NW Indiana 2004-05 Girls Basketball Poll: Week-12

2004-2005 Girls Basketball Poll:

Week Twelve

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

(2-3-2005)

CROWN POINT, IN - (2-3-2005) The state tournament draw put everything into perspective for all the contenders. Valparaiso (19-1) clearly got the best draw with a quarterfinal bye and a semifinal game against Portage (5-14). East Chicago must play at Lowell and then (if they win) must take on a Highland team (in a Feb. 11 semifinal) that they play on Feb. 4.

Times have changed. If you get a semifinal bye, you only need five wins to get to the state finals. It used to be eight or nine in the old one class tournament. Every good teams' goal must be to reach the finals because it's not nearly as tough as it used to be. Coaches will tell you that it was great to win the sectional or the regional but privately, they are disappointed they didn't make it to Indianapolis.

EAST CHICAGO - EC clearly got the worst draw in Lake County. Follow me, here. In the East Chicago Sectional, East Chicago will drive 30 miles on a school night and play at Lowell (12-7). And don't blame the IHSAA. East Chicago agreed to this format. Hopefully, for their sake, they don't live to regret this.

Lowell at EC is a mismatch. East Chicago at Lowell on a Tuesday night is NOT a given. Lowell (12-7) is coming off a 52-47 overtime upset of 4A Merrillville. The Devils have also beaten Lake Central.

EC comes off a long layoff to play Highland (18-3) Friday (Feb.4). Highland is the team EC would likely play if they got past Lowell in the sectional quarterfinals next Tuesday (Feb. 8).

The Cardinals will warm up their full court pressure on Highland and then slap it on Lowell, who committed 30 turnovers in the win against Merrillville Tuesday. There are no excuses for EC. They must win three times next week and win the sectional title or this season is a total loss. And the Cardinals must stand tall from the opening tip. They do not know what they're walking into Tuesday night at Lowell.

VALPARAISO – Valpo rejected Crown Point 50-39 last Friday and then got a wonderfully easy draw which should see them facing Crown Point (14-5) again in the Chesterton (4A) Sectional title game on Feb. 12.

Cassie Kerns (16.1 ppg.) was 8-of-8 from the line as CP's full court pressing effort could not rally from an early deficit. The Vikings are 4-0 against Portage and they have won 4-of-5 from CP in the last two years so they have to be very confident going into the state tournament.

Erica Humes (12.3 ppg.) scored nine against the Bulldogs and again survived CP's full court press. She helped hold CP star Cassie Pruzin (14.1 ppg,.) to 10 points. Valpo has won 13 games in a row and they already play playoff style basketball.

Valpo's only problem is that they will be seeing teams for the third time in the sectional. Eventually, even teams you beat all the time, learn enough about you to beat you and get mad enough to make it happen.

GARY – The Cougars rescheduled a snowed-out game with St. Joseph's (18-1)and took an 80-67 defeat. St. Joe's 80 points was a season-high against the Side. Ashley Gates sank four three-point goals and totaled a season-high 24, but the Cougars could not find the shooters and gave up eight three-point shots.

The Side beat Lew Wallace 79-23 Tuesday night (2-1-5) with Isabelle Rhenwick scoring 12 and 5-10 senior Michelle Hamblin adding 11 in the first meeting with her aunt, Wallace star and now coach Angela Hamblin.

The Cougars now know what they are up against because EC beat St. Joe 66-63. West Side is giving up too many points. They've got to turn up the heat on the full court press. The defending Sectional 1 champ got a good draw, a first round bye and a semifinal games with an up tempo Munster (16-5) squad. West Side wants to play up tempo teams. It's half court teams like Valpo that will bother them. But a week off isn't good for them, especially in the favorites' role.

PORTER TOWNSHIP – Boone smoked out Hanover Central 65-35 for the 20^th consecutive Wolf win. No problems in winning for the 10^th time against a PCC foe. The season finale at North Judson (16-3) gives Boone a chance to become the first undefeated regular season team since East Chicago in 2003.

Seniors Karissa Walter (16.7 ppg.) and Becky Keller (12.4 ppg.) plus sophomore Cortney Flanigan (10.4 ppg.) lead a fast break attack that other 2A schools are plotting to slow in the state tournament.

I hope the schedule has been strong enough to get them ready. There is a gap here where Boone has played just two games in 18 days. Hopefully they can still be sharp for back-to-back games against Noll and Wheeler. The key is stamina and discipline for the full court pressure they must have. Noll is the biggest threat. I believe that Boone badly wants to play Wheeler, who eliminated Boone in the sectional in 2004, in the sectional title game. There will be no 'looking ahead' if Wheeler is the foe.

