Shulfer, Bell lead Lady Devils to 49-34 win over Hanover Lady Cats
A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2002

HANOVER :  Christie Wick 1-0-3,  Karrah Adamn 3-0-6, Melissa Braner 1-0-2, Krysta Rickey 1-1-3, Jill McElmurry 8-1-20, Amanda Wendlinger 0-0-0, Rachel Williams 0-0-0, Sarah Csikos 0-0-0.   TOTALS: 14-2-34.
FGS:  14 of 44,  31.8% 
FTS: 2-8, 25%
REBOUNDS: 20
STEALS: 8
TURNOVERS: 24

LOWELL:  Nikki Hanas 2-8-12, McKensey Wietbrock 0-5-5, Lisa Schulfer 5-9-19, Rachel Thiel 1-0-2, Broke Bell 5-1-11,  Mary Taylor 0-0-0, Kristen Kania 0-0-0, Wendy Broukal 0-0-0.   TOTALS: 13-23-49
FGS: 13 of 37,  35.1 %
FTS: 22 of 33, 66.7%
REBOUNDS: 34
STEALS: 9
TURNOVERS: 21

FOULED OUT: Amanda Wendlinger (HC) 1:23 left - 4th Q
THREE-POINT GOALS:   HANOVER (4) Jill McElmurry 3, Christie Wick;  LOWELL (1) Brooke Bell.

LOWELL:  Mr. Obvious says: ' Bigger, taller people are usually better at basketball than smaller, shorter ones.'  So Lowell's 49-34 victory over Hanover Central the night before Thanksgiving came as no surprise.

Not only did Lowell forwards Lisa Schulfer and Brooke Bell, who at 5-11 and 5-9 can be considered junior members of the big and tall club, combine for 30 points and 12 rebounds, but Hanover's spunky but smaller players simply could not do much again at the offensive end.

"They had no answer for Lisa," said Lowell coach Patti McCormack, who saw her team even the new season record at 2-2. "They really had no answer for Brooke, either.  Hanover always comes in and plays hard. It's a big deal for them to beat Lowell and sometimes they, do.  But I thought if we could keep them in the 40s, we could beat them."

Actually, Lowell kept Hanover in the 30s. As in 34 points and 31 percent shooting. While it's no shame for Hanover to lose to Gavit, Wheeler and Lowell, three bigger schools, Hanover (0-3) is going to have to find a way to score more than 39 (their 3-game average) points per game.

"I'm not happy that we're 0-3," said Hanover coach Chris York, whose team cut a 16-point second quarter lead down to six with 5:31 to play. "We should be 2-1. But I know we're getting better. We outscored them in the third quarter. Then Schulfer came back in and we don't have an answer for her."

Both teams were short-handed. Lowell junior guard Mary Erpelding was out with what coach McCormack feared would be a season-ending knee (ACL: anterior cruciate ligament) injury. Hanover lost Katie Burke to a knee injury four days earlier in a 40-39 loss to Wheeler and lost 5-5 post player Cess Copak to a knee injury suffered in pre-game warmups against Lowell.

"Two of the only people we have who can be considered post players were injured and could not play," said York. "Even with them, they (Lowell) are a lot bigger than we are."

Lowell misfired from the field in the first quarter but Hanover could not do better than a 7-7 tie. After Jill McElmurry gave the Lady Cats a 9-7 lead, Lowell ran off 18 points in a row over a six minute span behind Schulfer (6 points, 4 rebounds) and Bell (8 points) who scored almost at will.

"We've been after Brooke to take her shot when it's there. With Lisa in there, its hard for anyone to stop her (Brooke). Her re-emergence tonight was timely.  We've actually tried to move Lisa (a former center) outside but when she gets her feet set (angling to the basket in the low post) it's over, you can't stop her.

Hanover rotated eight players and bothered Lowell with their full court press but only McElmurry, who scored a season-high 20, could convert at the offensive end.

"That's the best Jill has shot the ball but other people have to take their shot," said York. "Alisha will be a good scorer. Right now she makes moves before she puts the ball on the floor and she travels a lot. But that's not a totally bad thing because she has the moves. If we can get her to make a fake without traveling, she'll be a good scorer."

When McElmurry's three-pointer made it 34-28 with 5:31 left, Schulfer took a pass inside and converted a three-point play before Natalie Hanas sank two free throws. A low-post, spinning layup by Schulfer made it 41-28 and forced a Hanover time out. The visitors never came within 10 points after that.

McCormack considered Thanksgiving week two must-win situations with Hanover and Munster, a Lake Athletic Conference foe on Saturday. "The Munster game is crucial to us," she said.

Hanover left Lowell with nine days off before Friday's battle with Porter County Conference (PCC) rival Hebron, a game they consider a must-win.

