NW Indiana Girls Basketball: Season Final Poll

2009-2010 Renegade Girls Basketball

Final Season Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

(03-15-2010)

MERRILLVILLE, IN (03-20-2010) A low-caliber season had a high-caliber ending as Merrillville won six playoff games and earned the right to get blown out by two-time champ Ben Davis 99-52 in the 4A state title game. Forgetting the final for a moment, this was the all-time high point for the Pirates, who didn't have a player taller than 5-foot-9.

Since it was obvious early in the post-season that no one was going to beat Ben Davis, Merrillville can claim they were the 'other' state champ. The Pirates will be strong again for the 2011 playoffs as lead guard Raveen Murray returns. Murray was the main reason the team excelled because she was never stopped until the final game and she played that point guard position that is so rare in girls basketball.

Will Ben Davis win a third consecutive 4A title?

Will the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers both miss the playoffs again?

Both questions have equal relevance to NW Indiana because local teams need to simply create skilled depth in their programs. So many local teams were mediocre this year we looked like the Big-10. Only two (of 35) NW Indiana teams won 20 games. In the eight-team Duneland Athletic Conference, only Merrillville had less than seven losses. In the PCC, only Kouts and Boone had less than 10 losses. In the Greater South Shore Conference (GSSC), nobody was better than 14-8 and only three teams had winning records. IU had a better season.

Merrillville's run was a blessing because it covered up several poor seasons around them. One player in all of Northwest Indiana, Merrillville's Bryonna Davis, averaged 20 points a game. If anyone hit 50 three-point baskets, I don't know her. Murray was probably the only true lead guard in all of Northwest Indiana, although there is hope in that regard at Boone Grove and Michigan City.

Have we hit rock bottom? Here's the good news.

Hobart, which was 19-4, returns all but one bench player for the new season as does Lowell, which started three freshmen at the end. Michigan City has a significant freshman class back for three more years. Crown Point returns every single varsity player for the 2011 season as does Chesterton and North Judson.

Merrillville, Griffith, Boone Grove, Gavit and Andrean lose key seniors but should continue to win locally.

But there is still the fundamental problem, which is the lack of the ability to dribble the ball, which cannot be overemphasized. I would have to hope dribbling is being emphasized over shooting at lower levels because entire teams do not have one good ball handler.

Only a few coaches and media in NW Indiana face the reality that we are far behind much of the state skill-wise. It's not the style of play. It's the speed of fundamental skills. We have to be able to play faster.

Fort Wayne had a regional champion in all four classes in 2010 including two state finalists. Five Summit Athletic Conference (Fort Wayne) teams (it's a 10-team league with 2A, 3A and 4A schools) won sectional titles.

Merrillville reached the state finals by beating the fourth-place team in Fort Wayne after a one-point win over Elkhart Memorial and I do not believe it was ever reported in NW Indiana that Memorial's second leading scorer, Jada Buggs, suffered a season-ending knee injury the morning of their one-point loss to the Pirates. And Memorial was the second place team in the Northern Lakes Conference, not the champion. See what I mean?

The only good thing about the 47-point Ben Davis win over Merrillville (or Canterbury's 31-point regional win over Oregon-Davis) is that there should be no illusions about how far this area is behind the rest of the state in girls basketball.

Before 1997 you needed nine wins to win the state title. Since 1997, you only need six or seven. But since 1997, Fort Wayne's Summit Conference has eight state champions. All of Northwest Indiana? If you don't count Oregon-Davis? None.

The year 2011 will be the last one under the present alignment and things will change. Bowman Academy, now a 1A school, will certainly be either 2A or 3A for the 2012 playoffs. Hanover Central, now 2A, will probably be a 3A school. I would not be surprised if Calumet dropped from 3A to 2A and Bishop Noll dropped from 2A to 1A.

But for this coming season, it's just a matter of trying to improve the game as a whole. Thank Ben Davis and three-time 1A champ Canterbury for lifting the bar higher. It's time for NW Indiana to start catching up.

1. (4A) MERRILLVILLE (25-2)
2009 (10-11), 2008 (17-5), 2007 (16-6), 2006 (19-3), 2005 (12-10)

MERRILLVILLE: Did they get a break facing a crippled Memorial team at the regional? Yes. But Melanie Stubbs, projected as a double figure scorer, was out most of the year for the Pirates, who had the best season in school history. If Ben Davis returns to win a third consecutive state title in 2011, no one will feel bad about Merrillville's 99-52 state title game loss, which had to be embarrassing, whether the Pirates admit it or not. Merrillville will be strong for two more seasons with lead guard Raveen Murray (18 ppg.), who should have been their most valuable player. Although she was shut down in the state finals, Murray has the ability to break down most defenders on the dribble and there aren't five players in NW Indiana who can do that. Stubbs, a 5-foot-9 forward, will have a big senior season if she is healthy. Plus, reaching the state finals should inspire others among the 2,500 at Merrillville to play. Those benefits will show down the line.

