girls Basketball  Week-4 Poll A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith (12-16-2007)

MICHIGAN CITY, IN - (12-16-2007) - The best part of the regular basketball season is the month or so when all the tournaments are held.  Those in power do not realize that an endless stream of single games is dumbing down the sport.  Players say what they're told to say, but I'd like to think they would love to travel and play in four or eight-team tournaments and win trophies.

The limit of two tournaments per season, which apparently is in force simply because no one bothers to make a proposal to overturn it, limits what teams can do.  But Porter County Conference (PCC) teams all get two shots at a trophy.  Seven of the eight PCC schools play in either the Mid-Winter Classic or the South County Tournament and then the entire league enters the mid-January PCC tourney.

The other PCC team, Hanover Central (6-2), begins a four team tournament late this month with Beecher (Illinois), Clark and Griffith (10-2) on Dec. 28-29.  They hope to expand to eight teams next season.  Wheeler continues their four-team co-ed boy/girl holiday tournament with Andrean, Hammond and Hobart on Dec. 27-28.  Two holiday matchups of highly-ranked interest come at the Gary Holiday tournament when Gary Roosevelt, which always does a lot of talking, faces undefeated Gary West Side, which always beats Roosevelt.  Also, 1A state champ Oregon-Davis (11-0) plays in the eight-team Bi-County Classic starting Jan. 15.  No offense to anybody in the Bi-County field, but there should be a congressional investigation  if O-D is not 17-0 when they head for Illinois and a matchup with DeKalb in the Chicagoland Classic on Jan. 21.

The new Winter Classic, an odd Thursday-Saturday tournament at West Central (Thursday) and Argos (Saturday) matches up West Central, Argos, Kankakee Valley and Rochester.  Chesterton joins St. Joseph's and East Noble at the Huntington North Girls Holiday Tourney on Dec. 29.

The biggest tournament in the state ended late Saturday.  The 12-team Indianapolis city tournament ended with 2A No. 1 Heritage Christian (10-0) turning back undefeated 3A No. 2 Bishop Chatard 74-65.

The second biggest is the 10-team Summit Athletic Conference Tournament in Fort Wayne Dec. 27-29 where powerful 4A No. 10 Fort Wayne South (9-1) is the favorite and surprising 3A No. 5 Fort Wayne Elmhurst (9-0) is the No. 1 challenger.  One of the truths in rankings is that you pay for playing a tough schedule.  Fort Wayne South is 10th in the state even though their only loss is 74-65 to state champion South Bend Washington (10-0).  Elmhurst has played a lesser schedule and has not played Washington and they're rated 5th.  And Michigan City (6-2) will eventually meet Clay (7-1) in the Riley Classic on Dec. 28-29 in South Bend.

Meanwhile, LaPorte and Crown Point and Merrillville and Portage play 20 single games against largely the same teams.  CP plays Merrillville on Dec. 28.  But CP also plays Merrillville on Feb. 1 and CP probably also plays Merrillville in the 4A Sectional 2 in February.  So if you miss the matchup on the 28th, why does it matter?  They play again maybe twice more.

One note this week to all basketball referees: Please make clear and obvious signals to the scorer's table when you are calling a foul.  I have seen more than one situation this year where the wrong player was credited with a foul because the referee flashed hand signals to the table like it was secret CIA code.  What's the hurry?  Also, some refs flash one number and say another.  In other words, they hold up two fingers and say the word zero, to identify player  No. 20.  Or the ref will flash two fingers twice as fast as they possibly can to signal No. 22.  Referees unintentionally confuse the scorers' table and anyone else trying to keep score.  Come on, folks.  Clear.  Slow signals.  It wouldn't kill you to make the signal twice.  Help us all out.

There were lots of games postponed Saturday due to the big Indiana snowstorm, so there will be many unannounced makeup games state wide over the holidays.  One that will not be made up is the annual Carroll County Classic with 1A No. 6 University (8-2), Rossville, Lowell and host Carroll.  Lowell is mistakenly listed as having defeated Rossville Saturday.  That didn't happen.  Lowell did not attend due to the weather.  University, a new Indianapolis private school, beat both Rossville and Carroll.  Don't ask me how I know.

