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2008-2009 Renegade Girls BasketballWeek-1 PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(11-18-2008) |
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2008-2009 Renegade Girls BasketballWeek-1 PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(11-18-2008) |
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MICHIGAN
CITY, IN (11-20-2008)
- 2009 should be a very good
year in girls high school basketball playoffs outside of Northwest Indiana.
South Bend Washington has the No. 1 player in the nation in 5-foot-9 guard
Skyler Diggins while Heritage Christian (2-0) is shooting for a fourth
consecutive 2A state title. Add small school wonder Oregon-Davis and
up-and-coming Oak Hill in 2A and there will be quality action almost everywhere.
Almost.
On first glance, it does not look like there is a state class team in Lake or Porter County in any class. And the life expectancy of Michigan City is short since they play in the same regional as Washington. There are good players in NW Indiana certainly, but again this year, there are no all-staters in this region.
I've talked on this site for two years about the lack of skilled, star players in Northwest Indiana girls basketball. You have to go back many years to find a really great player from this area. Why? I'm not sure. There's been talk recently about why a lot of girls choose volleyball over basketball and no longer play both even though the two sports are complimentary. That's not a tough a question. Basketball and soccer are a lot harder sports than volleyball and tennis. More physical. More demanding. Success is much more difficult to achieve. Also, sports like volleyball don't require you to be as mentally tough as basketball because you can't be humiliated. You can and will be embarrassed in basketball. It's the nature of the game. Eventually some 6-foot girl will run you over, knock you on your butt, score in your face and laugh at you while she runs back down the floor. 500 people in the stands will ridicule you and your coach screams at you to 'take a charge'.
That kind of in-your-face disgrace simply can't happen in volleyball or any other team sport. Many kids can't take it. Basketball is also the longest high school sport, almost four full months. Most kids will work hard for a cause but hard work won't necessarily make you any better in basketball. That's actually why it's a good life lesson. The effort you put into basketball has to be its own reward because you may ride the bench for four years.
Lots of high school basketball players end their playing days somewhat embittered because they didn't get to play, as if all their hard work and effort guaranteed them a chance. It doesn't work that way. All players should work hard. Unless you're a small school and you have numbers problems, anyone who doesn't work hard should be cut. Kids need to be told that in the real world, how hard you tried means absolutely nothing as far as your reward is concerned. Production is all that matters and you have to punch the clock every day no matter how many elbows you get in the face. There's a reason there's more cheerleaders than basketball players. Nobody can dunk on you.
Overall, the DAC is as
tall as it's ever been. I also don't remember two DAC teams with two senior D-1
players signed before the season even began.
But a DAC team has about as much chance of winning the state title as the
Chicago Bulls do of winning the NBA title.
A decent team is going to finish last in the DAC and somebody may go 0-14. The
Northwest Crossroads Conference does not have a state class powerhouse but
Griffith should win. They have the best team. The Porter County Conference (PCC)
is also in transition (that's a nice way of saying that nobody's going to the
state finals) and might be the most watchable league race, because any of four
teams could win either the regular season race or the PCC tournament. The Greater South Shore Conference (GSSC) is Calumet's to lose.
My Christmas wish is that this is the last year for four classes of playoffs. No
one ever wanted four classes and you just can't have Griffith and Knox in the
same sectional. I'm hoping 2010 will see three classes, but I'm not holding my
breath. Indiana is always about 20 years behind the real world, a place run by old timers who make arguments that were outdated even when they were kids.
1. (4A) Michigan City (1-0)
2008 (20-6), 2007 (22-2), 2006 (14-11), 2005 (6-15), 2004 (6-16)
MICHIGAN CITY: The top team in NW Indiana for two seasons now. the Wolves are still at the top this year for the same reason. Senior guards TaKenya Nixon (18.9 ppg., 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3.7 steals) and Bianca McGee (16.8 ppg., 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 68 three-point goals) are both back and guards win in high school basketball. MC opened the season Saturday (Nov. 16) beating Adams by 50 points and its no wonder. Sophomore center Maggie Gondeck and junior forward Jocelyn Edwards are both 6-foot-1 and they are two of six MC players listed at six foot or taller. MC's only misfortune is to be in the same sectional as 4A No. 1 South Bend Washington. Somebody's got to beat them twice to win the DAC and I don't see who that is.
