2005-2006 Girls Basketball  Top-10 Poll, Week-8 A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith (12-26-2005)

VALPARAISO, IN - (12-26-2005) Unlike the boys side, this is a pretty good year in NW Indiana girls basketball with two top-10 teams in every class but 3A.  No where is that in evidence more than in the Porter County Conference.  South Central (11-0) has played a very questionable schedule (with opponents' combined record of 48-72 including winless Lacrosse twice) Morgan Township (9-3) has battled through injury to post a fine record.  Washington Township (7-4) and Kouts (7-5) have played surprisingly well.  Hanover Central (4-4) is very young, but with obvious potential.  The race for them is to maximize their ability this season as opposed to next year.  Boone Grove (4-7) is not only young (only one senior) but has been unlucky, losing twice in overtime while Hebron (5-8) has rebounded after injury problems with a three-game win streak following a 2-8 start.

Weather messed up the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) tournament and the Duneland Conference is still in the stone age, so the unpredictable PCC Tournament should be one of the highlights of the season.

To the east, 3A No.1  St. Joseph's (10-0) turned back Snider and Warsaw (8-4) to win the Warsaw Holiday Tournament.  St. Joe is 7-0 against 4A teams and no one has come within 10 points of the Indians.  NW Indiana teams think they play tough schedules and some try to.  But in January, St. Joe will play at 4A No. 5 South Bend Washington (12-1) and the Indians will travel to the Chicagoland Classic to take on top-ranked Chicago public school Whitney Young (9-0) and 2000-kid Chicago Catholic League North division superpower Loyola Academy (9-2).

Three rivalry games loom big in the next 10 days.  Arch-rivals Crown Point (8-4) and Merrillville (9-1) duel for the first time this year Wednesday night (Dec. 28) while 2A buddies North Judson (9-1) and Rochester (9-1) bring some post New Year's pep down to lonely Starke County the night of Jan. 3.  Then the annual north Lake County showdown of speedy sectional rivals East Chicago (7-2) and Gary West Side (6-3) tips off in East Chicago's 8,000-seat Baratto center the night of Jan. 5.

1.) 4A Valparaiso (8-3)

21-2 (2005), 23-3 (2004), 16-8 (2003)

VALPARAISO -   Still ranked amazingly low in NW Indiana polls (7th in the Times, 8th in the Post-Tribune) Valparaiso bounced back from an upset loss to Crown Point (8-4) with wins 53-37 over LaPorte (5-7) and 49-42 over Chesterton.  Greg Kirby must send the writers cheap Christmas presents.  That's the only way a perennial 4A power with a Division I guard in Eric Humes (19.3 ppg., 40 of 50 FTs) can not be one of the top 5 teams in NW Indiana.

The Vikings have lost to CP, Merrillville (9-1) and 4A No. 1 Carmel (11-0) but they have wins over Northern Lakes Conference leader Plymouth (10-2), Lake Athletic Conference tournament champion Munster (11-3), Highland (8-5) and Chesterton (7-3).  Polls that have Munster, with three losses, ranked ahead of Valparaiso with three losses (both do), have forgotten that Munster lost badly 53-37 to Valparaiso.  The Vikings beat Plymouth 53-31 and Plymouth is top-10 in the state.

Polls that have Valparaiso ranked behind 1A No. 1 South Central (11-0) simply are not telling you what they know is true.  More truth may will told the night of Jan. 4 when Valparaiso gets a home court shot at Merrillville.  Valpo needs to control the pace of the game as they did the first time and find a way to rebound better against big Pirate pivot Brittney Moore.  If the Vikings win (and, at home, they should), watch for other polls to again mirror this one.