I don't think Northwest Indiana teams realize how far they are behind the Brebuefs and the Heritage Christians.  Only Merrillville, Michigan City and, maybe, Gary West Side could even play with the state's best this year.  Basketball is an offensive game.  Teams here are lucky to average 40 points a game while many Indianapolis schools are in the 60s.  Coaches do what they have to do to win and I appreciate that 32-31 is still a win.  But Northwest Indiana does not appear to have a state contender this year and a glaring lack of offensive skills is the reason why.

1.  (4A) Michigan City (6-2)
2007 (22-2), 2006 (14-11), 2005 (6-15), 2004 (6-16)

MICHIGAN CITY:  Michigan City turned back Chesterton 56-50 and rolled over Crown Point 62-43, but in between, was an 82-65 loss to Merrillville.  Junior TaKenya Nixon scored 16 and junior Bianca McGee scored 19 to rally the Wolves from a 35-22 half-time deficit against Chesterton.  Essence Robinson scored 11 second half points against Crown Point.  But nobody did enough against Merrillville, which pulled away on the backboard and on the scoreboard.  I have wondered what the DAC title means to Michigan City now that these same girls won it last year.  It didn't get them very far.  They were eliminated at the sectional level.  Merrillville showed they have much more motivation to win the DAC.  But the DAC title and $4 will get you a half a gallon of gas.  They can lie to you.  But I suspect that for MC, it's all about the game in South Bend against undefeated, top-ranked Washington (10-0) on Jan. 4.  MC is deceptive.  They have six seniors, but three starters are underclassmen.  You need to beat Michigan City now because they return both double figure scoring guards next year and their young players are very big.

2.  (4A) MERRILLVILLE (7-2)
2007 (16-6), 2006 (19-3), 2005 (12-10), 2004 (12-8)

MERRILLVILLE:  The Pirates handed Michigan City their worst loss in two years, 82-65 last Tuesday (12-11-2007).  I'm aware that South Bend Washington beat Michigan City 71-35 last season when MC was 22-2, but this MC-Merrillville game was a matchup of two equal teams where the Pirates ran away with it after the first quarter. Tierra Turner was 11-of-22 from the floor for 25 points.  Merrillville was 22-of-28 from the foul line and that's how to win big games.  Merrillville also outscored LaPorte 23-6 in the fourth quarter to win 52-43 at LaPorte, but they added a Dec. 15 loss at Lake Central.  Not great, but this is one of those games caused by the 14-game league schedule.  You just can't get excited about a league game when almost every game is a league game.  Merrillville plays 20 single games including a 3-game road trip to Munster (Dec. 19), to Valpo (Dec. 22) and to CP (Dec. 29).  I'm not at all convinced Merrillville is better than Michigan City, but the Pirates seem more motivated right now.
 

3.  (4A) Portage (7-2)
2007 (16-9), 2006 (4-17), 2005 (4-17), 2004 (10-12)

PORTAGE:  Portage got beat badly by Valparaiso 54-35 last week in a game that may say more about Valparaiso than it does about Portage.  The Indians had a very bad night shooting against a very tall team with stars Lisa Samplawski and Gloria Hernandez going 6-for-24 from the floor.  I don't put a lot of stock in wins or losses in December and I don't think the injury to starter Tara Ellis should have affected this team the way it did in that Valpo game, although she was an outside shooter against a tall team.  Portage will always struggle against good defense because they do not have a lead guard.  But this is an experienced starting lineup and it's still December.  Portage beat Chesterton 58-47 last Friday with 5-9 senior Lisa Samplawski scoring 22 points.  The Indians should get better as the season progress.  They know this is their time and it has to be this year.  Ellis will return, probably for Thursday's rescheduled game with Crown Point (it has been moved from Dec. 22 to Dec. 20).  Portage's top players are older and more experienced than the top players at MC, which is the team they have to beat.  Lets be blunt.  Portage played Merrillville a game in the 40s and won.  They played Michigan City a game in the 60s and lost.  Portage has to do everything they can (even if it's against their basic nature) to slow the game the next time they see Merrillville and MC.

