 |
2005-2006 Girls BasketballTop-10 Poll, Week-12A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith(1-25-2006) |
|
|
2005-2006 Girls BasketballTop-10 Poll, Week-12A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith(1-25-2006) |
|
MERRILLVILLE, IN
(1-25-2006)
- The long basketball season is about to come to playoff sequence, the only
games that really matter. State-wide, while North Central and Carmel are
probably better teams, South Bend Washington (17-1) has risen to the No.1 spot
in late January polls and will finish 20-1 because their schedule is not tough
in the final week. In 3A, only Brownsburg would appear to stand between
Lebanon and a 20-0 season, but no one claims that No. 1 Lebanon has played
anywhere near the schedule that 3A No. 2 St. Joseph's (17-2) has. 2A No. 1
Heritage Christian is a clear cut state favorite after playing an Indianapolis
city schedule that includes 13 Class 4A schools. And with all due respect
to lovable South Central, the No. 1 team is now the No. 1 team as three-time 1A
champ Tri-Central (16-2), trying to become Indiana's second (Bishop Luers
won four tiles in a row from 1999 to 2002) four-time state champion.
Locally, LaPorte's 34-28 win over Valparaiso was the first Slicer win over LaPorte in 23 years. South Central (16-1) took a 'good loss' in 1A while a lot of the PCC teams were hit with injury problems. Michigan City set a school record for wins and Lake Central made a dramatic return to prominence.
The full value of the first round bye is misunderstood by many. It's not only that you need one less win to take the sectional title, although that alone is worth more than Ford Motor stock. It's that you get a full week of normal practices and advanced knowledge of the team they will meet. State tournament games should not be played on Tuesday night three days after the season ends. Teams with a bye get a real shot at pulling an upset.
Some teams will be crushed by a bad draw, especially in Class 4A, Sectional 2, where there is a wide disparity between the six teams and 2A Sectional 35, where there is an even wider one. But consider the case of the Pittsburgh Steelers who had to beat the National Football League's three best teams (Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver) all on the road just to reach the NFL championship game, that so-called 'Super Bowl', you've been hearing about. So, it can be done and Sunday at 5 p.m. (when the state tourney draw is announced) everyone will know just what it is that can be done.
1.) 4A Merrillville (15-2)
12-10 (2005), 18-3 (2004), 15-8 (2003)
MERRILLVILLE - Merrillville got beat by Lake Central 62-57 in a game they probably needed to clarify things heading into the state tournament. Good teams get beat but real good teams beat themselves by thinking they're a little too good. There is a hint that when 3A state champ South Bend St. Joseph's went to play Washington this month, they were confident it might be a rout. They were right. St. Joe got run off the floor. Lucky for them that happened before the playoffs began instead of afterwards. Merrillville now can face the reality of the state tournament. One and done. The Pirates get serious tests down the stretch from Michigan City (12-6) and Crown Point (10-8). For Brittney Moore (14.2 ppg, 11.2 rpg.), Sharon Houston (11.6 ppg, 7.6) and company, the future is now.
2.) 4A East Chicago (12-5)
21-4 (2005), 17-5 (2004), 21-1 (2003)
EAST CHICAGO - EC is in the exact same position Merrillville is. Senior dominated. Barring a transfer, there will be no state finals talk in 2007. The Cardinals won a big game 51-36 at Warsaw (12-6) as 2007 starters 5-10 junior Kiara Hicks scored 18 and 5-10 junior Taaje McKinley added 14. But don't kid yourself, when 5-10 all-stater Dee Dee Jernigan (17 ppg.) graduates, a ranking this high also leaves. While local media does the super hype for the more photogenic Becca Bruszewski and 1A stars like Mallory Gorski, insiders will tell you that Jernigan is by far the top skilled player in NW Indiana. It's easy to roll up good numbers against 2A and 3A teams. Jernigan's 18 per game against the elite is worth 30 a game against the schedule Wheeler plays and she'd be Kobe Bryant against South Central's slate. At the start of the season, East Chicago was No. 1. The Cardinals have a Wednesday night game with Munster (15-3), but the outcome may be a little misleading either way.
