Indians embarrass Red Devils 75-41 in boys basketball season opener
A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2002  (season opener for both)

LAKE CENTRAL (75)  Gary Ruvoli 1-2-4, Randy Hartog 3-0-6, Kevin Parkinson 5-2-12,  Adam Summers 2-0-4, Adam Dobrzeniecki 4-2-10, Max Lyons 4-0-9, Justin Doffin 0-2-2, Brett Summers 1-1-4, Krste Krstevski 2-0-5, Adam Dickman 6-2-17.  Trent Tournicasa 1-0-2.   TOTALS:  26-9-75.

FTS: 9-14, 64.2 percent
TURNOVERS: 19
FOULED OUT: NONE
3-POINT GOALS (7) Diekman (3), Krstevski, Lyons, Brett Summers, Adam Summers

LOWELL (41)  Justin Bales 1-2-4, Matt Roberts 4-1-12, Jim Jeffries 2-0-4, Jason Corns 1-1-3, Nate Wilbourn 1-1-3, Greg Johnson 3-5-11, Zach Steiner 2-0-4, Ryan Brown 0-0-0, Ryan Metz 0-0-0, Trimalle Mayes 0-0-0  TOTALS: 10-17-41.

FTS: 10 of 17, 58.8 percent
TURNOVERS: 19
FOULED OUT: NONE
3-POINT GOALS (3) Matt Roberts

ST. JOHN:  Lake Central is going to pose a lot of problems for a lot of teams this season. They've got two good centers, some decent open court players and a lot of potent wing shooters.

But the Indians didn't need a lot of those assets to beat Lowell in the season opener last week. The season could only get better for the Devils in the final 19 games because game one was an embarrassing 75-41 loss in the old LC fieldhouse. I'm willing to bet that if Lowell plays Lake Central in the sectional in March that the Red Devils will play a lot better.  Because, to be honest, they couldn't play much worse. 

"It's hard for me to tell how good Lake Central is," said Lowell's second year coach Mike Magley. "Because we just didn't play tonight. This has to be a learning experience for us and it will be."

There was no point in moaning over the king-size defeat, a nonconference game against a school twice Lowell's size. "When's Lowell's next game?" somebody asked the coach.  Friday against Calumet. When was Lowell's next practice after the Thanksgiving holiday? Friday before the game against Calumet.

"You saw how we looked out there tonight," didn't you? smiled Magley. "Don't you think we need to practice."

There were few highlights for the visitors, who quickly fell behind 8-0. Greg Johnson and Matt Roberts score baskets to pull the Devils to within 15-10, but a 12-2 run including two baskets from 6-7, 260-pound junior center Kevin Parkinson gave LC a 15-point lead and Lowell never got within 12 after that.  LC's 6-6 senior center Adam Dobrzeniecki blocked three Red Devil shots in the first half and Lowell played a little intimidated after that.

The perimeter was not much fun either as 6-0 LC senior Adam Diekman sank a career-high 20 points and no one but Matt Roberts (11 points) could score from the outside for Lowell. LC's guards include 6-4 senior Adam Summers and his 6-5 sophomore brother Brett.  The Indians have no player shorter than 6-1 and they could field a competitive starting lineup with no one smaller than 6-4, if they wished.

But the impact was made by Parkinson, who scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, and, while he was not airtight defensively, was so large he prevented Lowell opportunities with his mere presence.

"He was a project of mine on the JV last year," said assistant coach Dave Milausnic. "We've been playing with a lot of 6-3 centers here the last couple of years. He played with the East Chicago Running Rebels (AAU) over the summer and that did him a lot of good. We need big people in our sectional."

Lowell needs to play somebody they can handle and that's not LC right now. "Some of our guys tend to hide when things go badly," Magley admitted. "We can't be afraid to make a mistake out there.  Sometimes we make one pass and we take a shot. That's a lack of confidence in your teammates. You've got to make the second and third pass around the perimeter to get the ball inside."

The Red Devils got a little offensive life in the second half with Johnson, a 6-2 junior and Zach Steiner, a 6-1 junior scoring some points after the game had been decided. The visitors were guilty of several defensive breakdowns and they didn't seem to recognize LCs long range shooters. But it was only one game and it was the type of team they simply won't see in the Lake Athletic Conference especially with the transfer of Kenny Harris and Mel Brown out of last year's league champ Bishop Noll.

Lowell opens with Lake Central, they have not defeated them in recent years and on odds, won't beat them very often. But Magley says Lowell will continue to open the season with Lake Central, especially since LC is a sectional foe.

"We need to play more teams like them," the coach said. "I don't try to pattern myself after anybody but they do a nice job with everything. I'm not happy but we'll learn from this. They've got guys who are a little better than the last few years but we've got a great group of guys and we will get better."

Practice. Practice. Practice.

DEVIL NOTES: Johnson's 12 points were a career-high. The Devil starters, guards Justin Bales, Ryan Brown, Matt Roberts and forwards Jim Jeffries and Jason Corns, only scored 22 points.  Lowell's junior varsity had it even worse, losing 74-19. 

Brett and Adam Summers played in a high school game together for the first time although neither thought it was a big deal. "No, not really. We've played together in the summer a lot," said Adam, who played on the 1997 Dyer Little League World Series baseball team. Both would appear to be big guards or small forwards. "We kinda play all around," Adam suggested.   LC has so many players that the 6-7 Parkinson and 6-5 Brett Summers also play on the junior varsity. Summers, who may eventually grow to 6-6 or 6-7, will probably continue to see some JV action because of all the other guard-forwards on the LC varsity. Nobody said it but the feeling was that Parkinson played his first and last JV game against Lowell.