NW Indiana Girls Basketball: 2009-2010 Week-7 Poll

2009-2010 Renegade Girls Basketball

Week-9 Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

(01-28-2010)

MERRILLVILLE, IN (01-30-2010) If you have read this poll for years you know it does not make radical changes. Teams cannot improve dramatically from week to week. It isn't possible. Good teams that lose suddenly don't become less. That's media. That's not reality.

But I can't figure out who's good this season. I've seen everybody in the Top-10 but Gary West Side, and other than Merrillville, I'm not sure any of the positions are accurate.

Boone Grove (17-1) is very difficult to rate. At the recent Porter County Conference Tournament, they played at 75% speed and won three times. Barring a total sleepwalk on one of the last four game nights, Boone will go 20-1 and we still won't know how good they are.

There's also a diversity of opinion on Lake Central and Valparaiso, the two teams with tall, shot-blocking centers. Lake Central, on occasion, looks like a regional champion. Valparaiso is very tall and can dominate if you can't pick up the pace.

I'll say this again.

You have to be able to play with speed to advance in the state tournament.

Just like teams that run the football 75% of the time lose in the National Football League, the day has passed when you could play a slow-paced style and reach the Indiana state finals. There are too many good athletes on the top teams.

When you look outside this area and see monsters like 4A No. 1 Ben Davis (18-0), which has won 48 games in a row; and 3A No.10 Benton Central (12-4), which is 36-6 over the last two years with all four losses this year to 4A schools; and 2A No. 3 Jimtown (16-1), which is 53-8 the last three seasons, you have to wonder how any Northwest Indiana team is going to get out of the regional.

This is simply a 'down' year in Northwest Indiana so the glittering records of a few are a lot like the defensive statistics of the New York Jets. Pretty window dressing until you run up against somebody who can actually play.

Again this year, no one but LC and Valparaiso took on the Indianapolis area powers. No one in Lake County played Oregon-Davis. The last Northwest Indiana team to play Ben Davis was Crown Point in the 1990s. Only Gary West Side and Michigan City play the South Bend and Lafayette schools. In girls basketball, everyone in Northwest Indiana knows who the good teams are in other parts of the state. No one here really wants to play them.

Look at the 40 teams in the top-10 this week. Outside of NW Top-10 Indiana teams, only two have met 'region' teams this season. Two. The dirty little secret of Northwest Indiana girls basketball is that we need a miracle to reach the state finals with the skill level we have and the schedules we play. The search for a miracle begins Feb .1 when the state tourney draw is announced.

All eyes should be on 2A to see the path that Boone Grove takes and on 3A to see the direction that Andrean must travel. The others are just trying to live on hope.

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

MERRILLVILLE: The Pirates finally lost, an 18-point loss, 66-48 to surging Lake Central. Merrillville couldn't deal with 6-foot-6 center Andrea Kras, who limited their shooting from the field. If the Pirates finish 19-1, this is a good loss.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? Merrillville is 10-0 versus sectional opponents and they were challenged only by Hobart. I think Valparaiso is dangerous to the Pirates because of their size. But, let's tell the whole truth. This is a Duneland Conference (7 of the 8 teams are DAC) sectional. All 4A Sectional 2 teams must play three times. The draw here just doesn't mean as much as it does in many other sectionals.

2. (4A) Hobart (16-2)
2009 (15-6), 2008 (12-9), 2007 (7-14), 2006 (11-11), 2005 (13-10)

HOBART: The Brickies lost 49-38 to Merrillville and then they are in the midst of a 13-day break until they travel to Jefferson (13-5) and Gavit (17-0). This is not good. You can't have a break like this late in the year. Hobart would have benefited from a league championship tournament this year, but the Northwest Crossroads Conference does not have one. I think the Brickies will stop undefeated Gavit decisively and their spirits will soar in the final game of the season.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? They need not to draw Merrillville because they'd be out immediately. The Brickies would welcome anyone else. Michigan City would be a match-up problem but the Brickies just need to avoid the Pirates.