I cannot explain why Boone began the season ranked fourth, won 20 games and is now ranked fifth. Understand that most of the people who vote in the state poll have never seen Boone Grove and do not even know where it is. That's not an insult. Indiana's a big state geographically. Do you know where New Harmony is?

CROWN POINT – Crown Point did not get it done in a 50-39 loss at Valparaiso, CP's fourth loss to Valpo in five seasons.

The Lady Bulldogs got a tough draw getting Hobart (10-8), Merrillville (11-8) and Valpo (18-1) just to win the sectional. Their depth will be challenged as the Pirates have already defeated CP by 27. CP's losses are to Merrillville, Chesterton, Valparaiso twice and Boone Grove (20-0). None are bad losses, although the margin of victory in the Chesterton and Merrillville games were extreme.

CP still needs wing shooting and post scoring to complement their strong backcourt. In 4A, you eventually need post offense and all CP has is 5-10 senior Jill Weiand (8.5 ppg.). The season finale against Merrillville is an interesting warmup for the Lady Bulldogs.

They could and should see that same team seven days later. I would think that the Lady Bulldogs want to play Merrillville again and will do much better.

To write this team off would be a mistake because they are so skilled on the perimeter and there is the feeling they still have a lot to prove.

MERRILLVILLE – Merrillville was shocked 52-47 in overtime by Lowell on Tuesday night (2-1-5) by sinking 16 of 21 free throws. The Pirates' Melissa Borom went scoreless in the game, a major surprise. 6-2 junior center Brittney Moore was held to just four points. It's hard to explain the Pirates. They have more talent than they have shown with little more than a .500 record.

Merrillville also got a long road to the sectional title with defense-oriented Chesterton in a quarterfinal game.

Lew Wallace transfer Sharon Houston apparently will not be with the Pirates until next season so it's time for Merrillville to start games with more efficiency. No way they should have trailed Lowell 12-4 after one quarter on Tuesday.

It's now or never for the Pirates. Merrillville has so much power close to the basket and so much experience at guard. But they are harder to figure than Bush foreign policy. The Pirates could win three next week or they could lose in the quarterfinals.

HIGHLAND – The Trojans held on 33-30 at Lowell and smothered Griffith 34-17 to post their 18^th win. Highland closes the season Friday (Feb. 5) against East Chicago (18-3) in what could easily be a preview of the EC sectional semifinals on Feb. 11.

Tina Traczyk's two three-point baskets helped erase a small Lowell lead ion that win. 6-1 junior Katie Kane Blocked three more shots.

The Trojans foul shooting (124 of 227, 54.6%) was lifted by a 21-of-33 effort against Griffith.

Highland has got to create more offense, though. They have been held under 40 points in three of their last four games and they know that's not good enough. The Tropjans are living proof that defense alone does not win championships in basketball.

It will be good practice to face the faster EC girls three days before the playoffs begin. Highland plays the style that would beat EC. But they cannot overlook Lake Central in the first round on Tuesday night.

MUNSTER – Munster edged Lowell 34-33 when Jackie Yerga scored seven fourth quarter points. The Mustangs then downed Portage 47-36 to push their win total to 16, 10 more than last season.

Munster got exactly what they wanted in the draw. Yes, they must beat Gary West Side (17-4) in the 4A EC Sectional semifinals. But, with a week to prepare, there is a chance they can do that.

The Mustangs have the depth that could deny Gary West Side if the game is called closely. A loosely called game will always go to the more experienced team. West Side has lost every 'big' game this season. If there is an EC sectional upset, here it is.

NORTH JUDSON – Judson lost 51-48 at Rensselaer in a game that clearly meant more to the Bombers than it did to Judson. North Judson closes the regular season Thursday night with a home game against 5th-ranked Boone Grove.

The theory that Judson is a perimeter team gained strength in the loss at Rensselaer, which is a more post based team, led by Leslie Rowan.

But Judson got the big break in the Rensselaer (2A) Sectional next week. Judson drew a quarterfinal bye and a semifinal game against North Newton (1-17). That's a yellow brick road to the title game. Rensselaer (13-6) will have to play Winamac (19-1) in the Rensselaer sectional semifinals on Feb. 11 and Judson can pick off the winner the next night.

Long-range shooting teams don't usually go far in the state playoffs (2004 Rochester is an exception) but Judson is playing in familiar gyms against familiar teams. Tradition is on their side.

HAMMOND – A 63-51 loss to Andean Monday (1-31-5) is not that big a deal because Andrean is 3A. Noll seemed to tire in the middle of this game, scoring just three points in the final quarter.

The 2A Warriors are 10-9 but five of the losses are to Class 4A teams. Noll has only played five schools that are 1A or 2A. They are 5-2 against 3A schools and they should be respected in the state tournament next week.