2.) 4A  Merrillville (9-1)

12-10 (2005), 18-3 (2004), 15-8 (2003)

MERRILLVILLE -   The Pirates took their first loss, 53-51 to Munster, a good loss against a quality team.  You could see this coming as Merrillville was somewhat erratic in the first half of the season.  The Pirates were 17 of 32 from the foul line and 17 of 66 from the field so they deserved to lose.  The task for the Pirates will be not to have a losing streak.  Merrillville travels to Crown Point (Dec. 28) and Valparaiso (Jan. 4) in the next 10 days.  They could very easily be 9-3 in two weeks.  But, as I have said here all season, the trick is to work in 6-2 Lew Wallace transfer Sharon Houston, who reportedly barely played and did not score in the loss to Munster.  The Pirates are not NW Indiana's best team but they can eventually be.

3.) 4A  East Chicago  (7-3)

21-4 (2005), 17-5 (2004), 21-1 (2003)

EAST CHICAGO - East Chicago carries a four-game winning streak down to Indianapolis to battle city powerhouse North Central (8-2), the two-time defending Class 4A state champion.  Will they win?  Who cares?  The point is, they get to play the champs and can only be better for it.

EC has lost to John Hope high school of Chicago 48-44.  Hope is 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class A, the smaller of two classes in Illinois.  EC has defeated Carl Sandburg high of Orland Park, IL 64-50.  Sandburg is 7-4 and rated 21st in the Chicagoland area.  EC has lost 46-44 to Chicago's Whitney Young high school.  Young is 9-0.

Candace Bishop has been getting involved in the scoring with 10 against Lew Wallace and 15 against Thornton Township on Dec. 10.  The 5-10 transfer from Bishop Noll must be a factor for EC to beat West Side when it counts.  Dee Dee Jernigan scored 20 in a 50-44 win at sectional rival Lake Central last Wednesday (Dec. 21), a game where the Cardinals, who usually shoot free throws like Stevie Wonder, were a perfect 16 of 16.

The Cardinals still have St. Joseph's (9-0), Gary West Side (5-2), North Central (9-1), Warsaw (8-4), Munster (11-3) and south suburban Chicago power Marian Catholic (9-2).  This story hasn't even begun to be told yet.

4.) 4A Gary West Side (6-3)

23-5 (2005), 22-3 (2004), 20-4 (2003)

GARY -   The 'Side' got peanut buttered and jellied in a 71-54 loss at Jefferson (9-3) in Lafayette last Friday (Dec. 23) but that's the kind of foe they need to face.  West Side does not shoot the ball well and if they face teams with good lead guards, they can't get 20 steals.  The Cougars will mop up the upcoming Gary Holiday Tournament and get the bus warmed up to head to East Chicago (7-3) on Jan. 5.  West's other losses are to Kokomo (7-1) and Heritage Christian (12-1) so there are no bad losses here as of yet.  Defensively, there must be questions after giving up 71 points, but the Cougars will soon forget about that trip and look ahead.  West Side always knows they can coast through weak Gary city competition and point to the big ones.

5.) 4A Munster  (11-3)

17-6 (2005), 6-15 (2004), 6-18 (2003)

MUNSTER -  Munster completed a highly successful first half of the season with a 53-51 upset of Merrillville, a game that they led most of the way despite sinking just 10 of 21 free throws.  Libbie Thompson scored the winning basket with two seconds left, but the Lady ponies made 24 turnovers so there shouldn't be any celebrating here.  You'd be more enthusiastic about Munster's chances if they'd beaten sectional rival West Side instead of potential regional foe Merrillville.  But Munster's done all they can, winning 11 of 12 and the good times should continue when the Mustangs face injury depleted, but still formidable Penn (8-3) Thursday, Dec. 30.

6.)  4A Crown Point (8-4)

17-6 (2005), 14-8 (2004), 12-9 (2003)

CROWN POINT - The Lady Bulldogs sat the week out after winning four of five games in eight days.  It's tough to play a big game after a long layoff so let's see how CP reacts at home against Merrillville (9-1) Wednesday night (Dec. 28).  Crown Point's losses are to Warsaw (8-4), Chesterton (7-3), Lowell (10-2) and Lake Central (2-8) while the only significant win is very significant, against Valparaiso (8-3) on the road.  But the Lady Bulldogs hope to be a new team due to some lineup changes (including a new point player in former forward Ashley Zaucha) which preceeded the present four game win streak.