3.) 4A Valparaiso (11-6)
21-2 (2005), 23-3 (2004), 16-8 (2003)
VALPARAISO - The Vikings were upset by LaPorte 34-28 Friday, but they won in OT at West Lafayette 61-56 in overtime Saturday. Valpo was led by 28 points from 5-11 guard Erica Humes (18.3 ppg, 95 of 155 FGs, 61.2%; 61-of-75, 81.3%). Valpo sank only 14 of 25 from the foul line at West Lafayette (11-7), a bad sign if they hope to be playing beyond the Valparaiso sectional next month. Valpo lost to LC 50-37 Tuesday night as the Indians' hot streak continued. The VHS girls just don't have much of an attack. The Vikings seem to lack scoring skill in the front court and that makes their long-term life expectancy short. Still, as Boone proved at the PCC tournament, it's all about guards and Valpo's two best players are guards. The Vikings need a bye to win the sectional, but Merrillville gets a good state tournament draw if they draw anybody but Valpo.
4.) 4A Gary West Side (11-5)
23-5 (2005), 22-3 (2004), 20-4 (2003)
GARY - Gary West Side got roasted 89-69 by South Bend St. Joseph's (14-2) last weekend. When you give up 89 points in a high school basketball game, unless Kobe Bryant is playing for the other team, there is a problem and you've got it. 89 points is more than two points every minute. But the 'Side' plays these games for experience. Coach Rod Fisher got 14 players into this contest, which was only 38-32 at halftime. Rest assured there's nobody like St. Joe in 4A despite the outcome of that Washington-St. Joe game. West Side should be 14-5 when they host McCutcheon (11-7) on Feb. 1. You can also rest assured that no one has sought out the level of competition that East Chicago and Gary West Side have. It's been true since the days of Jenny DeMuth and Highland, LAC teams are crippled by the LAC, perennially a league of weak sisters. The LAC will dissolve next year with no LAC team ever having reached the state finals. That's not a coincidence.
5.) 4A Munster (16-3)
17-6 (2005), 6-15 (2004), 6-18 (2003)
MUNSTER - Munster plays sectional rivals East Chicago and Lowell in the final 10 days. These games are for informational purposes only. If the Lady Ponies meet EC or Lowell at sectional time, the mood of the game will be much different. Munster knocked down Kankakee Valley 65-36 last week. Forward Jackie Yerga (13.1 ppg.) was 84 of 136 from the field (61.7%) and 29 of 40 (72.5%) from the foul line. If Lauren Meneghetti can stay healthy and out of foul trouble, the Mustangs have a big chance next month. But the future isn't really now. This is a largely young team that also has promise in 2007. This squad could win three times in five days. Somebody like Lowell or Highland probably cannot. I have a feeling that Munster may have surpassed Valparaiso and Gary West Side, but you have to keep the schedules in mind. You also have to keep the Mustangs' double digit losses to West Side and Valpo in mind.
6.) 4A Chesterton (11-5)
11-11 (2005), 14-8 (2004), 13-10 (2003)
CHESTERTON - The Trojans are coasting until the stretch drive and Kelly Peller (17.1 ppg.) is the scoring leader for a team full of seniors. This team is just a pain to play and, while they would be overmatched at the regional level, they could get there. Here is a product of the DAC round robin. The Trojans probably are not ready to win two games in one day outside the DAC but they are intimately familiar with the other DAC schools and since the Valpo Sectional has five DAC teams, Chesterton, a top defensive team, locks in on those foes when they play them repeatedly.