2. (4A) Hobart (19-4)
2009 (15-6), 2008 (12-9), 2007 (7-14), 2006 (11-11), 2005 (13-10)

HOBART: The Brickies' 64-42 loss to Merrillville at the 4A Valpo sectional didn't look so bad when the Pirates reached the sate finals. The clock is ticking for Hobart. The Brickies can return all five starters for the 2011 playoffs, but all five will be seniors. It's now or never for Amanda Corrall (15.3 ppg.), who was probably NW Indiana's third best player behind Raveen Murray and Bryonna Davis (20.7 ppg.) Hobart should seek out teams like Elkhart Memorial and even Ben Davis to play in 2011. They cannot be afraid to take regular season losses. The Brickies did play Fort Wayne South and Jefferson in 2010, but that's not good enough. They need a 'state finals' schedule. Hobart should create a four or eight team holiday tournament at the new high school. It's a way to get to play extra games over the 20-game limit and it's extra home money for the program. Next year's No. 1 drama surrounds this team.

3. (4A) Lake Central (15-7)
2009 (12-10), 2008 (9-13), 2007 (7-14), 2006 (11-10)

ST. JOHN: How much would the post-season have changed if LC had not blown a 10-point lead and lost at Munster in a sectional final upset 44-37? LC is the only NW Indiana team that topped Merrillville (25-2) and they had an eight-game winning streak at the end. LC played very well at the end of the year and that's what this poll is based on. But, with that said, this team will not compete for a regional or league championship in 2011. The DAC will be much improved and LC must replace four starters. At LC, there's always a lot to work with, but there's a lot to be done.

4. (4A) Michigan City (15-8)
2009 (21-4), 2008 (20-6), 2007 (22-2), 2006 (14-11)

MICHIGAN CITY: Take away the three losses to Merrillville (25-2) and this record was very deceptive. The Wolves will make the biggest move in 2011 with freshman Tony Murphy (9.6 ppg.) and Jemeka Collins (5.0 ppg.), two of four freshmen who played significant roles this season. 5-foot-10 Angelique Moore (11.8 pg.) will be back for her senior season, but the underclassmen here will be from the new, blue wave of MC basketball. The Wolves play with the speed that you need to advance beyond the regional level. They have to overcome Hobart (and maybe Crown Point) at the sectional in 2011, but it's going to be hard to hold them back. MC always plays 22 games because they are enrolled in the South Bend Holiday Tournament. That's a slick way to get around the 14-game DAC double round robin and it tells you they care about developing a state contender, not just a sectional contender.

5. (3A) Griffith (19-6)
2009 (16-7) 2008 (17-5), 2007 (15-7), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (15-8)

GRIFFITH: Griffith won the regional title game over Class 3A No. 10 Benton Central, which took home the school's first-ever regional title. They lost to Hobart (19-4) twice, Gavit (20-1), Gary West Side (17-5) and Andrean (14-6), but it paid when they defeated BC. The Panthers lost by 18 to state champion Concordia, but they were not nearly as good as Concordia. The Panthers have a systemic problem. Griffith has won 13 or more for eight years, but I don't think they can win a state title in Class 3A playing the style they do. Many of the powerful Fort Wayne and Indianapolis teams are 3A and they play with a lot more up-tempo speed. But Griffith could be a perennial regional contender playing the way they do now, controlling the pace and keeping the score low. The Panthers allowed 34 points a game in 2010, but a lot of that is their style of offense. The Panthers return Presley Corich at guard and a lot of size up front, but Griffith is never going to get the talent that Fort Wayne Elmhurst and Concordia have. Look for them not to change one bit, which means they could be back in the regional title game in 2011.

On the outside looking in...

(2A) Boone Grove (23-2)
2009 (16-7), 2008 (16-7), 2007 (18-5), 2006 (14-11), 2005 (21-6)

PORTER TOWNSHIP: As we drift into the off-season, I still cannot tell you how Boone lost by 17 to Winamac in the sectional semifinals when they should have played Bishop Luers for the semistate championship. Boone is 72-21 over the last four years, but they should play a tougher regular season schedule and they know it. We are one year away from a lot of schedule changes as the annual South County Tournament ends its half century run this year and four teams get a chance to go elsewhere or start their own holiday tournaments. For the 2011 playoffs, lead guard Emily Bobrowski (8.7 ppg.), forward Brittany Shafer (8.7 ppg.), wing guard Brittany Dewell (7.3 ppg.) and No. 1 sub Jordan Chester all return with freshman center Claudia Cooper (2.9 ppg.) probably moving into the starting lineup. Boone again will be the favorite in the Porter County Conference (PCC) and they'll certainly be in the Top-10 again. But they may be getting tired of hearing that.