Boys Basketball

Regional Previews

(3-11-2003)

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

CLASS 4A (Michigan City Regional)
East Chicago (18-5) 58, MERRILLVILLE (13-10) 55

The Pirates don't have the speed in the lane to handle the 6-4 trio of Willie Frazier, Rodney Wash and Mel Brown. Merrillville can't press East Chicago. The Pirates can go 10 deep on the bench and EC uses largely just six boys and Lake Central's 1-3-1- zone defense gave EC significant problems. Jim East certainly knows that. His team has come from five or more behind in every playoff game so far.

Merrillville lost at EC only 48-41 three weeks ago. But there's too many seniors and too many juniors against too many sophomores and freshmen. East Chicago has been ranked number one here since midseason and they need to prove why on Saturday. And there's no falling behind by 10 points and trying to come back on the Cardinals. East Chicago is not Crown Point.

CLASS 3A (Plymouth Regional)
Gary Roosevelt (21-1) 65 , Highland (15-9) 45

Too bad Highland can't move to Class 4A this week instead of next year. They more than could hold their own against Western (19-4) or Knox (20-4) but they won't get the chance. (Boone Grove beat Knox by 10 points. Boone wouldn't beat Highland.)

The one hope (and it's not farfetched) for the Trojans is that Roosevelt looks past them. If that happens and Highland spreads the floor and runs a delay, they can make it a close game. Remember, Gary Roosevelt lost to Morgan Park (13-14) a low-rent Chicago Public League team. But if Roosevelt goes all out, the spread will be at least 20.

CLASS 2A (Triton Regional)
BOONE GROVE (10-11) 58, Triton (15-9) 52

Triton is a shooting team. They run and press and shoot the "3." But Triton does not play any 4A competition while Boone has played half the Duneland Conference. Triton Junior guards Braxton Barton (16.0 ppg.) and Todd Blackford (24.0 ppg. with 19 threes in three games) have averaged 40 per game in the state tournament. But Boone' strength is senior guards Marcus Banning and Michael Christensen. And they've faced guys like Josh Mayo, Todd Schafer, Matt Campbell and Brett Summers. Triton's killer 'Bs' shouldn't scare them.

Let's step back and look at this. Boone Grove is having an all-time winter with their first wrestling state finalist (Garrett Stemmons), their first girls sectional and regional championships, and now the upset of PCC champ Wheeler. Do we really want to bet against them?
Don't look now but Boone is the best of the four teams here. Northfield (13-10) and Central Noble (10-12) are the two other teams at this regional. Boone could get to the semistate and I don't think (Valpo may have done it in 1994) any school in this region has ever had their boys and girls teams reach the semistate in the same year. .

CLASS 1A Culver Regional
Morgan Township (16-7) 29, Caston (12-10) 26

Caston is apparently well known outside this area for slowdown basketball. The Comets play a small school schedule but they don't pretend they have equal talent. They hold the ball two to three minutes every time down the floor. Against top-ranked Argos, a team that averages 70 points per game, Caston won 33-25 in overtime. Caston lost to 3A No. 1 Lewis Cass 32-21. Hello, Morgan Township?? Caston is going to STALL. This may help MT though. Matty Bush (22.1 ppg.,) has had pneumonia and he is recovering. A slowdown game might help him. Watch the half-time score here. It could be 13-12.

(Fort Wayne) Blackhawk (15-8) 67, South Central (13-11) 58

This is worrisome for the Satellites because these Black Hawks (unlike the ones in Chicago) actually can play. None of the three teams came within 25 points of Blackhawk at the Blackhawk Sectional.

I'd love to see an all-PCC final but BlackHawk beat 4A Summit Athletic Conference power Snider (15-7) and lost to 3A Harding (15-6) in overtime. South Central isn't in that league, in more ways than one.

USA-365.com Predicts Northern Indiana Regional Winners:

(4A) At Michigan City :   EAST CHICAGO (They've already played Riley, Merrillville and Elkhart Central.)
At Marion: Kokomo (I think DeKalb (23-1) is suspect)

(3A) At Plymouth:   GARY ROOSEVELT (Knox is 20-4 but they lost to Boone Grove. Gary Roosevelt would beat Boone Grove.)
At Northwood: (Fort Wayne) Elmhurst (Elmhurst had the best overall record in Fort Wayne's tough Summit Athletic Conference)

(2A) At Triton: BOONE GROVE   (It's a miracle)
At Blackford: No. 1 Lewis Cass (Boone will need another miracle. Cass has
beaten 21 teams by 10 points or more)

(1A) At Culver: MORGAN TOWNSHIP (2 PCC teams at Warsaw again?)
At Tipton: Lafayette Central Catholic (The evil empire returns.)