7.) 4A Lake Central (10-8)
7-14 (2005), 11-10 (2004), 13-8 (2003)
ST. JOHN - The Indians are making a late season surge with wins over Lowell (13-5), Merrillville (15-2) and Valparaiso (11-7). The movie "Fantastic Four" was really weak, but LC's 'Four' of guards Allison Aguilera and Jenny Britton plus forwards Janelle Kapelinski and Angie Funston all give coach Tom Megyesi something strong with different and complimentary contributions. Kapelinski has grabbed 10 rebounds for four games in a row. LC smoked out Valpo 50-37 Tuesday night after low-bridging Merrillville 63-57 Saturday. This team does not have much depth and they may be peaking too soon. But give them a bye, and they have become the poor man's favorite at the East Chicago 4A Sectional. It's always so amazing how a coach who is 'washed up' and 'behind the times' gets to be a genius again when he gets a true lead guard. As much as local media blew up softball star Katie Mitchell, she was a shooting guard. There is a difference between a leader and a floor leader. Aguilera isn't their best player but she makes this team a winner.
8.) 4A Michigan City (12-7)
6-15 (2005), 6-16 (2004), 6-14 (2003)
MICHIGAN CITY - The Wolves put CP in the skillet and fried them last Friday, leading 30-14 at the half of a 58-39 win. MC has now defeated Crown Point, Valparaiso and South Bend Riley for the first time since old schools Elston and Rogers consolidated in 1995. Look at MC in the context of the records of the past three years. The Wolves can win the DAC 'Triple Crown' if they beat Merrillville (15-2) Friday night. The Wolves are the only team that really matches up with the Pirates in the DAC. 6-3 center Emma Tucker will meet her match in 6-2 Pirate post player Brittney Moore. You must also look at MC in this context. They could draw 4A No.1 South Bend Washington (18-1) when the state tournament draw is announced Sunday (Jan. 29).
9.) 2A North Judson (16-1)
22-4 (2005), 12-9 (2004), 13-8 (2003)
NORTH JUDSON - Judson takes on Rensselaer (12-4) and PCC champ Boone Grove (10-9) in the final 10 days, so they have a chance to get strong once the draw is announced Sunday. The key player in the 2A state tournament in the north is Judson lead guard Kristen Bolen, who scored 16 with three three-point goals in Saturday's 57-35 win over Knox. Even though Judson is trying to change the name of the county they play in from Starke County to Howard County in honor of varsity players Miranda, Leann and Chelsea Howard... Bolen, a 5-foot-3 junior, is the player they cannot afford to lose. Judson has only lost to Class 3A Plymouth (15-2), which says more about Plymouth than it does Judson, which has not lost to a 2A school at home since Jan. 6, 2004. Look for NW Indiana media to 'discover' a team -- the Jays, a team that has won 38 of their last 43 games sometime next month. Would they beat Lowell and Crown Point? Right now, I think they would.
10.) 4A Lowell (14-5)
13-8 (2005), 15-9 (2004), 11-12 (2003)
LOWELL - Lowell didn't play well, but they did beat Highland for the first time in over a decade Saturday, winning 47-32. Senior Ashley Cosentino scored 20, but in truth, the 15-point margin of victory says more about Highland than it does Lowell. Highland made just 6 field goals against a Lowell team than cannot press anybody. Still, the Devils poured oil on Whiting's fire Tuesday night to move nine games over .500 for the second time this year. Lowell must get a bye in the East Chicago Sectional. It's that simple. Among Munster, East Chicago, Gary West Side, Highland and Lake Central, there is no group of three that Lowell can beat in five days with the short bench they have. The Devils have quietly added 5-5 junior guard Kelly Johnson, who averaged 11.4 points per game last year, to the lineup after 16 games on the disabled list. This is a team to watch because they have a four-year varsity player in Ashley Cosentino at guard and a three-year player in Rachel Thiel at center. The point and the post are there, but they can't press which means they have to play almost mistake-free on offense. Lowell at Munster (16-3) Friday night is a rematch of a 45-33 loss in December. Lowell's furthest trip in the state tournament was to the semistate five years ago. It would appear this team has no chance to win six playoff games. But then, it appeared there was no way their football team would win six playoff games last fall and many of you know how that worked out.