3. (4A) Lake Central (12-6)
2009 (12-10), 2008 (9-13), 2007 (7-14), 2006 (11-10)

ST. JOHN: The Indians have blossomed since early in the year and they are dominating down the stretch. The Indians have won four in a row by 16 points or more, including the 66-48 victory over previously undefeated Merrillville. Guard Kaley Marcinak is a top point defender and 6-foot-6 Andrea Kras cuts teams' shooting percentage by about 10 points. LC, which was 0-3 after three games, needs the state tourney to start right now, not in two weeks.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? LC needs to draw sectional co-favorite Gary West Side (12-4) right away. The Indians are playing well and time is their enemy. In the 7-team 4A Sectional 1, would welcome a bye, but they don't need it.

4. (4A) Valparaiso (10-8)
2009 (13-8), 2008 (13-10), 2007 (8-14), 2006 (13-8), 2005 (21-2), 2004 (23-3)

VALPARAISO: Remind yourself that LC and Valpo open the season with Hamilton Southeastern and Carmel so they are a guaranteed 0-2 to begin the year. If the games slow down in the post-season (and in the sectional, they do) Valpo has 6-foot-4 Stefanie Lang (17.4 ppg.) and opponents have to get around her somehow. Teams tend to play too carefully against Valpo because they worry about rebounding. No one in Northwest Indiana honestly thinks Gavit (17-0) could beat Valparaiso. No one.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? The Vikings need Hobart to draw Merrillville and the winner to face Michigan City. The Vikings won't beat all three, but they could upset one of those teams. That's a lot to ask, but you might as well dream big.

5. (3A) Andrean (13-5)
2009 (12-9), 2008 (8-12), 2007 (18-5), 2006 (15-8)

MERRILLVILLE: Andrean is going to finish at 14-5, but they played just five times in January. A postponed match with Hanover Central could not be made up, but with all due respect to Hanover, that game wasn't going to help Andrean much. Andrean crushed sectional rival Knox 56-32 Tuesday (1-26-2010) night. The 59ers are a lot like Lake Central. They need the playoffs to begin right now and they don't. Jaclyn Gonzalez and Natasha Zurek are quick, confident players. The Niners are a little small up front and that may be an issue in a second meeting with sectional co-favorite Griffith. But Andrean began 1-4 and since then they are 12-1. Other teams should have their problems.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? A bye. They are not a great offensive team so they need rest. Rest helps the defense, but not the offense. The Niners have a better opportunity than any team in NW Indiana to reach the semistate. But I don't like them riding the big yellow bus to DeMotte three times in five nights for the 3A Kankakee Valley Sectional.

6. (4A) Gary West Side (12-4)
2009 (17-7), 2008 (18-5), 2007 (16-6), 2006 (16-7), 2005 (23-5), 2004 (20-4)

GARY: The Cougars have rallied with overtime wins over Griffith and Benton Central, although an OT win doesn't say much to who's the better team and the Cougars should beat 3A squads. The 'Side' finishes with five games in a row on the road and that should help them play in the Munster 4A Sectional. They appear to be rounding into shape with the full court press but the shooting is bad.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? A bye. Or Morton (2-14). Or a freshman-flavored team like Lowell (4-12). They don't want LC right away. West Side may think they do, but they don't.

7. (4A) Michigan City (14-6)
2009 (21-4), 2008 (20-6), 2007 (22-2), 2006 (14-11)

MICHIGAN CITY: The Wolves have some slip ups like a 72-44 loss at Clay last week (Jan. 23). MC was 3-4 at one point, so they're 11-2 since then. MC has been ignited by freshmen Tony Murphy (9.6 ppg.) and Jemeka Collins (5.0 ppg.) who have sparked 5-foot-10 forwards Angelique Moore (12.2 ppg.) and Essence Robinson (11.3 ppg.). This is a deep team with six players 5-foot-9 or taller, but they have not played tougher in key games before this year.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? LaPorte (1-15) or a Crown Point (9-9) team they have dominated. Michigan City plays four freshmen regularly so they have as much a chance of winning a title this year as the Indiana Pacers do. But you don't want to play them first. They are still improving.

