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2004-2005 Girls BasketballPreseason PollA USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith(11-13-2004) |
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2004-2005 Girls BasketballPreseason PollA USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith(11-13-2004) |
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CROWN
POINT, IN - (11-11-2004)
This will be an unpredictable girls basketball season
because of graduation and injury, departures and returns. Powers Valparaiso and
Merrillville lost key players, but they have the chance to be even better
without them. The battles between 6-3 Valpo all-stater Cassie Kerns and 6-3
Merrillville junior Brittney Moore will be much more vivid than they were last
year. Gary West Side and East Chicago are well-suited to continue their top-10
battle in north Lake County. But somebody needs to remind EC that it's only a
rivalry if both sides win once in a while. Two south Lake County teams, Crown
Point and Boone Grove are at a peak athletically and look to go deep in the
playoffs this season.
The PCC is intriguing with center Alisha Polite returning to play at Washington Township, top scorer Rebekah Basinger moving away from Kouts and second-year PCC member South Central returning their entire varsity roster.
Down the road, it will be tough for a NW Indiana 4A team to even win the regional title with talent laden South Bend Washington returning virtually their entire lineup. There appears to be almost no chance for any Lake County 3A team (there are no 3As in Porter County) to reaching the state finals. 3A is probably tougher than 4A iF you just look at the top-10. 3A front runners St. Joseph's and Bishop Luers would whip most 4A schools like a government mule.
The best hopes for state finals berths are in 1A with Washington Township and in 2A with Boone Grove. Both are primed for peak years with lots of key senior starters.
But good intentions and lots of stars can go down the toilet faster than the US Olympic team.
1.) Gary West Side (22-3)
GARY - It's very hard to go against Gary West Side with the addition of Shanee Butler from now-closed Horace Mann. Erica Simpson and Michelle Hamblin are two solid 5-11 forwards and Isabell Rhenwick is a potent full-court player. This will again be a full court pressure team with 5-6 senior Ashley Gates and 5-6 junior Jamie Sherls. When they see tall teams, 6-1 Candace Matthews can come off the bench.
Senior
transfers usually fail but Butler knows these girls and has played with them. If
Butler adds consistent outside shooting, few teams
will be able to stay in the game with West Side.
2.) East Chicago (17-5)
EAST CHICAGO - The Cardinals have the premier offensive player in this part of the state in 5-10 junior guard Dee Dee Jernigan (15 ppg, 10 rpg), who should score 20 points a game. She's listed as a forward but she'll handle the ball at the end of games. Junior forward Kelly Watts (10 ppg.) is a good short range shooter and a good compliment to Jernigan. Senior guard Kandi Rogers (6.1), and 5-11 junior center Vernicia Cotton should be solid role players. The Cardinals have the depth to press teams full court and, with an independent schedule, they'll play tougher teams than Gary West Side will.
3.) Valparaiso (23-3)
VALPARAISO – Valparaiso has the top post player in this part of the state in 6-3 senior Cassie Kerns (13.9 pgg.) and they will benefit greatly from the return of 6-2 senior Lindsay Humes. who missed all of the 2004 season with a knee injury. Valpo is inexperienced in the back court and will move 6-0 junior forward Erica Humes, Lindsay's sister, to lead guard. While the move may be shaky against full court pressure, it will improve Valpo's half court defense on the perimeter. Kerns may get into the 20 ppg range as Lindsay Humes' presence will allow her to face the basket and shoot open 3-point shots against collapsing zones.
Valparaiso
wants to slow the pace and will have problems with
pressing teams like CP and Merrillville, but trouble doesn't
necessarily mean they'll lose what should be a total of six games against those
two teams.
4.) Crown Point (14-8)
CROWN POINT – The Lady Bulldogs return three senior starters in 5-10 Jill Weiand (4.6), Kaitlyn Sertich (8.5) and Cassie Pruzin (17 ppg. 6.0 steals, 4.9 assists), the region's top lead guard. CP has all the depth they need with 5-8 junior Hannah Plumley and 5-8 junior Stephanie Poulos on the wings, 5-9 Jackie Clements and 5-10 Kaitlin Sautter near the basket; 6-foot sophomores Anjellica Rospond and 6-foot Courtney Perry in the post and 5-4 Michelle Lipton and 5-8 Amanda Moore as a backup ball-handler and shooter.
CP will full court press everybody in the hopes of overcoming the size advantages held by Valparaiso and Merrillville in DAC play. The schedule features 4A top 10 Warsaw and 2A Top-10 Boone Grove. But the season will likely come down to three games with Valparaiso and they know that.
5.) Merrillville (18-3)
MERRILLVILLE – They'll finish in the top-3 in the DAC. The question is 1, 2 or 3? Senior guards Brittney Usery and Melissa Borom will run a much more balanced team than the one the Pirates had in 2004. 6-3 center Brittney Moore will start to dominate in the low post and become the team's No. 1 option.
5-10 forward Brittany Huish will have to become a rebounder and 5-7 Candace Wright or 5-5 Tamara Gaddy must become scorers. Prep teams need a full court defense and a half court offense. The Pirates have the depth to press everybody in the full court and the size to score and rebound in the half court. This team was messed up on offense last year. This season, they know what they want to do. The question is, can they do it in the six games against Valparaiso and Crown Point?
