NW Indiana 2004-05 Girls Basketball Poll: Week-5

2004-2005 Girls Basketball Poll:

Week Five

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

(12-15-2004)

CROWN POINT, IN - (12-15-2004) The first two major confrontations of the season. Boone's 67-62 overtime, home court win over Crown Point and Valpo's 36-26 win over the same CP team, were not decisive but they told some truths. Boone proved they didn't have any hangover from last year's sectional championship game upset loss to Wheeler. Valparaiso 's new backcourt passed its biggest test of the year against CPs' pressing defenses. The confrontation between arch rivals Munster (9-2) and Highland (9-1) happened as the young Munster team was upset by a lesser Wheeler 32-25 in the LAC semifinals.

Next up on the confrontation stage is East Chicago (9-0) taking on Penn (7-2) Friday, Dec. 17. Pairings for the Gary Holiday Tournament require Gary West Side (3-0) to win three times in 24 hours while outsider South Bend Washington (9-0) only has to win twice.

EAST CHICAGO - The Cardinals massacred fading Lew Wallace 92-38 and handed Thornton of Harvey, ill. their first loss 54-37. It's all East Chicago right now. Many challenges are lined up including Penn (7-2) Friday (Dec. 17) and Evansville Memorial on Dec. 28 in the Hall-of-Fame tournament. Dee Dee Jernigan scored 26 against Wallace and the Cardinals overcame a 17-7 first quarter deficit against Thornton. 5-10 Kelly Watts has scored in double figures in eight of nine game.

VALPARAISO – Valparaiso was strong again in a 66-39 rout of Portage, a game that was 30-15 at the half. Cassie Kerns (16.6 ppg.) collected 18 points and 11 rebounds against the smaller Portage front line. Still can't foul them. The Vikings broke a 26-26 tie late and beat CP 36-26. Erica Humes, the forward-turned point guard, scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against CP but those numbers were irrelevant. Valpo committed just 13 turnovers against a CP team that forces 20 a game. Valparaiso coach Greg Kirby can post his 300^th win in 15 years at Valparaiso if the Vikings beat LaPorte this week.

Just for the record, the only team to beat Valpo is Plymouth (7-1) and the only team to beat Plymouth is South Bend Washington (10-0). The only team (other than St. Josephs – Jan. 11) with a good shot to beat Washington may be Valparaiso, in the regional in February.

GARY – I just don't know who makes out this schedule. How can they have played just three games on Dec. 13? Honestly, I think it works for them because of the transfer of 5-8 guard Shanee Butler after the closing of Horace Mann. This team needed practice time and they have had a boatload of that.

The Cougars battle Munster (9-2) Wednesday (Dec. 15) and, in the Gary Holiday tourney, they'll need to beat Wirt at 10 a.m. on the 27^th, Lew Wallace at 4 p.m. on the 27^th and South Bend Washington (9-0) at 6 p.m. on the 28^th. That's their mission, if they choose to accept it. It does seem like 'Mission Impossible', though.

CROWN POINT – Crown Point's 57-52 loss to Boone Grove would fall into the 'good loss' category but the 36-26 loss to Valparaiso three nights later isn't.

The Bulldogs led Boone by eight with five minutes left and still lost in OT on the road. CP was tied with Valpo with 5:14 left and lost by 10. CP senior Cassie Pruzin (12.8 ppg.), who is up to 34-of-39 (87.1%) from the foul line.

Playing three games in five nights, CP lost to two ranked teams. The Bulldogs were good at times in the Boone game but shooters clearly choked up at the end.

One worrisome stat. CP has only 21 three-point baskets all season and 15 of those are by Pruzin and Sertich. CP is strong defensively but their shooting has lapsed into a coma.

Nothing's changed from last week. CP is still better than Boone but not as good as Valpo. Last week's head-to-head results pretty much confirmed that fact.

The good (or bad) thing about the DAC is that CP gets another shot at Valparaiso in January in the 14-game league season. But the offense needs work.

PORTER TOWNSHIP – Boone had their biggest week of the year, beating Washington Township 68-55 and Crown Point 57-52 in overtime in a very physical overtime game. Karissa Walter stole the ball and scored at the buzzer to stop CP's last threat after playing the final 13 minutes with four fouls.

This is probably the first Boone win over Crown Point. It is certainly Boone's first win over CP in CP coach Tom May's 25 years. This wasn't Boone's best game and they needed some help from CP to overcome an eight point deficit in the final five minutes.