2. (4A) Chesterton (1-0)
2008 (10-11), 2007 (7-14), 2006 (16-8), 2005 (11-11), 2004 (14-8)
CHESTERTON: The Trojans have two Division one 5-foot-10 three-year starters in Abbe Skube (11.3 ppg., 4.5 rebounds) and Morgan Palombizio (10.6 ppg., 6.9 rebounds) that give them a tall inside-outside combo. Chesterton blasted Munster 74-38 to begin the season and they're a lock for the top-half of the DAC. The Trojans have five players taller than 5-foot-10 and it will tough to rebound with them. If they keep the pace slow, the Trojans will be a tough defensive-style team to beat. Chesterton's biggest problem, like everyone else in the DAC, may be boredom. When you play all your league sisters twice during the 20-game regular season and face three more of them a third time in the sectional, girls and coaches probably have to slap each other to stay awake.
3. (4A) Valparaiso (1-2)
2008 (13-10) 2007 (8-14), 2006 (13-8), 2005 (21-2), 2004 (23-3)
VALPARAISO: Valpo always begins the season losing to Carmel and Hamilton Southeastern but the fact that they lost to Southeastern by only 11 is ominous. The Vikings are very big with 6-foot-4 junior Stephanie Lang and seven other players 5-foot-10 or taller. Senior guard Tara Villareal isn't a scorer but she'll be vital handling the ball. Junior 5-foot-9 guard Kelsey Ostojic is a scorer. Like Chesterton, Valpo is a big, slow team so they'll have to keep the game slow against Michigan City and Merrillville. But in a league where everybody needs big people, they have more size than they need.
4. (4A) MERRILLVILLE (2-0)
2008 (17-5) 2007 (16-6), 2006 (19-3), 2005 (12-10), 2004 (12-8)
MERRILLVILLE: The Pirates will use speed to challenge the size of Valpo, Chesterton and Lake Central. 5-foot-7 forward Tierra Turner (17 ppg., 7 rebounds, 2.7 steals) is back for her senior year and 5-7 junior Bryonna Davis scored 28 on Nov. 13 in the season opening 64-50 win over Highland. 5-foot-8 soph Melanie Stubbs has great potential but she's also been injured. The Pirates have two 5-foot-9 forwards but they aren't going to dominate the post against 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-6 players. Merrillville has to be very tough-minded because they have to be relentless with running the floor to win a lot of league games. If these Pirates walk the ball up the floor, they'll walk the plank. Merrillville's 52-14 over the three last three years is the best record in NW Indiana but they play in painfully redundant Class 4A sectional two with seven other DAC schools. The Pirates will not be defined until they see somebody for the third time.
5. (3A) Griffith (1-1)
2008 (17-5), 2007 (15-7), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (15-8), 2004 (13-9)
GRIFFITH: The Panthers, who returned all five starters from last season, have started with a 43-41 loss to Lake Central but I think they're better than LC and they are the favorites in the Northwest Crossroads Conference. Griffith has 5-foot-11 centers Ashley Parrish and Maggie Butkus on the back line and good ball handler Lauren Hansen. There is no prolific scorer in this group but they are very physical and nobody else in their league really is. Griffith upgraded their schedule by taking the challenge of 1A Turkey Run (3-0) on New Year's Day at Valparaiso University. The Panthers have 11 road games and three neutral site games in their 20 contests. That's the kind of schedule you should have if you hope to reach the state finals. Unless you have the sectional and regional at home every year, you need to get on the bus every week.