4.  (4A) Gary West Side (8-0)
2007 (16-6), 2006 (16-7), 2005 (23-5), 2004 (22-3)

GARY:  How can an undefeated team be fourth in the poll?  Gary West Side went on the road and won at Jefferson 64-62 in Lafayette and while Jeff (3-6) isn't a world-beater, the travel and the win is all good.  The start of the season is OK here, but there has been a lack of quality competition (only 2 winning teams) and I don't see a really good team lined up to face them before the first of the year.  A 47-44 win over Munster (6-5) is, in itself a win over a team that's only beaten two winning teams.   Don't get me wrong.  Someone may surprise West Side, but no one on their December schedule is better than they are.  You can't put the 'Side' ahead of the top DAC teams when those schools are forced to play a stack of physical foes and West Side can play Roosevelt and LaLumiere.  Maybe the game at Benton Central (7-3) on Jan. 4 will force them to play to the wall.  Maybe the game at Clay (8-1) on Jan. 11.  There's a reason that West Side is not in the state's Top-10 even though they are 8-0 and there's a reason they aren't higher in this poll.  The first half of the schedule has been weaker than wheat bread.  But the good games are coming.

5.  (4A) Chesterton (6-4)
2007 (7-14), 2006 (16-8), 2005 (11-11), 2004 (14-8)

CHESTERTON:  The Trojans had a 13-point lead on Michigan City two weeks ago and they lost 58-47 to Portage last week.  That happens.  The Trojans do not have the speed to stay with MC or Merrillville and they don't have the offense to beat Portage.  They have to be near perfect to beat those three.  The Chesterton-Portage game was bizarre with Portage leading 26-4 after one quarter and the Trojans outscoring Portage 21-2 in the second period.  What a freak show.  FYI: Everyone in the DAC is going to take 3 or 4 league losses.  And Chesterton's dangerous because they can defense anybody into an offensive slumber.  The Trojans' losses have been to Penn (11-1), MC (6-2), Portage (7-2) and Merrillville (7-1).  The record they have is exactly what they should have at this point and so is their spot in this poll.  Chesterton drew St. Joseph's in the four-team Huntington North Classic on Dec. 29 and that's a challenge because St. Joe is on the rise.

6.  (4A) Highland (8-2)
2007 (20-6), 2006 (12-11), 2005 (19-5), 2004 (17-6)

HIGHLAND:  The Trojans lost to Hammond (7-1) in a semi-big game last week, but Hammond's not a sectional or league rival so the Trojans will just move on.  They won 59-39 over Calumet (7-3) Tuesday night (12-11-2007) to finish the first half of the season with an 8-2 record, and truthfully, they should finish the 20-game season at at least 16-4.  Highland just has to try to improve and be tougher mentally.  There is no one game on the remainder of the schedule that they can get overly excited about.  The Trojans do not play Gary West Side (8-0).  They do not play Michigan City (7-1) or Oregon-Davis (12-0) and they are not in the Region Rumble.  The game at Griffith (10-2) on Jan. 12 (Griffith could be 12-2 by that time) should grow in interest.  But no league tourney.  No holiday tourney?  Hype up that Griffith game, girls.  And let's bring back the Highland Holiday Tournament.

7.  (4A) Valparaiso (6-5)
2007 (8-14), 2006 (13-8), 2005 (21-2), 2004 (23-3)

VALPARAISO:  The Vikings crushed Portage 54-35 last Friday in the most surprising result of the year.  Not the victory, but the margin of victory.  The win coincided with the return of 6-foot senior center Rebecca Hoefler, giving Valpo the biggest front line in this part of the start with Hoefler, a state class shot putter up from with 6-foot-4 Stephanie Lang, who blocked four shots against Portage.  But Valpo got surprised at LaPorte 36-30.  This is a middle-of-the-road DAC team which makes them a Top-10 team in the area.  West Side would not be 8-0 in the DAC, which is largely a slowdown push-you-around league.  Still, with no league tourney.  No holiday tourney.  They've beaten Plymouth, Munster, Michigan City and Portage.  I guess I can't ask them to play state powers (even though Valparaiso should ALWAYS play the state's best).  Try to stay awake girls as you play the same teams over and over again.  I feel your pain.