6.) Boone Grove (17-5)
PORTER TOWNSHIP – The region's top small school team with point guards Karissa Walter (15 ppg, 5 assists, 5 rebounds) and Cortney Flanigan (9.1) around 5-10 post players Lani Marsh and Kara Kessler and flanked by athletic 5-10 wing players Becky Keller (10 ppg.) and Danielle Jacobs. 5-6 seniors Sara Martinovch and Megan Dewell are experienced role players. The key is the shooting of Keller, who must hit some long ones. Flanigan also needs to shoot more. Flanigan and Kessler are two-year veterans while everybody else named here is a three-year varsity player. They are 17-1 in PCC play over the last two years. They are big enough and fast enough. The nonconference schedule (Wheeler, CP, North Judson) is not as tough as it needs to be for a team that hopes to be the region champ but it's not a strong year overall in this area. Still, I'd have loved to see them play Andrean or East Chicago. But the PCC is improved with South Central and Washington Township on the rise.
Boone will get enough tests before the state tournament run.
7.) Lew Wallace (12-7)
GARY – Of all the flawed teams below the top-6, this one has the most talent. 6-2 junior Sharon Houston is a dominant low-post player when she wants to be. Horace Mann transfer Antoinette Scott can push Houston in practice and double-team the bigger squads. The Bee girls desperately need a lead guard but they have two freshmen on the varsity who could get that done. This team had some morale and behavior problems last year but few squads can match LW up front. State-wide, 3A is a nightmare (Bishop Luers, St. Joseph's, Brebuef Jesuit, West Lafayette) but locally, 3A is not a tough bracket. LW, the defending sectional champ is again the favorite.
8.) Lake Central (11-10)
ST. JOHN – A lot of teams with more talent don't have a lead guard. LC does with 5-8 senior Katie Mitchell (6.1) who will team with 5-9 Angie Funston in the backcourt. This is a very big team with four players 5-10 or taller. They may finish under .500 in the super-tough DAC but 6-1 Brooke Lail and 5-10 junior Lisa Kruse give LC the size you must have in a big school league. Wing players Alyssa Duncan and Brittany Gard must turn into scorers or it doesn't matter how well Mitchell plays. This team will start slow and rally late.
9. ) Highland (17-6)
HIGHLAND – In the girls' game, if you have size up front, everything else gets a lot easier. Highland returns 6-1 junior Katie Kane (8.6) and 5-11 Ashley Sampson (5.8) to go with veteran guard Cassi Siska (5.4). With only two seniors and no natural scorers, the Trojans will take some losses. But the traditionally big Highland baseline of 5-10, 5-11, 6-foot players is still there and they can again win a weak league.
10. ) Kankakee Valley (7-16)
DeMOTTE – KV returns their entire starting lineup from last season with 5-7 Emma Cunningham (5.1 ppg.), 5-5 senior Kirtsen Fifield (3.5) at guard, 5-9 seniors Taryn Porter (5.5) and Michelle Schurman (5.8 rebounds per game) up front. and 5-7 Cassie Cofer on the wing. Size is added by 5-10 Rachel Kickert and 6-1 sophomore Angela Donis. With Chesterton crippled by injury and LaPorte and Michigan City both very young, this could be the next up-and-comer, at least early in the season.
Surprise team No. 1
Munster (6-15)
MUNSTER – The Lady Ponies took some whippings last year but that should pay off as five juniors and two seniors return. The key is Lauren Meneghetti, a 5-8 sophomore guard, who has to lead. 5-9 Jackie Yerga (9.1) and 5-11 senior Lindsay Pugh must lead. If 6-1 freshman Natalie Emro can block shots and rebound, Munster can win the weak LAC Black.
Surprise team No. 2
Michigan City (6-16)
MICHIGAN CITY – This team bears watching. They have brought up five freshmen to the varsity as a unit and the word is that those players have lost only two games in two years. You wouldn't give them much chance except that the Wolves return 6-1 center Emma Tucker and guard sisters Felicia and Steffanie Sanders. They can't compete for the DAC title but this team wasn't that bad last year.
Surprise team No. 3
Washington Township (12-11)
VALPARAISO – The return of 6-0 Alisha Polite (who did not play as a junior but averaged 11 points as a sophomore) makes this team a PCC contender and a regional contender in 1A. The back court of Aimee Mishler (14.7 ppg.) and Jen Smith (13.6) will shine, even in the guard-heavy PCC. Wings Danielle Wigglesworth and Kate Martin provide good depth and 5-10 Hannah Werner could come on to backup Polite, an all-state caliber volleyball player. No one in the PCC or in 1A in this region has a center as athletic as Polite.
Surprise team No. 4
South Central (12-8)
UNION MILLS – Probably the third best team in a strong PCC to start the season. The Satellites return all five starters including guard Mallory Gorski (16 ppg.) 6-0 center Anna Kammrath (10 points, 11 rebounds) and 5-7 wing Whitney Anderson (11 ppg.), all juniors. This team runs the floor and uses their depth to wear the opposition down. South Central-Boone Grove games will be track meets but South Central-Washington Township games (there could be 3 of them) will be the money games.