But the victory justifies Boone's position ahead of Highland and Munster in this poll. Junior forward Kara Kessler, whose turnover was a crucial play in the Boone sectional championship loss to Wheeler last season, scored 10 points including the go-ahead basket in overtime against CP.

Boone, which ran over Kouts 64-37 on Tuesday (Dec. 14) may not know that their biggest enemy now becomes themselves. If they start thinking they're Donald Trump and everybody else is 'fired!!!', they can get caught napping against one of their PCC rivals.

But truthfully, the Wolves' schedule is not strong. If Boone beats Wheeler (7-4) on Dec. 22 and North Judson (6-2) on Feb. 3., the opportunity is there for a 21-0 season although that is a mixed blessing. You wish Boone didn't foul so much. You wish they weren't so dependent on one player (most girls' teams are) and you wish they'd have called independent East Chicago for a game. But only their own ego can stop the Lady Wolves now during the regular season. Somebody at Boone needs to get a tape of Class 2A No. 1 Winamac (10-0). Looks like they're going to need it at regional time.

HIGHLAND – The Trojans against gangstered their way through the LAC tournament, smothering four over matched LAC squads and coasting to their fifth consecutive tournament title in five years.

The Trojans beat Calumet 51-24, Gavit 61-17, Hobart 46-27 and Wheeler 45-25 and dominated this tourney on their home floor. The expected title match with Munster did not occur when Wheeler quieted the up-and-coming Mustangs 32-25.

6-1 junior forward Katie Kane averaged 10.0 per game in the tournament and 5-10 Ashley Sampson averaged 11.5 per game.

Highland's success in this tournament is based on defense and strong rebounding. Only Munster appears capable to handling them this year and that game will be played Friday (Dec. 17), with the LAC crown almost certainly on the line.

The Trojans rule the LAC but they have to remember there is only one LAC team (Lowell) at the sectional. The Trojans' foul shooting is also a concern. The dismal total of 98 of 199 (49.7%) is not a rate you can win with unless you play Gavit and Calumet forever.

MERRILLVILLE – The Pirates are 4-3 after a loss to Benton Central Saturday 42-38 and a win over Michigan City 51-37. This is still a sleeping giant.

Senior Melissa Borom scored 15 in the 41-30 win over LaPorte and added 12 against MC. 6-2 center Britney Moore (11 vs. MC) is still not producing big numbers, except on the boards where she averages 12 rebounds a game. There's no reason the Pirates should be averaging 43 points per game. They are better than that.

But there's still time and this is still a team that is adjusting to the same players in different roles. Merrillville needs to finish out the pre-Xmas schedule with a big win over Lake Central (3-5) before they hit Crown Point (8-2, 4-1 DAC)on Dec. 28.

MUNSTER – They may not feel this way but I think Munster is better off wining 3-out-of-4 and finishing in third place instead of winning 3-out-of-4 and losing to Highland in the title game.

The Lady Ponies had no offense in a 32-25 loss to Wheeler but they bounced back to beat Hobart 46-35 with 5-9 forward Jackie Yerga scoring 16.

The Mustangs' foul shooting is 106 of 168 (63.0%) after a 9-of-10 game in a 60-48 win over Morton and 8 of 11 in the 42-24 win over Noll. Yerga averaged 14 ppg in the four games. She's clearly the key player on offense. You can't drop Munster because they lost to Wheeler. Munster is still the better of those two teams.

The Lady Ponies get ready to play Gary West Side on Dec. 15 and Highland on Dec. 17. I still think the season won't end without one Munster win over Highland.

HOBART – Okay, so they got smoked twice Saturday, losing 46-27 to Highland 46-35 to Munster. The Brickies may be a little slow on the perimeter and their future might not be now.

The Brickies were 16 of 37 from the line Saturday. Just awful. The team obviously tired out. This team is not as talented as some below them but there's no substitute for size and 6-3 Amy Balchak and 6-0 Jessica Boyles will be heard from in most games. Unfortunately for Hobart, like Highland and Munster, they are 4A and after playing lesser competition and smaller schools most of the season, they have to take on big 4A monsters at sectional time.

