Bigger Warsaw Lady Tigers counter Lady Bulldogs' press to win 46-42
A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Friday, Nov. 29, 2002  in CROWN POINT

WARSAW (46)  Jaclyn Leininger 4-2-10, Mallory Hepler 1-2-5, Michelle DeGeeter 4-2-10, Rebekah Reichard 2-1-5, Rachel Franklin 1-0-2, Julie Seiss 6-2-14, Kara Mayer 0-0-0, Holly Durcholtz 0-0-0.    TOTALS: 18-10-46

FTS: 10-14, 71.4 percent
TURNOVERS: 11
FOULED OUT: NONE
3-POINT GOALS (0) None

CROWN POINT (42)  Blayre Reeves 3-0-7, Cassie Pruzin 4-3-11, Danielle Brueck 2-0-4, Kaitlyn Sertich 2-0-4 Alison Isailovich 2-0-5, Keri Cuculich 2-0-4, Jill Weiand 1-0-2, Jen McMullin 2-0-4, Amy Zondor 0-1-1, Jessica Herdt 0-0-0.
TOTALS: 18-3-42

FTS: 4-5, 80 percent
TURNOVERS: 13
FOULED OUT: Cassie Pruzin - 4th Q - :04 left
3-POINT GOALS (3) Alison Isailovich, Blayre Reeves

CROWN POINT (11-29-2002) - When Crown Point lost 47-40 to Andrean on Nov. 16, it was a game they should have won.  When the Lady Bulldogs lost 46-42 to Warsaw last Friday night, it was a game they could've won but it certainly wasn't a game they should have won.

Warsaw was more experienced, bigger and just as quick as Crown Point, opening a few local eyes. The Lady Tigers jumped to an 8-0 lead and while Crown Point threw their array of pressing defenses at them, the Tigers (2-0) got out of town with a solid 46-42 victory.

"Number one," said veteran coach Tom May, "He (Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst) has a nice team.  They're bigger than us at the one, the two, the three, the four and the five. Just because we've got Crown Point uniforms on doesn't make us better basketball players. He has good some good players."

Warsaw was impressive. Mobile six foot junior forwards Jaclyn Leininger and Michelle DeGeeter both scored 10 points and combined for 14 rebounds while freshman point guard Julie Seiss added 14 rebounds, and four assists. But the biggest figure was only 12 Warsaw turnovers. Crown Point had forced 20 or more turnovers from each of their first four opponents. But the changing CP defensive formations only briefly rattled the visitors, largely because of the ball-handling of DeGeeter, Leininger and Seiss.

"If you'd have told me we could win with our two three-year starters (Leininger and DeGeeter) shooting 8-of-25 from the floor, I wouldn't have believed you," said Weinhorst. "They couldn't hit tonight but that's a good sign that we won without our major players shooting what they usually do."

"They beat us by 20 points here two years ago when they were freshmen. They've learned a lot. Leininger has moved from the '4' position all the way out to the '2' for us and she takes over at the point sometime. And our freshman's not too bad."

Seiss, the first freshman to start for Weinhorst in 12 years, scored 17 in Warsaw's season-opening 57-43 victory over defending 3A sectional champion Tippecanoe Valley. A strong 5-9, 14-year-old, Seiss held her own against CP star Cassie Pruzin (11 points, 7 steals, 4 assists) all night.

"We knew she was good but this summer she got to play against varsity competition and we knew she had something. First game, she had 17 and 14 tonight. That's not too bad for a freshman.  Especially in this atmosphere against this press."

Down 8-0, Crown Point got two baskets from sophomore Kaitlyn Sertich in a 7-0 run that cut the lead to one. Near the end of the second quarter, baskets by Danielle Brueck, Jill Weiand and Jen McMullin to take a 19-18 lead. But the offensive rebounding of the Tigers pushed Warsaw to a 29-21 lead in the third quarter.

Another CP rally cut the edge to 35-33 on a three-point goal by Alison Isailovich with 2:21 to play but a baseline driving layup by Seiss made it 37-33 before the play of the day. Seiss raced up the floor and leaped in the air and banked in a one-handed 'prayer' that even had her laughing as she retreated on defense. Two late hoops from Pruzin cut the lead to 43-40 with 34 seconds to play but two free throws by Leininger closed out the home team.

