2008-2009 Renegade Girls Basketball  Week-6 Poll A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith (01-11-2009)

MICHIGAN CITY, IN (01-11-2009) Those who assume that because South Bend Washington has been so successful that they are the favorites for the 2009 state title are not looking at the entire picture.  Ben Davis (14-0) recently took on undefeated 4A power Plainfield (11-1) and beat them 94-43.  Ben Davis also met undefeated 2A powerhouse Oak Hill (12-1) and defeated them 64-40.  Ben Davis, which returned all five starters from a 24-2 team last year, also has wins over 4A Bloomington South (9-2), Decatur Central (10-4), Perry Meridian (11-3).  Not that Washington hasn't played quality teams, they certainly have.  But there's a good reason Ben Davis is ranked first and Washington (16-0) is second in the latest Class 4A poll.

Washington may make in on TV when they play Bolingbrook, Ill. in the Chicagoland Classic on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m.  Oregon-Davis plays Chicago St. Ignatius at 5:00 p.m. the same day.

It's tournament time in small school basketball.  The Porter County Conference (PCC) Tournament.  The Greater South Shore Conference (GSSC) Tourney.  The Bi-County Tournament.  All are set for Jan. 19-24.  The GSSC and Bi-County tourney have consolation games, which water down the whole thing.  I don't think the kids want to play consolation games and this late in the year it's not a plus for the team.  I've said this before, but the PCC Tournament is the model which all eight-team conferences should follow.  Girls semifinal double-headers Monday and Tuesday.  Boys semifinals Tuesday and Wednesday.  A girls semifinal double-header Friday and a boys semifinal double-header Saturday morning.  Then the back-to-back boys and girls title games Saturday night.  The PCC does not use home sites for the quarterfinals, a fact that creates a tourney atmosphere.  There are also no consolation games in the PCC and there shouldn't be.  Pure single elimination.

GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
GIRLS - 1st round- home sites - 7:00 p.m
Jan. 20 (Tu) Marquette (3-8) at Lake Station (0-12)
Jan. 20 (Tu) Bishop Noll (8-5) at Calumet (11-2)
Jan. 20 (Tu) River Forest (5-8) at North Newton (8-4)
Jan. 20 (Tu) Whiting (7-5) at Wheeler (4-8)
Semifinals - at Calumet
Jan. 22 (Th)  5:30 pm - Calumet Semifinal
Jan. 22 (Th) 7 pm - Calumet Semifinal
Championship - at Calumet
Jan. 24 (Sat) GSSC championship - 7:00 p.m.

OUTLOOK:  Calumet is the favorite and they'll play every game at home.  River Forest is much improved, but they have to travel two hours for the quarterfinals.  Calumet, the defending champ, has to peak early against Noll, which has allowed more points than they have scored.  Lake Station has an outside chance for a one-game 'Super Bowl' win against Marquette.  But Calumet should face North Newton in the finals and they already have a 57-43 win over the Spartans at North Newton.

BI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT
GIRLS - 1st round- home sites - 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 (Tu) Argos (10-1) at Bremen (9-3)
Jan. 20 (Tu) LaVille (3-8) at New Prairie (2-12)
Jan. 20 (Tu) John Glenn (6-6) at Culver Academy (7-4)
Jan. 20 (Tu) Oregon-Davis (10-2) at Culver (6-7)
Semifinals - at LaVille
Jan. 22 (Th) 5:30 pm - LaVille Semifinal
Jan. 22 (Th) 7:30 pm - LaVille Semifinal
Championship - at LaVille (Lakeville, IN)
Jan. 24 (Sat) Bi-County championship - 5:30 p.m.

OUTLOOK:  1A Oregon-Davis has only lost to Class 4A schools and they average 74 points a game.  Argos is 10-1 but they have not played a 4A school (the loss is to 3A Kankakee Valley at the KV Holiday Tournament.  Bremen has a shot but they lost to Triton (6-8).  Culver Academy has already lost by 26 to Oregon-Davis.  I don't know who Argos' 5-foot-4 guard Kelsie Hollabaugh (22 ppg.) is or how she's scored over 1,100 career points, but she'll need more than 22 to beat O-D.

PORTER COUNTY TOURNAMENT
GIRLS - quarterfinals  at HEBRON
Jan. 19 (M) South Central (3-6) at Hebron (7-5) 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 19 (M) HANOVER CENTRAL (6-4) vs. BOONE GROVE (8-4) 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 (Tu) Morgan Township (3-9) vs. Washington Township (7-4) 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 (Tu) LaCrosse (2-11) vs. Kouts (10-2) 7 p.m.

