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2008-2009 Renegade Girls BasketballWeek-4 PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(12-21-2008) |
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2008-2009 Renegade Girls BasketballWeek-4 PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(12-21-2008) |
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MICHIGAN
CITY, IN (12-25-2008)
No
one stepped to the front in the first half of the girls basketball season in
Northwest Indiana.
No one team had a dominant first half of the year and any of the leagues can
still realistically go to more than one team.
In an unintended rebuke of the quality of the six-county area (Lake, Porter,
Newton, Jasper, LaPorte, Starke) we call Northwest Indiana, only 1A Oregon-Davis
is in the Top-10 ratings in any of the four classes of state polls.
No member of the Porter County Conference (PCC), Northwest Crossroads Conference
(NWCC) or Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) is rated in the Top-10.
In that context though, there are surprises at the top of two conferences.
Valparaiso and Crown Point at the top of the DAC are both surprises. Chesterton
and Michigan City were pre-season favorites and, while both could rally to win
in the second half of the season, it is news that they are not at the top.
In the PCC, Hebron (4-4, 3-0) had the undisputed lead with three
come-from-behind victories over Hanover Central, Boone Grove and Morgan
Township.
Obviously, the PCC has a late season tournament, so a 3-0 record in a
seven-game regular season is an achievement that can close down faster than
Chrysler.
But even the Hebron players would not have predicted they'd be in first place at
mid-season.
One note for 4A schools. One of those court injunctions that parents who insist basketball isn't everything hire lawyers to obtain when their little baby is denied eligibility by the IHSAA, has been granted to allow 6-foot-3 center Jasmine Watson to play for defending state champion South Bend Washington. Watson, whose single mother moved from Elkhart to South Bend, reportedly for a better job and to be near relatives, played for Elkhart Memorial last season. Memorial's refusal to sign off (allow eligibility at the new school) sent the case to the IHSAA, which said that Watson, who has not accepted a college scholarship yet, would not be harmed if she were not allowed to play at her new school. Washington (10-0), which has senior All-American Skyler Diggins, is now the favorite for the 4A state title.
Did Watson transfer to play with Diggins? To me? Of course she did. Did they beat the system? Sure they did. But high school eligibility rules only apply when it isn't your kid or your school that's being denied eligibility. That's called the 'Angel Garcia syndrome'. As most of the schools are past or passing the half way mark of the 20-game regular season, it's time to hand out some mid-term grades. Be ready now. This could get ugly.
1. (4A) Michigan City (6-2)
2008 (20-6), 2007 (22-2), 2006 (14-11), 2005 (6-15), 2004 (6-16)
MICHIGAN CITY: On paper, the best team, MC has not played like it, losing 79-70 to Merrillville and 54-53 to Chesterton, a game where they were embarrassed by going scoreless in the second quarter. I'd like to think that Chesterton and Merrillville are better than they appear to be, but I'd also like to think the Chicago Bears will make the playoffs (maybe next year) again in my lifetime.
MC did beat Crown Point 54-47 on Dec. 20, but they were fortunate to do so.
TaKenya Nixon (17 ppg.) looks very good, but nobody else does right now.
MC has four games on Dec 26-27 in the South Bend Holiday Tournament. The Wolves are the best of the eight teams there and they have the depth to win.
But they are underachieving right now.
GRADE: (D) The Wolves have lost two and won three others by 10-points or less. With two D-1 guards, they should be undefeated. MC doesn't control the pace of the game like I thought they would. There's still time, but this group would lose to last year's MC team.
2. (4A) Valparaiso (7-4)
2008 (13-10), 2007 (8-14), 2006 (13-8), 2005 (21-2), 2004 (23-3)
VALPARAISO: Valpo sank 23 of 30 from the foul line in a win at Crown Point that tied the VHS girls for the DAC lead. 6-foot-4 junior center Stefanie Lang (13.4 ppg.) makes this team formidable and guard Tara Villareal (10.8 ppg.) has been a scoring surprise. The Vikings have won their last four, and while they have not faced Chesterton yet, the Vikings (7-4, 5-1) have achieved the start they probably hoped for in league play.