Keri Cuculich, Jen McMullin and Jill Weiand (7 rebounds) battled valiantly against the taller Tigers but giving up inches, they were outmanned up front. CP still passes up shots they need to take and make.  It's easy to sit in the stands and say 'shoot it' but there is a reality that an average shooter passing up (or not being ready to fire) an open shot often makes a good shooter take a below average attempt.

"You got to put a few shots down and you've got to get some ball reversal," said May. "But, beyond that, you've got to put the ball in the basket when you get a chance.  We're not terribly disappointed.  We were in position to possibly win this one at the end.  We've just got to keep going."

"But give them credit. They were pressing. They were changing defenses. That's what we like to do. We cut the game to one or two but we missed a shot or threw it away.  They've got three kids at six foot.  They know they can crash the boards.  That's a good thing.  They have good size on the outside to defend. Against good teams, you only have a split second."

"We're not concerned about winning and losing right now," said May.  "We haven't played a team as good as this yet. And we may not play a team this good for  awhile. When we do face somebody about this level, playing them (Warsaw) is going to help us."

DOG NOTES: Cassie Pruzin's seven steals gave her 37 for the season. The 5-7 guard fouled out when no other player on the floor took an intentional foul in two situations where the Lady Bulldogs had to stop the clock in the final minute. Due to the controversial round robin that the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) format (14 league games) will go to next year, CP will have to drop some nonconference foes but Warsaw will not be one of them.

"We like the Friday date," said Weinhorst, "but they can't do it any more so we'll change it to the Saturday before Thanksgiving."

"They'll be one of the six nonconference teams we keep after the Duneland goes to this fiasco of scheduling. When they come here, it's a good crowd. When we go there, the crowd is just as good. They've been beating us about 4-out-of-5 but we love this series. They usually are bigger than us and more athletic so we have to do some really good things to win."

As is traditional, several past Crown Point players returned to CPHS for a holiday home game. Erin Plumley, Sarah Little, Kelly O'Brien, Nikki Borys and Katie Lemke were among many who came back to watch their old team play.

For the Record: 2003 CROWN POINT (3-2)

Start times are JV starting times
11-15-2002:  74-19 Hebron (0-6)
11-16-2002:  40-47  at Andrean (2-0)
11-22-2002:  55-30 Kankakee Valley (1-3)
11-23-2002:  52-30 at Munster (1-4)
11-29-2002:  42-46 Warsaw  (2-0)
12-3-2002 (Tu) Lowell (6 p.m.)
12-6-2002 (F) at PORTAGE (6 p.m.)
12-7-2002 (S) at Highland (6 p.m.)
12-13-2002 (F) MERRILLVILLE (6 p.m.)
12-21-2002 (S) at Valparaiso (11 a.m. )

Lady Bulldog Shootout (with Martinsville, Carroll and Noblesville)
12-28-2002 (S) semifinal -  11 a.m.
12-28-2002 (S) finals - 6 p.m.

1-4-2003 (S) at Hanover Central -  6 p.m.
1-10-2003 (F) MICHIGAN CITY - 6 p.m.
1-18-2003 (S) CHESTERTON - 6 p.m.
1-24-2003 (F) at LaPORTE - 6 p.m.
1-25-2003 (S) Bishop Luers - 6 p.m.
2-1-2003 (S) HOBART - 6 p.m.
2-4-2003 (Tu) at Lake Central - 6 p.m.

Portage (4A) Sectional
2-11-2003 (Tu) Quarterfinals  (6 or 8 p.m.)
2-14-2003 (F) Semifinals  (6 of 8 p.m.)
2-15-2003 (S) Championship  (7:30 p.m.)

Valparaiso (4A) Regional
2-22-2003 (S) Semifinals  (11a.m.)
2-22-2003 (S) Championship  (7 p.m.)

Plymouth (4A) Semistate
3-1-2003 (S) Semistate championship (TBA)