Noll drew Lake Station (1-18) in the 2A Boone Sectional quarterfinals on Feb. 8..and they'd face the host team, undefeated Boone Grove on Feb. 11. Of all the teams at this sectional, Noll has the best chance against Boone but they'll have to slow the pace of the game, something they could not do against Andean.

Strength of schedule is a big factor here. Noll will not be intimidated by Boone after facing 4A teams like Munster (16-5) and Highland (18-3). If there is a big upset in 2A, here it is.

WINAMAC – Winamac won 72-37 against Frontier and then rejected South Newton (12-8) by a 59-45 score. 5-10 soph star Kara Crawford (14.6 ppg, 7.8 rebounds) scored 18 against Frontier and 11 more against South Newton. The Warriors sank 32-of-44 in the two games from the foul line.

Going into the playoffs, Winamac has everything but a good draw. The Warriors must play a quarterfinal game against Rochester (6-13) on Feb. 8 and then would probably see Rensselaer in the sectional semifinals on Sept. 11.

Winamac had 19 three-point baskets in the last three games after sinking just one 3 against North Judson in a 50-46 loss on Jan. 22.

This is a senior-dominated team with decent size. I'm not sure they can win three times, all rematches of earlier games, in five games. Can Crawford keep her numbers up in the playoffs?

VALPARAISO - The Senators did hit a three-game losing streak, including a 37-31 loss to Morgan Township Tuesday (2-1-5). The Senators should win their final two games but they need three wins in five days. Just 31 points against Morgan is a major concern.

Newspaper box scores are a lost art but all-PCC guard Aimee Mishler (12.4 ppg.) was listed as having played but did not score. I do not know the situation there.

I would still think that WT can reach the finals at their own 1A sectional next week for a rematch with Morgan (13-7). But the Cherokees, with PCC scoring leader Angie Bush (21.5 ppg.) cannot help but be buoyed by the win on Tuesday.

Sometimes, results after the draw has been announced are skewed for a lot of reasons. Washington still has the best team in their region but there's no denying that they were better a month ago.

LOWELL – A remarkable team that is starting to get some notice, Lowell is winning against good competition with only five or six players. The 52-47 upset of Merrillville is a big plus heading into the state tournament. Lowell is now 3-2 in overtime games, meaning they could be 9-9 or 15-5. The Devils sank 18 of 26 foul shots and they have gone to the line almost 450 times this year.

This is probably the first time that Lowell has defeated Lake Central and Merrillville in the same season in their history. The Devils have combined slashing drives from Kelly Johnson and 5-3 left-hander Ashley Cosentino with jump shooting Kelly Swisher (34 3s) and 5-10 low post center Rachel Theil to badger more talented opponents.

Lowell got a terrible draw at the EC Sectional except for one detail. They get to host 4A No. 4 East Chicago (18-3) in the EC Sectional (don't ask why) and Lowell is a difficult place to play. The Devils probably don't have enough depth to win three times in five games against the Sectional 1 field but they are a serious threat to EC on their home floor.

The only problem is, that will be Lowell's 5^th game in 13 days. The Devils end the regular season at Hammond Saturday night in a risky game in regards to health and injury.

RENSSELAER – The late riders from Jasper County have come from nowhere to be sectional and regional title contenders, especially when you consider that they are the host school for both tournaments.

The Bombers have won five in a row and 9-of-their-last-11 and it's actually a problem that they don't play until the night of Feb. 11 in the semifinals at the Rensselaer Sectional.

The Bombers are led by 5-10 senior Leslie Rowan (19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 steals) a dominating type player, who scored 31 points in the upset of North Judson. 5-11 forward Reagan Kaane (8.4 points, 7.3 rebounds) is another tough front court player. Sophomore guard Allison Malone, whose older brother is two-time 1,000-yard rusher and boys basketball star Andrew Malone, is a 5-6 prospect averaging 5.1 assists and 2.2 steals. 5-9 soph Courtney Meyer averages 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals. This team is different from sectional and regional rivals Winamac, Boone Grove and North Judson in that they are more powerful in the lane.

This is the dark horse in 2A. The Bombers have never won a sectional title but they'll host the sectional next week. They have to defeat Winamac (19-1) and North Judson (16-3) on back-to-back nights but they get to do it at home. I can't give you numbers but it's my experience that winning teams that host playoffs win those playoffs more often than they lose.

The Bombers have played eight 3A schools and are 4-4. They are as ready as they'll ever be.

2004-2005 Girls Basketball Poll:

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Copyright © 2005 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved. Revised: February 03, 2005 .

Copyright © 2005 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved.
Revised: February 03, 2005 .