GRADE: (B) Take away the two losses to state Top-10s Hamilton Southeastern (9-1) and Carmel (8-2) and Valpo's having a very good season. The other losses are to Michigan City (6-2) and Plymouth (6-2), so the schedule has been tough. This is a better record than anyone at VHS realistically thought they'd have at this point.
3. (4A) Chesterton (6-3)
2008 (10-11), 2007 (7-14), 2006 (16-8), 2005 (11-11), 2004 (14-8)
CHESTERTON: I thought Chesterton would have two losses at this point, but I thought they'd be Penn and Michigan City, not Penn, Portage and Crown Point.
The Trojans survived 23 turnovers in a 54-53 win over MC that was crucial in league play, but they were embarrassed last Saturday (Dec. 20) at Portage 60-41.
Morgan Palombizio (14.0 ppg.) and Abbe Skube (13.5 ppg.) have produced, but they are not really complimentary players. The Trojans seem inept on offense at times, but they always seem that way. Chesterton has the size and experience to win low-scoring games.
GRADE: (B) Take away the 101 points they gave up at Penn and the Trojans' defensive record is pretty good. The Trojans are not a really good offensive team. They rarely are. Watch for them to return to their walk-it-up half court ways.
4. (4A) MERRILLVILLE (5-4)
2008 (17-5), 2007 (16-6), 2006 (19-3), 2005 (12-10), 2004 (12-8)
MERRILLVILLE: The Pirates took a couple of bad losses early (how could they lost 46-30 to Portage??), but they may have righted the Pirate ship with a 79-70 win over Michigan City. Bryonna Davis scored 27 as Merrillville defeated MC at their up tempo game. The Pirates have not played Crown Point (9-3) yet and they get a home court rematch with Valparaiso immediately after the new year begins so this story has yet to be fully told. Tierra Turner scored 31 in a triple overtime loss to Lake Central (5-6) last Saturday and they were down 35-18 at one point. In a year when nobody is standing out, here's a team that could.
GRADE: (D) I thought they'd be 8-1 or 7-2 at this point and I didn't think anyone on their schedule would beat them by 10 points or more. This team may have been a little more inexperienced than I thought they were. But the win over MC indicates that they can hang with their league's (and their sectional's) top team.
5. (3A) Griffith (7-3)
2008 (17-5), 2007 (15-7), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (15-8), 2004 (13-9)
GRIFFITH: The Panthers started slowly but a six-game winning streak has them up here where they belong. The 47-38 victory over Andrean was the highlight of the first half. But a 45-44 loss to Munster (4-6) Saturday night isn't good. That's the kind of close game this team should excel at. You can't allow 35 points a game and be 7-3. They could be 10-0.
GRADE: (C) Griffith should be 10-0. They should have beaten LC (a 43-41 loss) and Hobart (a 49-40 defeat) and they had Munster beaten until the final five seconds. The 3A Panthers have great potential for the second half and it should be noted that all three losses are to 4A schools.
6. (1A) Oregon-Davis (8-2)
2008 (24-1), 2007 (25-3), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (11-11), 2004 (7-14)
HAMLET: The losses are to Plainfield (10-0) and Elkhart Memorial (8-0), two 4A unbeaten squads. Most polls are blind. If you lose, you fall in the rankings. But for a 1A to lose to 4A unbeaten teams is actually a 'plus' not a minus. Memorial beat O-D 69-60 and Plainfield defeated them 69-58.
Gabi Minix (14.7 ppg.) and Aubrey Minix (22.7 ppg.) keep the Bobcats in every game.
GRADE:
(B) They may have thought they'd beat 4A schools all the time, but that's not the real world. This is exactly the record Oregon-Davis should have after 10 games and they are a state 1A contender.
Still time for Northwest Indiana teams to call them for a game next year.
But they probably won't.
7. (4A) Crown Point (9-3)
2008 (6-15), 2007 (10-11), 2006 (11-11), 2005 (17-6), 2004 (14-8)
CROWN POINT: The Lady Bulldogs have a 9-3 record at the holiday break and that's better than I thought they would have. It's understandable that they are unhappy with how they got there: Winning the first nine and losing the last three.