6. (3A) Hammond (1-0)
2008 (19-3), 2007 (17-9), 2006 (15-8), 2005 (15-7), 2004 (8-12)
HAMMOND: The Wildcats beat East Chicago 63-38 to start the year and they return 5-foot-10, four-year starters Sancheon White (12.2 ppg.) and Zena Nasiloski. Tatiana Jones and Dorothy Allen are a good ball-handlers. They have to be able to play under control a little better but they do expect to win. Hammond adds Bowman Academy to the schedule this year but that's not enough. This team needs tougher competition to get ready for the Twin Lakes Regional in February. I understand Hammond playing all other Hammond schools twice but Hammond needs to stop playing Illinois teams and take on tough 3A foes like Plymouth or Benton Central. Hammond is 50-21 the last three years but they wont be 50-21 the next three seasons. Its now or never for this team.
7. (1A) Oregon-Davis (3-0)
2008 (24-1), 2007 (25-3), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (11-11), 2004 (7-14)
HAMLET: 1A No. 1 Oregon-Davis had their 43-game win streak broken by eventual state champion Canterbury (21-5), but they return all-state guard Gabi Minix (16 ppg.) and they have loaded up their schedule. O-D has already defeated South Bend St. Joseph by 48 points and that's the first of six Class 3A schools they'll play. They'll go to Chicago for the Chicagoland Classic and they also face 4A powerhouse Elkhart Memorial. Aubrey Minix (18.1 ppg.), Gabi's sister and O-D's wing shooter was 117-of-266 last year in three-point goals last season. You can say they don't play anybody in NW Indiana but Gabi Minix still has another year. Anybody who wants to play them just has to make the call. Nobody will. Imagine you are Gary West Side or Valparaiso and you get beat by Oregon-Davis. And before you even ask -- If North Judson is in Northwest Indiana, then Oregon-Davis is in Northwest Indiana. Check it out.
8. (4A) Lake Central (1-2)
2008 (9-13), 2007 (20-6) 2006 (12-11), 2005 (19-5), 2004 (17-6)
ST. JOHN: Like Valparaiso, Lake Central always starts the season with losses to Hamilton Southeastern and Carmel, but LC did beat Griffith 43-41 so they're probably happy at 1-2. I believe that 6-foot-6 junior Andrea Kras is the tallest player ever at LC and she will be needed against Valpo's 6-4 Stephanie Lang and all the 6-foot girls at Chesterton and Michigan City. 5-foot-9 senior Brooke Polus (10.2 ppg.) and 5-6 soph Carolyn Sandrick are going to have to score against good teams because that's all LC is going to see. I don't see a lead guard here, but lots of defenses work when you have a 6-foot-6 girl at center.
9. (4A) Crown Point (2-0)
2008 (6-15), 2007 (10-11), 2006 (11-11), 2005 (17-6), 2004 (14-8)
CROWN POINT: The Lady Bulldogs started with two non-conference wins, but remember, they were 5-1 in non-conference games last year and 1-13 in the DAC. This is an odd team with five seniors and six sophomores and almost everybody is a guard. Daniela Tarailo averaged 18.0 ppg in the first two games, but the key may be 5-11 Sydnee Reeves, who will have to play power forward. CP has more offense than they did last year, but look at where I have them in this poll. CP could very easily be the ninth best team in Northwest Indiana and the sixth best team in the DAC. The Lady Bulldogs sometimes appear locked in a time-warp basketball coma where they wake up every week and play Chesterton. But they have to find a way to conjure up the intensity of teams like Merrillville and Michigan City to have any chance against them.
10. (4A) Gary West Side (1-0)
2008 (18-5), 2007 (16-6) 2006 (16-7), 2005 (23-5), 2004 (20-4)
GARY: The Cougars have a leader in 5-foot-4 guard Aurielle Anderson (12.1 ppg.), but I don't know if they have much size.
Every year you read how Gary Roosevelt is going to beat them and that won't happen again this year, but the Cougars are going to be hard pressed against LC at sectional time.
What always impresses me about West Side is the schedule. For four years, nobody else in NW Indiana wanted any part of superpower South Bend Washington and All-America guard Skyler Diggins (30 ppg.). But West Side said
"Bring it on!" (That phrase didn't work too well for President Bush) and the game will be West Side against Washington in the Hammond Civic Center on Jan. 2 in the 'Region Rumble'. I respect anybody that's not afraid to get whipped by the No. 1 team.