On the outside looking in...
11.) 2A Rensselaer (13-4)
15-7 (2005), 10-11 (2004), 9-12 (2003)
RENSSELAER - Nothing has changed here. The Bombers are playing some lame teams down the stretch, but they have some killers at the end of the slate to juice them up. Guard Allison Malone is averaging 2.7 steals and 4.2 assists. 5-10 center Reagan Kanne is 65 of 107 (60.7%) from the field and 124 of 181 (68.5%) from the line. Rensselaer will be 14-4 when they host North Judson (16-1) on Jan .31 in the final big NW Indiana game of the season. Judson (16-1), Winamac (11-6), Rochester (15-4) and Rensselaer (13-4) are all in 2A Sectional 35 [along with North Newton (7-8)], so there is a great likelihood that two of the big winning four will go head-to-head in the first game of the sectional. The draw here will focus somebody very quickly. There's no place to hide starting Sunday at five.
12.) 2A Boone Grove (10-9)
21-2 (2005), 17-5 (2004), 22-5 (2003)
PORTER TOWNSHIP - Here's the eternal prep basketball lesson. It makes absolutely no difference what does or does not happen with, for or to you before the first of the year. Boone Grove ran their winning streak to five games with a three-game sweep of three .500 or better teams in the 34th PCC girls basketball championship. Wins came against over Morgan Township (11-5) and Hebron (10-9). Guard Cortney Flanigan is the PCC MVP after averaging 16 points and 10 assists and eight rebounds in the three-game playoff. Boone senior center Kara Kessler scored a career high 21 in a semifinal win over Hanover Central (8-8) while forward Brittney Roach scored a career-best 12 in the 57-49 title game win over Hebron.
Boone Grove has now won three of the last four PCC titles, but they need to get ready for the sectional and a road game with Hanover Central Thursday (Jan. 26) and a home game with powerhouse North Judson (17-1) on Feb. 2 should get that done.
Boone probably wants to draw rival Wheeler (11-6) immediately at the 5-team, 2A Sectional 33. The other three teams, Hanover Central (8-8), Bishop Noll (5-12) and Lake Station (0-17) have not proven they can beat winning teams. Wheeler has upset Boone at the sectional two years in a row and that game alone will decide whether this is a good or a great year for the Wolves. But suddenly 2006 Boone reminds you of 2003 Boone which went to the semistate with a sophomore-dominated squad, a lot of role players and a dominating guard.
13.) 4A Crown Point (10-8)
17-6 (2005), 14-8 (2004), 12-9 (2003)
CROWN POINT - This team is clearly on the fade. The Lady Bulldogs have three bad losses in a row, even though they are to LaPorte (7-11), Lake Central (10-8) and Michigan City (12-6). Crown Point does not seem to think they can win games they actually can win. Give LaPorte credit for a 51-38 win over CP Tuesday night, but the season may be over for the Lady Bulldogs, who close the year with Valparaiso (12-7) and Merrillville (15-2). CP cannot fill the point guard position at a level that can compete in the DAC right now and the post play has been only average when they needed more.
When coach Tom May is sliding freshmen and sophomores off the JV into the
lineup you know he's not satisfied with what the juniors and seniors are doing.
The Lady Bulldogs need a confidence building win and there does not appear to be
that opportunity on the horizon. The double round robin DAC slate has worked
against this team, because CP seems uninterested in playing the same teams over
and over. Fortunately, the last three teams to beat CP are not sectional
rivals. But 10-8 is not a good record for Crown Point basketball and no
one is happy here. Only a first round bye and drawing Portage or Hobart at the
4A Valpo Sectional will save them from an early spring.