But the team seems to have defined roles. Daniela Tarailo (17 ppg.) is the featured scorer.
Sydnee Reeves and Madeline Moore are designated rebounders.
Maegen Maloney is the designated long range shooter that must be defended.
CP has had leads in the three games they have lost and that suggests they can't always control the pace of the game.
They have defended well, but in high school basketball, you must control the pace and that's largely up to the seniors.
GRADE:
(A) They are at least two games ahead of where I figured them to be after 12 games. The tail end of the schedule is difficult. Most high school teams have a featured scorer, but teams without secondary threats become easy to defend.
I'd be happy with 13-7 and a good tournament draw. After seeing how they match up with the other seven DAC schools, CP is a sectional contender.
8. (4A) Gary West Side (7-2)
2008 (18-5), 2007 (16-6), 2006 (16-7), 2005 (23-5), 2004 (20-4)
GARY: Okay, Gary West Side beat Munster. Munster beat Griffith. Griffith beat Andrean and Andrean beat Gary West Side.
I'll pause while you figure that out.
The Cougars lost to Jefferson (6-2) by five in a high scoring contest that should be to their benefit. Jeff (7-2) shouldn't be able to run and outscore Gary West Side. You don't like to see a team beaten at its own game.
The Cougars get ready for the Gary Holiday Tournament and a match up with rival Roosevelt. Then they have South Bend Washington (10-0) on Jan. 2.
This is the schedule that Hammond should be playing. I think the Dec. 19 home game with Fort Wayne Harding (4-3) was snowed out.
GRADE: (C) West Side averaging 55 points a game is a little low.
I don't think this team has very many good offensive players. Maybe they have done all they could. This team is ranked where it should be.
9. (4A) Portage (7-3)
2008 (13-8), 2007 (16-9), 2006 (4-17), 2005 (4-17), 2004 (10-12)
PORTAGE: The three losses are to Valparaiso, Merrillville and Michigan City in overtime so actually they're 7-2-1. They put a major league whipping on Chesterton 60-41 last week. Chesterton has better players, but the Indians stomped them. Long range junior gunner Bri Wischmann (13.4 ppg.), all 5-foot-4 of her, has been a surprise. Why aren't they higher in the poll? Two of the wins are over Wirt and Lew Wallace. They should be playing Boone Grove or Hammond high. No Gary schools unless they are named West Side.
GRADE: (A) They are not supposed to be 7-3, but like CP, the second half of the schedule will tell a larger tale. Here's another team that was not a sectional contender 10 games ago, but will be one 10 games from now.
10. (3A) Calumet (8-1)
2008 (20-5), 2007 (13-8), 2006 (5-16), 2005 (7-15), 2004 (16-10)
GARY: I know the schedule isn't great, but they did beat Boone Grove (7-3) and Hanover Central (4-3) and you can't discount the win over Highland (5-6) just because the Trojans are under .500. This is a team that has guards (in fact, sometimes that's all they have) and can control the pace.
Juaniece Jackson (15 ppg.) is highly skilled and Megan Leal can handle the ball. This is a year where many teams have '2' guards playing the point. Calumet does not. Could they really beat Lake Central (5-6)? I'm not sure they couldn't.
GRADE: (A) They could easily be 9-0, but the Warriors could also be 6-3. The second half of the schedule is stronger. When you see with Munster, Andrean, Griffith and Lowell lined up for Calumet in the final three weeks of the season, you know Calumet wants to do more than win the sectional.
On the outside looking in...
(3A) Hammond (7-1)
2008 (19-3), 2007 (17-9), 2006 (15-8), 2005 (15-7), 2004 (8-12)
HAMMOND: There's still great doubts here about the schedule, but you know they have talent. The 61-56 loss to Gary West Side is probably their most impressive game. The Cats have not defeated any winning teams except Gary Roosevelt (5-2) and Roosevelt's schedule is even more questionable than Hammond's.
Sancheon White (21.6 ppg., 26 of 37 FTs
- 70.2%) averaged 9.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists after eight games.
GRADE:
(B) You can blame them for their schedule (You play who you sign to play. You have choices.), but the 7-1 record is exactly what they should have had after eight games.