Lady Wolves overcome cold freethrow shooting, 'chaser' defense to beat Wheeler 57-55 for PCC Championship
A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Porter County Championship   -  Saturday,  Jan. 25, 2002  in Porter Township

BOONE GROVE (57)  AJ Puller 4-1-10,  Karissa Walter 3-4-10,  Heather Moy 3-3-9, Jenn Keller 2-1-6, Lani Marsh 0-0-0, Rachel Jenkins 2-1-5, Sara Martinovich 2-1-6, Becky Keller 4-1-9, Danielle Jacobs 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 20-12-57
FTS: 12-32, 37.5 percent  Moy 3-8, Jenn Keller 1-4, Karissa Walter 2-6, Sara Martinovich 1-4
TURNOVERS: 10
FOULED OUT: none
3-POINT GOALS (5) Becky Keller 2, Jenn Keller, AJ Puller, Sara Martinovich.

WHEELER (55)  Alyse Bruszewski 3-3-10, Maggie Schultz 4-1-9, Lindsey Schiess 1-3-6, Allison Roper 6-3-18, Allison Goetcheus 0-0-0, Carolyn Schrall 3-0-9,  Allison Hayes 0-3-3.  TOTALS: 17-13-55
FTS: 13-21, 61.4 percent  (Hayes 3-8, Bruszewski 3-4, Schiess 3-4
TURNOVERS: 9
FOULED OUT: none
3-POINT GOALS (8) Allison Roper 3, Carolyn Schrall 3, Alyse Bruszewski, Lindsey Schiess.

PORTER TOWNSHIP  (1-25-3) -  As decisively as Boone Grove had beaten Wheeler back in November, you knew that Wheeler wasn't going to just show up empty-handed Saturday night as the two teams met again for the 31st Porter County Conference (PCC) girls basketball championship.

"We knew there'd be something," Boone's sixth-year coach Candy Wilson. "We knew they weren't going to play us man-to-man again."

Wheeler (12-5) came in with high hopes, a five-game winning streak and a 'gimmick' defense, designed to stop Boone Grove star guard Karissa Walter  (17 ppg.).  Wheeler coach Phil Misecko had four defenders play a 1-3 formation, with three girls guarding the baseline and one sliding back and fourth across the foul lane. A fifth girl, usually little 5-1 guard Allison Hayes, chased Walter everywhere, influencing Boone's unguarded players to take shots.

The Bearcats won the battle but not the war.  Boone fought off super-bad foul shooting, early foul trouble for Walter and eight three-point goals from the BearCats, winning 57-55, the Wolves' first PCC title for Boone since 1996.

"You've got to give it to their team," said Wilson later. "they were knocking down their shots. They really did well. The truth is, we've had that (kind of) defense before with Karissa. You've got to get used to that this time of year. People throw funky stuff at you. It wasn't anything we didn't expect."

"That's why I held the ball at the end, to try to pull them out of that.  Karissa's effective enough that she can get through those things. She just got into foul trouble. That's what hurt us."

Wheeler jumped to a 9-3 lead early before Becky Kelly and AJ Puller hit three-point shots to close the gap.

But Walter, the 5-4 left-handed point guard who leads the Boone attack, picked up two fouls in the first 2:45 of the game and was called for her third foul with 5:00 left in the half.  Wheeler's 5-9 Allison Roper and 5-6 junior Carolyn Schall combined for six three-point shots that boosted the BearCats, who will leave the PCC after this school year, to a 32-25 halftime lead.

As the lead held through the third quarter in front of a capacity crowd of 2,000 in the bright, blue Boone Grove gym, the BearCats rooters, many of whom were filing in for the Wheeler-Hanover Central boys championship game to follow, became louder. Alyse Bruszewski scored seven points in the third period and Allison Roper's two free throws gave Wheeler a 48-39 lead with 2:20 left in the period.

The 1-3 zone with a chaser was a creative attack.  "Walter hangs out at the top," said Wheeler coach Phil Misecko of Boone Grove's ways. "We just had been watching them play. We felt like the way they attack a zone was that they skip the ball from one side to the wing and from there, they try to go into the post. So we just put a chaser out front. It's basically a 2-3 because Lindsey (Schiess) just goes opposite of where Walter is. They don't have wing shooters."

"They're a little stronger up front than I thought. We had some trouble rebounding."

That was part of the BearCats' demise. Walter hit two free throws with 1:58 to play in the third quarter. Boone's 5-9 Rachel Jenkins followed in an offensive rebound and Walter drove the lane for a lay-up to make it 48-45 after three periods."

"At the start of the fourth quarter, Becky Keller hit a three point shot off the right wing and then stole a pass for a lay-up to put Boone ahead 50-48.

"She's been making plays like that for us all year," said Wilson. "She's been coming up with key steals in close games. And the seniors stepped up in the end. They didn't run away and hide. It was a total team effort."

By the time Heather Moy split two free shots with 2:10 to play, Boone had completed a 16-4 run and led 55-52. Bruszewski tied the game with a foul shot with 49 seconds to go but Moy grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a foul shot with 23 seconds left for a 56-55 lead. Becky Kelley split two foul shots with 13 seconds to go and Wheeler didn't get off a final shot off on their last possession.