Semifinals - at HEBRON
Jan. 23 (F) SC/Hebron vs. HC/BOONE - 6:00 p.m.
Jan. 23 (F) MT/WT vs. LaCrosse/Kouts - 7:30 p.m.
Championship - at BOONE GROVE
Jan. 24 (Sat) PCC girls championship  - 6:00 p.m.

OUTLOOK:  This is crown jewel of Northwest Indiana league championship tournaments.  It is annually the wildest tournament and this year may be no exception.  There's no clear cut favorite.  Boone Grove (8-4) and Kouts (10-2) have played twice and they have split the games.  Defending champ Kouts appeared to have an easier path to the finals but Washington has now won seven in a row.  Boone and Hanover is the most evenly matched quarterfinal game.  Boone has more size, but HC has three seniors who are in the PCC tourney for the third time without much success.

The sleeper champ could be Hebron, which is hosting this tourney for the first time and the Hawks, with 6-foot Molly Marshall (11.2 ppg.) have the pole position. If the Hawks win the first game, they can sit back for three days and wait for Boone or HC, both team they have already beaten.  This is like the National Football League playoffs.  The champion here may not make a lot of sense, but as always, it is unique.  The PCC tournament is the only one where you can watch every single game, boys and girls, whether you are a fan, player or coach.

Locally, we're still waiting for a standout Northwest Indiana team to emerge.  Due to bad weather, Michigan City (10-4) did not meet 4A No. 10 Elkhart Memorial in the South Bend Holiday Tournament.  Everyone in the DAC continues to beat up on everyone else.  The league champion may have four losses in the too-long 14-game league season.  The first round pairings for the 34th Indiana girls state tournament will be released at 6:00 p.m. (CST) on Jan. 29, just 10 days before the tournament begins.

2.  (4A) Valparaiso (8-6)
2008 (13-10), 2007 (8-14), 2006 (13-8), 2005 (21-2), 2004 (23-3)

VALPARAISO:  Valparaiso fell 55-52 in OT in their battle with Michigan City for the DAC lead, but the DAC title is irrelevant for teams that will meet in the sectional.  That's where we'll decide who has won.  Here's another team with three double-figure scorers and their size and slower style is something that translates well next month.  The surprise is still guard Tara Villarreal (11.5 ppg.) who is a consistent scorer.  When you have a 6-foot-4 center like Stefanie Lang (13.1 ppg.) you can go on a playoff winning streak.  And Valpo probably has a better chance of beating Washington than MC does because of the style they play.

3.  (4A) MERRILLVILLE (7-6)
2008 (17-5), 2007 (16-6), 2006 (19-3), 2005 (12-10), 2004 (12-8)

MERRILLVILLE:  It's been a rough year for the Pirates, but the 57-47 win over Portage confirms what most originally thought.  Merrillville is the better team.  Bryonna Davis scored 14 and 5-foot-5 freshman guard Raveen Murray both scored 14 as the Pirates scored most of the way.  The Pirates are still one of the sectional favorites and they should be 9-6 when they visit the new Hobart (10-3) high on Jan. 20.  But I don't know if the Pirates have played three good games in a row this season as of yet.

4.  (3A) Griffith (11-4)
2008 (17-5), 2007 (15-7), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (15-8), 2004 (13-9)

GRIFFITH:  I think Hobart's 49-40 win over Griffith in November is deceptive.  The difference between Griffith (11-4) and Hobart (10-3) is expectations and a little bit of schedule.  The Panthers lost to Turkey Run (12-1), a downstate 1A power that was a little too quick for them.  Class 3A Griffith plays as many 4A teams (seven) as Hobart does.  Griffith's style of play is what you will see in the post-season.  And you'll see it for a lot longer than you'll see Hobart's style of play.  I know the Panthers play in a very tough sectional, but they have the experience and they are playing a decent schedule.

5.  (1A) Oregon-Davis (10-2)
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.  They have dominated everyone else.  It's hard to find out much about the St. Ignatius team O-D faces this weekend in the Chicagoland Classic.  The Bob Cats will be a big favorite in the Bi-County Tournament at Culver starting the week of Jan. 20.  1A Kouts (10-2) gets a lot of publicity in NW Indiana and 1A Washington Township (7-4) has won seven in a row, but O-D beat WT by 35 points.  Oregon-Davis only needs to remain healthy to be a sectional, regional and semistate favorite.

6.  (4A) Chesterton (7-5)
2008 (10-11), 2007 (7-14), 2006 (16-8), 2005 (11-11), 2004 (14-8)

CHESTERTON:  The Trojans beat Crown Point 45-40 last Friday (1-9-2009), but this is a team that is unsettled.  6-foot Abbe Skube (12.3) is not playing due to some type of team rules problem.  She is not injured and will probably be back.  Morgan Palombizio (12.4 ppg.) is still scoring in double figures, but another senior player has left the team and I can't tell you what's going on.  Still, they play a lot of different defenses and if you take away big losses to Penn (12-2) and Jefferson (12-3), you can argue that this is the sectional favorite.  The Trojans won the 2006 sectional with less talent than they have now, but I don't know who is going to line up for the 21st (the first playoff) game.