ST. JOHN – This is where it gets ugly. There's really about six good teams and everybody else is wishing and hoping. Lake Central's not very good on offense. They slipped by injury-depleted Chesterton 47-42 Tuesday with point guard Katie Mitchell (11) and wing Angie Funston (16) totaling 27 points. But Wheeler can't beat Lake Central. We'll see if Michigan City can this Friday. Anybody who thinks Kouts (6-3) and Morgan Township (6-2) would beat Lake Central simply does not understand this sport. I see potential in 6-1 center Brooke Lail and her improvement would give the Indians a chance at sectional time.

LC has lost to Jefferson (5-4), Carmel (8-2), Valparaiso (9-1), Munster (9-2) and Crown Point (8-2). Truthfully, nobody except Valparaiso plays that level of schedule.

Most polls drop teams with losing records but the truth is, Wheeler would have no chance against LC and Lowell just doesn't have enough depth. Lew Wallace has talent but no coach at this moment. LC is 10^th this week basically for the same reason that 'Law and Order' and 'CSI' are on TV 37 times a week. There just isn't anything else good to replace them.

WINAMAC – If Winamac beats Tippecanoe Valley on Dec., 15, they will almost certainly go 20-0. Look at their schedule. There is only the hurdle at North Judson (7-2) on Jan. 19. Winamac uses 5-5 sisters Julie and Jennifer Chumley and 5-10 sisters Whitney and Amanda Fritz. Coach Jim Swaney is at 299-100 in 18 years at the Pulaski County (directly east of Rensselaer and KV) school.

Julie Chumley averages 12.2 points per game, Whitney Fritz scores as a 12.0 rate and 5-10 sophomore new comer Carrie Crawford averages 12.6 per game. The Warriors were 19-3 last season before losing 73-62 to state champion Rochester. Winamac is a nine-time sectional champion but they have not won a sectional title since the class sports playoffs began in 1997. Winamac also does not play a 'state finals' schedule like Rochester did last season but neither does Boone. There is a significant chance that undefeated Boone Grove will meet undefeated Winamac in the 2A Rensselaer Regional in February.

VALPARAISO - If they are upset over the 68-55 loss to Boone Grove, they probably felt better when Boone also beat Crown Point (8-2) and Kouts (6-3) in a five day span.

Washington's Aimee Mishler scored 21 in an 81-19 romp over Westville Tuesday (Dec. 14) night. They certainly got a lot more out of the 13-point loss at Boone (9-0) than they got out of the 62-point win over Westville. I know that WT is a unique situation with three former basketball players (as sophomores) skipping their junior years and the returning now as seniors. And I know that WT is locked into the Mid-Winter Classic and the PCC Tournament so they cannot play in any more tournaments. (See: archaic Indiana prep rules).

But like Boone Grove, this team hasn't played a tough schedule to this point. Even Class 4A Portage (1-8), a very difficult assignment for a 1A school , is having a down year. But, like Boone, the second half of the WT schedule is challenging. Largely because of one team.

Washington Township could play 1A regional rival South Central (5-2) four times in the next eight weeks (beginning Dec. 20 in the Mid-Winter Classic at Washington Township) including the PCC tournament and regional play. South Central is a pain to play because they don't worry much about defense. SC pushes teams up and down the floor and wears them out like they did to Morgan Township 71-66 Tuesday (Dec. 14) night. Boone Grove is good preparation for South Central, which is a 'Gashouse Gang' style fast-breaking bunch.

NORTH JUDSON – This is a hard team to ignore but most everyone has so far. Judson turned back 3A New Prairie 43-39 last week with Nicole Dobson scoring 13. Long-range shooter Whitney Cole has six double figure games and three 20-point games. This is a small team with no one taller than 5-9 but 5-3 sophomore Kristen Bolen, who has 37 three-point goals as a freshman, is averaging 12.5 over her last three games.

This team still has Rensselaer (5-3), North Miami (6-2), Boone Grove (9-0) and Winamac (10-0) left to play after losses to 3A powers Twin Lakes (6-1) and Plymouth (8-1) and wins over 1As Triton (6-4) and Kouts (6-3). When I talk about a tough schedule, this is what I'm talking about. To be fair, it helps that Judson is an independent but this team is used to traveling for a good game. North Judson is the only team that will play both Winamac (10-0) and Boone (9-0) making them a dangerous rival to Winamac in the sectional and Boone in the regional.

2004-2005 Girls Basketball Poll:

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Copyright © 2004 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved. Revised: December 15, 2004 .

Copyright © 2004 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved.
Revised: December 15, 2004 .