8. (1A) Oregon-Davis (17-4)
2009 (22-3), 2008 (24-1), 2007 (25-3), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (11-11), 2004 (7-14)

HAMLET: Oregon-Davis has survived a difficult schedule in relatively healthy shape with senior ball-handler Gabrielle (Gabi) Minix (21.5 ppg.) still a dominant player. This is my best example of scheduling. No Lake County team played O-D in the four years Minix, a Division I player going to Marquette, was their floor leader. Because no one wanted to be embarrassed. That's the attitude that must change for NW Indiana to be good in girls basketball again. O-D will get to play 22 games. They have done everything they can to prepare for a state finals run.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? Oregon Davis just needs the referees to show up and the game to be played. No one in their sectional has a winning record. O-D and (Fort Wayne) Canterbury (13-2) are prohibitive regional favorites.

9. (2A) Boone Grove (17-1)
2009 (16-7), 2008 (16-7), 2007 (18-5), 2006 (14-11), 2005 (21-6)

PORTER TOWNSHIP: Boone Grove swept three games to win their sixth PCC title in eight years. The Wolves are a rare 2A public school team that has nine usable players. Winamac (11-6) is a quality foe at the sectional, but Boone Grove should be ready. They have no one who averages more than Kelly Dobson's 13.5 ppg. But 5-foot-4 guard Emily Bobrowski scored 25 against Hebron while 5-foot-11 soph Brittany Shaffer scored 20 in the PCC title game against South Central. They have balanced scoring, which coaches love. The truth is, teams with balanced scoring get beat by teams with one great scorer. Read: 2A No. 2 Jimtown (17-1) and Sarah DeShone (20.3 ppg.)

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? A bye. I don't want them to have to play three sectional games. It gets back to the fact that they don't have one elite offensive player who can erase an upset. In the six-team Class 2A Sectional 34, Boone needs one of the two first round byes.

10. (3A) Griffith (12-5)
2009 (16-7), 2008 (17-5), 2007 (15-7), 2006 (14-8), 2005 (15-8), 2004 (13-9)

GRIFFITH: Griffith has lost to Hobart (17-2) twice, Gavit (17-0), Gary West Side (12-4) and Andrean (12-5). I wish they had more wins, but I truthfully believe they could defeat ANY of the teams that have beaten them. Griffith should finish 15-5 and be a big threat in the post-season.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? A bye. Only the fatally uninformed believe that you don't want a bye in the post-season. Only someone who wants to lose wants to play three sectional games when they could only play two. Griffith has waited two years for this opportunity and they have the team to go to the semistate if they defeat Andrean. But just because you wait a long time doesn't mean you get what you want. Just ask Conan O'Brien.

On the outside looking in...

(3A) Gavit (17-0)
2009 (11-10), 2008 (9-14), 2007 (4-17), 2006 (4-16)

HAMMOND: I just don't believe that you can win a regional title playing bad teams. Other than Calumet and Griffith, both narrow wins for Gavit, the Gladiators' path towards an undefeated season is odder than the New York Jets. Some feel compelled to rank an undefeated team highly no matter who they play. I don't have that problem. Gavit has played Clark (0-17) twice, Morton (2-15) twice, Hammond (6-10) twice and Marquette (0-15). Whiting (6-10), Noll (5-13) and Lake Station (4-12). They have beaten up weak sisters. The Gavit players know this. Why should anyone else lie about it? You control the schedule you play and you need to play good teams or you aren't that good. It's that simple. The best game of their year will be the season finale against Hobart (17-2) on Feb. 4. But Gavit needs to change their schedule.

WHAT DO THEY NEED IN THE DRAW? Class 3A Sectional 17 is very soft. Gavit will get a rematch with Gary Roosevelt, but Roosevelt (13-2) isn't very good. Gavit needs to be working on Andrean and Benton Central NOW. They don't have to say that out loud, but they need to do it.