Lowell upsets Lew Wallace at Gary Westside Sectional, 63-60
A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Friday, March 8, 2003  -  Gary West Side (4A) Sectional semifinal

LOWELL (63)  Jim Jeffries 6-2-15, Justin Bales 4-3-11,   Ryan Brown 2-13-18,  Jason Corns 0-4-4, Matt Roberts 2-3-7, Michael Miller 2-2-6, Nate Wilbourn 0-0-0, Zach Steiner 1-0-2.  TOTALS: 17-27-63

FGS: 17-38, 44.6 (Bales 4-8, Jeffries 6-10, Brown 2-5, Roberts 2-6)
FTS: 27-36, 75.0 percent (Brown 13-16, Corns 4-6, Bales 3-5, Roberts 3-5, Miller 2-2)
REBOUNDS:  Jim Jeffries - 16
ASSISTS: Mike Miller - 3, Ryan Brown 3.
TURNOVERS: 22
FOULED OUT: none
3-POINT GOALS (2) Ryan Brown, Jim Jeffries.

LEW WALLACE (50)  Kenny Jackson 0-2-2, Marcus Rhodes 9-0-20, Donte Williams 0-2-2, Preston Dunham 1-0-2, Joe Lumpkin 1-1-3, Jason Rhodes 4-4-14, Kevin Boone 1-0-2, Terry Polk 1-0-2, Julius Hollis 0-1-1, Chris Taylor 0-2-2.
TOTALS: 17-12-50.
FG:  17-74, 22.9 percent (Marcus Rhodes 9-26, Jason Rhodes 4-18)
FTS: 12-21, 57.1 percent (Jason Rhodes 4-4, Jackson 2-3, Lumpkin 1-2, Powell 0-2, Hollis -12, Taylor 2-4)
REBOUNDS: Marcus Rhodes - 14
TURNOVERS:  15
ASSISTS: Jason Rhodes - 2
FOULED OUT: Chris Taylor (4th Q - :02 left)
3-POINT GOALS (4)  Jason Rhodes 2, Marcus Rhodes 2.

Friday, March 8, 2003  -  Gary West Side (4A) Sectional semifinal

LAKE CENTRAL (55)  Adamn Summers 4-0-12, Dave Hoffmaster 1-0-2, Adam Dobrzienicki 6-1-13, Krste Krstevski 9-2-20, Adam Diekman 2-0-6, Kevin Parker 1-0-2, Brett Summers 0-0-0.  TOTALS:   23-3-55

FGS: 23-53, 43.3 (Adam Summers 4-11,  Dobrzienicki 6-11, Krstevski 9-13, Diekman 2-7)
FTS: 3-6, 50.0 percent (Krstevski 2-3, Adam Summers 0-1, Dobrzienicki 1-2)
REBOUNDS: Krste Krstevski - 7
ASSISTS: Dave Hoffmaster - 6
TURNOVERS: 9
FOULED OUT: none
3-POINT GOALS (6) Adam Summers 4, Adam Diekman 2.

EAST CHICAGO (56)  Mel Brown 4-0-9, Rodnney Wash 7-0-14, Dante Edwards 4-0-10, Willie Frazier 4-4-12, Tremaine Cooley 4-0-11, Ervin Key 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 23-4-56.
FG:  23-47, 48.5 percent (Wash 7-9, Brown 4-10, Edwrads 4-12, Frazier 4-7, Cooley 4-9)
FTS: 4-10, 40.0  percent (Frazier 4-7, Brown 0-1, Edwards 0-1, Key 0-1)
REBOUNDS: Rodney Wash - 7
TURNOVERS:  8
ASSISTS: Dante Edwards - 5
FOULED OUT: Willie Frazier (4th Q - :45 left)
3-POINT GOALS (6)  Cooley 3, Edwards 2, Brown.

GARY (3-7-2003) - It was sloppy, unnecessarily physical and seen only by a few dozen "friends of the program," but Lowell's 63-60 sectional semifinal victory over Lew Wallace was a landmark.

The victory over the athletic but disorganized Hornets (8-11) was Lowell's first state tournament victory since 1993.

"Obviously there's things we have to correct before tomorrow night," said second year coach Mike Magley."

That's not totally true. For the Red Devils to come to Gary and beat one of the tradition-rich schools is a gold star for the Lowell program.  Lew Wallace had been under .500 all year but, frankly, so had Lowell.  And Wallace was 8-10 against one of the top-100 schedules in the state of Indiana.

If Lowell goes no further, they have left a 'baby step' legacy.  A baby step forward.

"I told the boys to expect to come here for a win and don't be surprised if we do," said Magley.  "It's a short-lived celebration.  We've got to get ready for East Chicago tomorrow and that's a tough task."