"We've got Hebron, Kouts, LaCrosse, River Forest, North Newton and Momence (3 holiday tournament games) the rest of the year. "We should win some games here and, hopefully, build up some confidence."

CAT NOTES:   McElmurry is averaging 11.6 per game after three games and she leads HC with five three-point goals. Hanover's Amanda Wendlinger did not score but she had four steals, giving her 16 in three games. The Lady Cats' poor foul shooting continued. Hanover is only 15 of 33 (45.4 percent) from the line this season. Lowell's Lisa Schulfer averaged 15.2 points per game after four starts. McKensey Wietbrock (9.5 ppg.) did not score from the field (0-for-7) but she grabbed five rebounds. Natalie Hanas (7 ppg.) hit a season high 12 points and the 5-3 junior guard added six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Natalie was 16 of 20 (80 percent) from the foul line after four games.  Hanover's junior varsity came from five points behind in the final 90 seconds to beat Lowell 36-32, the third consecutive victory for debut coach Tammi Boersma, a 2000 graduate of Hanover Central. 

For the Record: 2003 HANOVER CENTRAL (0-3)

PCC games in CAPS, Home games in bold
Start times are junior varsity starting times
11-12-2002: 43-51  at Gavit (1-2)
11-22-2002:  39-40   WHEELER (4-0)
11-27-2002: 34-49 at Lowell (2-2)
12-6-2002 (F) G/B (varsity only) vs. HEBRON (6 p.m.)
12-7-2002 (S) KOUTS (1 p.m.)
12-14-2002 (S)  at LaCROSSE  (6 p.m.)
12-17-2002 (Tu)  North Newton (6 p.m.)
12-19-2002 Th) River Forest (6 p.m.)
Momence Holiday Tournament  (Momence, Ill.)
12-27-2002 (F)  Quarterfinals  (TBA)
12-28-2002 (S) Semifinals and finals  (TBA)

1-4-2003 (S) Crown Point  (6 p.m.)
1-9-2003 (Th) at Calumet (6 p.m.)
1-11-2003 (S) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (6 p.m.)
1-18-2003 (S) Kankakee Valley  (6 p.m.)

Porter County Conference (PCC) Tournament
1-20-2003 M) PCC quarterfinals (6 p.m.)
1-21-2003 (Tu) PCC Quarterfinals (6 p.m.)
1-24-2003 (F)  Semifinals (6 p.m.)
1-25-2003 (S) PCC Girls Championship (6 p.m.)

1-30-2003 (Th) at BOONE GROVE (6 p.m.)
2-4-2003 (Tu) at Momence, Ill  (6 p.m.)
2-8-2003 (S) at MORGAN TOWNSHIP (6 p.m.)
Boone Grove (2A) Sectional
2-11-2003 (Tu) Quarterfinals  (6 p.m.)
2-14-2003 (F) Semifinals  (6 p.m.)
2-15-2003  (S) Championship (7:30 p.m.)
North Judson (2A) Regional
2-22-2003 (S) Semifinals  (11 a.m.)
2-22-2003 (S) Championship  (7 p.m.)

For the Record: 2003 LOWELL (2-2)

Start times are varsity starting times
11-15-2002: 62-72  at North Newton (3-0)
11-16-2002:  32-21  BISHOP NOLL   (1-3)
11-22-2002: 43-56 at Andrean (2-0) 
11-27-2002:  49-34 Hanover Central (0-3)
11-30-2002 (S) at MUNSTER  (7:30 p.m.)
12-3-2002 (Tu) at Crown Point (7:30 p.m.)
12-6-2002 (F) HIGHLAND (7:30 p.m.)
12-14-2002 (S)  Lake Central (7:30 p.m.)
12-20-2002 (F)  WHITING  (7:30 p.m.)
Carroll Invitational  (Flora, Ind.)
12-21-2002 (S)  to be announced  -  11 a.m.
12-21-2002 (S) to be announced -  6 p.m.
12-28-2002 (S) at Merrillville  (7:30 p.m.)

1-4-2003 (S) Kankakee Valley (7:30 p.m.)
1-11-2003 (S) at HAMMOND (7:30 p.m.)
1-14-2003 (Tu)  GRIFFITH (7:30 p.m.)
1-17-2003 (F)   at GAVIT  (7:30 p.m.)
1-23-2003 (Th) ANDREAN (7:30 p.m.)
1-30-2003 (Th) Hobart (7:30 p.m.)
LAC Tournament
2-1-2003 (S)  1st round  (TBA)
2-4-2003 (Tu)  Quarterfinal  (TBA)
2-6-2003 (Th) Semifinal  (TBA)
2-7-2003 (F) LAC Championship  (TBA)
Gary West Side (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.)

Copyright © 2002 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: July 10, 2004 .