For Boone, it was the end of a long road that saw them fall in the PCC semifinals the last two years.  They didn't seem as thrilled that they won as they were that a capacity crowd of 2,100 packed their home gym. To come from behind in front of that audience seemed more satisfying than to win by 20.

"We had faith," said Boone's Jenn Keller. "Every game in this PCC tournament, teams were coming from behind to win.  Wheeler played a great game.  Hey, we finally got a big crowd here.  We had to kinda keep them on their toes."

"Everybody was pretty positive," said Heather Moy about trailing by nine in the third period.  "We didn't panic.  Bruszewski is a good post.  We tried to double up on her.  This was great.  The bleachers were full.  We were so excited."

For Boone Grove, this was not overnight success.  Boone girls basketball was 5-15 as recently as 2000.  Even winning 33 of their last 38 games, the Wolves are still under .500 in coach Candy Wilson's six seasons.

"And when did I say we'd start winning?" Wilson asked. "This year when we'd have have Karissa and the other sophomores with these seniors.  I knew this was definitely going to  be the start of things and it won't be the end."

PCC GIRLS NOTES:  With Boone leading 50-49 with five minutes to play and both teams in foul trouble, Boone decided they no longer wished to play against the Wheeler gimmick defense.  While Walter stood to one side taking 'chaser' Allison Hayes with her, Becky Keller stood out on the wing and just held the ball.  Wheeler, glad to be within one on Boone's floor late in the fourth quarter, stayed in their 1-3 set and let Becky hold the ball, standing there.

Nobody moved for two minutes until Wheeler came out of the zone defense.

Wilson was asked, "Would you have stood there and stalled the rest of the game?"

"Definitely," she said without hesitation. "A win is a win."

The PCC girls and boys traveling trophies (for girls, it is the 'Cup' and for boys, it is the 'Keg') were on the line Saturday. Wheeler boys won the keg from Kouts and held it by beating Hanover Central.  Boone held the 'cup' by beating the Bearcats.  

The Lady Wolves add the 'cup' to their trophy case already holds the PCC 'jug' won during the South County Tournament.  Heather Moy, Jenn Keller and AJ Puller are pictured holding the PCC Jug following Boone's 73-31 win over Kouts on Jan. 4.

There is some controversy (not much) over what happens to the keg and the cup if Wheeler holds them at the end of the year because Wheeler is going to the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) in the fall.  Some say Wheeler gets to keep the trophies and others say the Bearcats have to give them back.  Boone's girls victory temporarily tabled that discussion where the cup is concerned.

"Now, we don't have to get the 'cup' back from Wheeler," Jenn Keller said. "It looks nice painted blue and white. We need to keep it in the PCC."  Wilson added, "I've had nightmares about that cup leaving.  I've seen that thing painted red and white (Hebron's colors) for too long." Hebron was the defending two-time undefeated champ of the PCC.

Wheeler boys could still lose the 'keg' on their own when they play at Kouts in two weeks and Wheeler's girls could still get the 'cup' back from Boone at the Rensselaer Sectional next month.  Misecko wouldn't mind drawing Boone but he would gladly table that, if it meant that his team didn't draw sectional favorite North Newton (14-5).

"Let's hope they draw them," smiled Misecko. "We want Lake Station (0-16) and the bye."

Boone can tie the school record for girls basketball wins (it was set last year) if they beat Hanover Central Thursday. The Wolves still have a game at potential regional foe North Judson.

Boone Grove can't have a foul-shooting crisis like they did Saturday. After sinking 11 of 19 in the tight quarterfinal game with Washington Township, Boone was a season-worst 12-of-31 from the line in the Wolves' home gym.

"Before the game, we were warming up in the small (auxiliary) gym and we were knocking them all down" Wilson said. "I thought, Oh, this is going to be a good night for free throws. But there is a mental part to it."

BOONE GROVE (16-3, 6-0 PCC)
Coach Candy Wilson (6th year)  39-61 in 5 seasons
PCC games in CAPS, Home games in bold

11-12-2002:  58-28 at River Forest (5-11)
11-15-2002:  45-34 at Calumet (12-5)
11-16-2002:  71-47 at HEBRON (6-12)
11-22-2002:  62-55 at Knox  (5-11)
11-26-2002:  89-34 LaCROSSE (6-11)
12-2-2002:  57-67 at Kankakee Valley (7-10)
12-6-2002:  79-61 at WHEELER (11-5)
12-12-2002:  63-72 WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (11-5)
12-14-2002:  49-55  CROWN POINT (11-7) 
12-17-2002:  82-33 KOUTS (3-13) 
12-19-2002:  85-42 at MORGAN TOWNSHIP (3-13)

South County Tournament  (at Boone Grove)
1-3-2003:  61-35 Hebron (6-12)
1-4-2003:  73-31 Kouts (3-13)  title

1-7-2003:  60-63 at North Newton (14-3)
1-9-2003:  84-45  SOUTH CENTRAL (8-9)
1-15-2003:  94-14 Lake Station (0-16)