Wallace simulated EC in speed but not in composure or shot selection.  Unofficially, (and believe me, it was hard to keep count), the Hornets fired up 74 shots in 32 minutes, most of them from beyond 15 feet from the basket.  Only 17 shots went in against a Lowell zone defense that clearly influenced LW to take the easiest and quickest option offensively.

After East Chicago's dramatic 56-55 victory in Friday's first semifinal, the Lowell-Wallace game was highly anticlimactic and played at a low intensity level.  The only emotion the Hornets displayed most of the night was when the play got physical.

An early 10-3 run gave the Devils a 14-11 lead but the second quarter was about as poorly played as it can get.  The Devils led 21-15 at the half despite 10 turnovers.

Senior Justin Bales led an 8-1 charge at the start of the second half that pushed the Hornets to the brink of extinction with 5:26 left in the third quarter.  Speedy sophomore Marcus Rhodes sank a three-point basket to start an 8-1 Wallace run but four different Devils scored during a 9-1 Lowell spree that made it 39-25 after three quarters.

The final quarter descended into a foul fest.  The game officials decided to put the whistle away so Wallace's full court press got more and more hands-on.  Lowell guard Ryan Brown went to the foul line seven times in the final quarter and made 11 of 14 shots with the small Wallace crowd heckling him.

"You guys know that if you're going to do anything in the state tournament," Magley said, "That your seniors have to step up.  The guards have to beat the pressure, handle the situation and make their free throws.  We got the right guy to the line.  Good coaching, I guess."

Seriously, Magley must get some credit for Lowell's improved play in the final month.
Lowell lost their final three regular season games but all were on the road to winning teams. There's no question that those games prepared Lowell to turn back Wallace.
The Lowell coach says all he did was not do too much.

"It's funny because I had a whole week to prepare for this game," he said, speaking of facing the ultra-quick boys from Wallace and East Chicago. "I played (baseball) for (LaPorte Hall-of-Fame coach Ken) Schreiber.  I was reading his book and I was starting to over coach.  If your guy throws a fast ball and the batter can't hit a curve, you don't have your pitcher stop throwing his fastball."

"We've got to go with our strengths.  If I change everything in our game because of what the other team does, we don't have a chance."

TOURNAMENT NOTES:  Lowell put three players in double figures and made 27 of 35 from the foul line.  Ryan Brown added nine rebounds to his 18 points.  Jim Jeffries started the game against 6-5 Wallace center Donte Williams and when Jeffries proved much quicker, LW coach John Hoover benched Williams for most of the reminder of the game.  Jeffries' 18 rebounds is a career high and a Lowell season high.

The game was played in front of about 300 fans in the 7,000 seat Gary West Side gym.   Perhaps 1,000 watched the EC-Lake Central game.  Lake Central, after overcoming a 14-point EC lead, missed three free throws in the final minutes to give the Cardinals their win back.  East Chicago and Lowell have not met in at least 20 years.

The West Side Sectional, which has been accused of having less than world class accommodations in the past, had impressive laminated programs with exclusive pictures of each coach plus a live DJ pumping out tunes (sparing absolutely no volume) at one end of the gym.

LOWELL (11-12)
Coach Mike Magley (2nd year)  10-12 in 2002

11-26-2002:  41-75  at Lake Central (14-8)
11-29-2002:  70-30 Calumet (3-17)
12-5-2002:  44-50  Hobart (7-14)
12-13-2002:  51-54 Morton (12-10)
12-20-2002:  66-50 at North Newton (12-10)
12-21-2002:  50-70 Hammond (8-13)
1-3-2003:  48-44 at Hanover Central (12-10)
1-4-2003:  48-64 at Bishop Noll (13-8)
1-10-2003:  70-56 at Munster  (21-2)
1-18-2003:  62-55 at Whiting (8-13)
1-21-2003:  54-67 at Highland (15-9)
1-24-2003:  56-36 Clark (5-16)
1-28-2003:  50-29 at Lake Station (1-20)
1-31-2003:  69-63 Kankakee Valley (3-18)
2-6-2003:  45-36 at Gavit (1-20)
2-8-2003:  38-59 Griffith (18-4)

Lake Athletic Conference Tournament
2-13-2003:  41-28 Clark (5-16)
2-17-2003:  64-50 Whiting (9-12)
2-19-2003:  54-60 Griffith (18-4)
2-21-2003:  45-70 Highland (15-9)  3rd place

2-28-2003:  42-54 at Crown Point (11-11)

Gary West Side (4A) Sectional
3-7-2003:  55-63 Lew Wallace (8-11)
3-8-2003:  vs. East Chicago (17-5)

Gary West Side (4A) Sectional
3-4-2003:  (Tu) quarterfinals (6 p.m.)
3-7-2003:  (F) semifinals (6 p.m.)
3-8-2003:  (S) championship (6 p.m.)

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Revised: July 10, 2004 .