8.  (1A) Oregon-Davis (11-0)
2007 (25-3), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (11-11), 2004 (7-14)

HAMLET:  The "Greatest Story Ever Told' continues as the 1A state champ from the smallest town imaginable whipped Class 3A Knox 62-40 and Class 4A Plainfield 73-59.  Who can stop them?   Maybe John Glenn (5-2) on Jan. 8.  Maybe DeKalb, Illinois at the Chicagoland Classic in late January.  But maybe not.  The next seven teams on the O-D schedule appear overmatched.  There's always injury and illness, but this could be a 21-0 team.  O-D has only played three 1A foes so far and the Bobcats have beaten all three by 30 or more.  Oregon-Davis has won 21 games in a row, and since no one will play them, what they are going to have to do is call up 4A state champ South Bend Washington (10-0) and challenge them to a 'Hoosiers' style 1A vs. 4A matchup next season.  They could play it at Notre Dame or Valparaiso (Hey Region Rumble!).  I think 3,000 or 4,000 fans would show up (especially if Washington and O-D repeat as state champs this year which is a distinct possibility).  "Hickory against Muncie Central.'  The ultimate David-Goliath showdown.  One night only.  I'd pay cash money to see that one.

9.  (3A) Hammond (8-1)
2007 (17-9), 2006 (15-8), 2005 (15-7), 2004 (8-12)

HAMMOND:  The Wildcats rejected Highland 58-54 in a bit of a surprise and the only loss, to undefeated Gary West Side, is understandable.  But folks who rank them higher than this haven't seen them.  Some of these wins are not big time, especially an 83-11 win over Wirt.  A 65-27 walk over Gavit.  That's not the kind of competition anybody's interested in.  The victory over Highland is strong, but they beat a vastly overrated Gary Roosevelt team.  I just think there's a lot more upside here that hasn't been explored and the schedule won't help them in the long run.  When 3A Twin Lakes is 10-0 and Plymouth is 8-2 and those are regional rivals, you can't be playing Wirt and Gavit.  That dog won't hunt.  Tougher schedules.  Tournaments.  That's what we need.

10.  (3A) Griffith (10-2)
2007 (15-7), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (15-8), 2004 (13-9)

GRIFFITH:  The Panthers continue to post wins by keeping the pace slow.  The Panther girls have allowed 31 points a game, but they almost got beat against Andrean, winning just 39-37.  But it was still six wins in a row before Saturday's 34-33 loss to Munster.  I don't think any statistics are ever going to be impressive here, but the Panthers are obviously just a couple of possessions away from an undefeated season.  The second half of the year will be tougher for the Panthers with Hammond (8-1), Highland (8-2) and Calumet (7-3) on the horizon, but they could win them all.  It's easier in girls basketball to be a good defensive team than it is to be a creative offensive force.  The Panthers have their final five games at home after a trip to KV on January 4.  They can't be good on offense every night, but they don't have to be in 3A, so the final record here is going to look good.

HEY, WHAT ABOUT US?????

(4A) LaPorte (6-5)
2007 (11-11), 2006 (8-13), 2005 (8-14), 2004 (4-17)

LaPORTE: The Slicers have been a lot better than I thought they'd be.  Look at the five losses:  Merrillville (7-2), Portage (7-2), Chesterton (6-4), and South Bend powers Clay (7-1) and Washington (10-0).  Last week's win over a much bigger, much more physical Valparaiso team 36-30 broke a three-game losing streak and was much-needed success heading into rematches with Michigan City and Chesterton.  LaPorte is another bad offensive team (41 points per game), but the DAC is a defensive league and the Slicers are tough at that end of the floor.  The Slicers also have 3A No. 6 Plymouth left to play.  LaPorte faces as tough a schedule as you can have along with the 14-game DAC round robin.  How tough is the DAC when this team is tied for sixth place after the games of Dec. 15?

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