7.  (4A) Crown Point (10-5)
2008 (6-15), 2007 (10-11), 2006 (11-11), 2005 (17-6), 2004 (14-8)

CROWN POINT:  The Lady Bulldogs miss 5-foot-5 guard Flori Garcia, who has not played in the last two losses with a foot injury.  They lost 45-40 at Chesterton Friday, a game where they scored just 17 points in the first three quarters.  The Lady Bulldogs need scorers to balance Daniela Tarailo (18 ppg.) and that's been the case for two years.  There has been some lost confidence here and it's going to be tough to get it back since four of the last five CP games are on the road.  But the Lady Bulldogs have lost four games by 10 points or less.  It would not take much of a surge for CP to win three playoff games, but they can't take too much of a beating this final month.

8.  (4A) Gary West Side (7-2)
2008 (18-5), 2007 (16-6), 2006 (16-7), 2005 (23-5), 2004 (20-4)

GARY:  Look, I respect the schedule.  The 'Side' has lost to (Chicago) Marshall (15-3), Jefferson (12-2), South Bend Washington (16-0) and fast-rising Andrean (10-5) but I don't know where the really good wins are.  Beating Hammond (9-3)?  Watch the Jan. 17 game at Benton Central (12-1) because that's another chance for a good, solid win.  Don't get me wrong.  They are the sectional favorites.  They crushed sectional rival East Chicago 88-47 and no one else in 4A Sectional One is above .500.  But West Side is having what, for them, is just an ordinary year.  Superpowers Washington (16-0) and Elkhart Memorial (13-1) loom large at the regional.  The Cougars and Michigan City have both played Washington.  West Side lost 92-70.  None of the other 4A teams truthfully know what they're up against.

9.  (4A) Portage (8-5)
2008 (13-8), 2007 (16-9), 2006 (4-17), 2005 (4-17), 2004 (10-12)

PORTAGE:  Portage has lost four of their last seven, and when you take away the no-contest wins against Wirt (3-9) and Lew Wallace (1-8), the Indians are a little above .500.  Guard Bri Wischman (14.1 ppg.) is the only double figure scorer.  I don't know if junior Tara Ellis (9.7 ppg.) is 100% healthy and, like CP, there's not a lot of offensive talent here.  They have overachieved.  I love how hard they play, but it doesn't make any difference how badly you want to win when the other teams are bigger or faster.  This team needs a really good draw in the Chesterton Sectional.  By a 'really good draw' I mean they need Michigan City to draw Valpo in the first round.

10. (3A) Andrean (10-5)
2008 (8-12), 2007 (18-5), 2006 (15-8), 2005 (9-13)

MERRILLVILLE:  The 10th spot has been in debate all year here. Hobart (10-3), Boone Grove (9-4) and Calumet (11-2) can make a case.  But I always go back to strength of schedule and Andrean has played Gary West Side, Portage, Merrillville and Griffith (twice).  All those teams are above them here in this poll.  So, the 59ers have earned this final slot.  They survived a travel week heading down to Rensselaer and Lowell for easy wins.  I mention that because the sectional is in Knox, which is an hour from Andrean.  Guard Jacklyn Gonzalez seems to be the key player and soph Natasha Zurek and junior Kris Kauffman seem to have significant potential.  Talent-wise, I don't know if they're better than Hobart, but they have played a lot of teams that Hobart has not faced.  I'd rather be Andrean, having played eight 4A schools heading into the 3A playoffs than Hobart, having played only seven 4A teams going into the 4A playoffs.

On the outside looking in...

4A Hobart (10-3)
2008 (12-9), 2007 (7-14), 2006 (11-11), 2005 (13-10)

HOBART:  The Brickies have held 11 teams to 40 points or less, but that may say more about the teams they played than their defense.  This is a sophomore-dominated team that has won some AAU summer state titles and that speaks well for 2010 and 2011 if not for 2009.  But a lot of 4A schools have groups like that.  Hobart has only beaten five teams with a winning record and none of them are 4A.  The Northwest Crossroads Conference title (Hobart clinches with a win this week over last place Lowell) is big to them because they do not appear to have the size and speed to win 4A Sectional 2.  But with 5-foot-4 guard Amanda Corral healthy, even with Valparaiso and Merrillville to play, the Brickies should win more than the 12 they won last year.  This is a team of the future.

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Revised: January 13, 2009 .