CP will see Merrillville again on the final day of the season, but this holiday game is pivotal.  The Lady Bulldogs' schedule is favorable in January.  A win over Merrillville could spark a long winning streak.

7.)  4A Chesterton  (7-3)

11-11 (2005), 14-8 (2004), 13-10 (2003)

CHESTERTON -   The Trojans are seventh best in the area and fourth best in the DAC after a 49-42 loss to Valparaiso.  With losses to Penn (8-3), Valparaiso (8-3) and Merrillville (9-1), Chesterton is certainly a top team with a Division I player in Kelly Pellar (17 ppg.), who announced she will play at Valparaiso University.  Peller was 30 of her first 37 from the foul line.

The Trojans are going to Lawrence North this Christmas (Dec. 28) after the Lafayette Holiday tournament was discontinued.  Lawrence North's 3-5 record is highly deceiving.  The Wildcats have lost to North Central (8-2), Lebanon (9-0), Arlington (7-3),  Pike (10-2) and Warren Central (8-2).  You don't drive two hours to play chumps and Chesterton is not doing that.

8.)  2A  North Judson (9-1)

22-4 (2005), 12-9 (2004), 13-8 (2003)

NORTH JUDSON  -   North Judson is still in the middle of a 10-day holiday break before a Dec. 28 match with John Glenn (6-5) and a monster game looms at 2A power Rochester (9-1) on Jan. 3. The Jays have completed a near perfect first half of the season with only a loss at 3A Plymouth (10-2) on the down side of their first 10 matchups.  The power in Class 2A is in the south.  North Judson is NW Indiana's best bet, no more than 10-1 to return to the state finals.  Judson also has Benton Central (8-1) coming up on Jan. 14 and rival Rensselaer (6-2) on Jan. 31.

I'm pretty sure they would not beat Chesterton or Crown Point on most nights and truthfully they would be in a 50-50 matchup with Andrean.  But this team has won so many games in the last two years, it's hard to see them doing worse than splitting against an equal foe.

9.) 3A Andrean (5-3)

9-13 (2005), 7-14 (2004), 15-9 (2003)

MERRILLVILLE - The 59ers posted their biggest win of the season, overcoming a 12-point deficit to beat Lowell (10-2) last Wednesday (Dec. 21).  The 59ers have nine good players, but I can't honestly say I don't understand why they have three losses.  I do.  Andrean has lost to Munster (11-3), Merrillville (9-1) and St. Joseph's (10-0) so its hard to bad mouth them.

The Niners need to win some games in a row, but they drew Hammond (7-3) for the third year in a row at the Wheeler Invitational.  No knock on Hobart or Wheeler, but the constant pairing with a big and athletic Hammond squad is something the 59ers do not welcome.  But it's time for Andrean to win this tournament.  They can control the pace against Hammond and the can slap an effective defense on Wheeler's Becca Bruczewski (23 ppg.).

It's close but I think Andrean is better than Highland and Lowell and South Central.  If the 59ers stay as intense as they were in the final quarter of the 51-48 win over Lowell and don't live and die on jump shots, there are a lot of Andrean wins out there to be picked up in the second half of the season.

10.) 4A Highland  (8-5)

19-5 (2005), 17-6 (2004), 24-3 (2003)

HIGHLAND - Highland is in the middle of a much-needed 18-day break before they start the final nine games.  I admit 16 days is a little much, but it will be interesting to see how close lead guard Lizze Stapke (ACL- pre-season) is to coming back.  Highland has lost to Munster (10-3), Gary West Side (6-3), Valparaiso (8-3) and Merrillville (9-1), all good losses.  Highland has to become more consistent on offense in some way.

Guard Tina Traczyk (14.4 ppg.) was amazing in shooting 58 of 61 from the foul line after 13 games, but Highland still is a poor shooting team and they need a second threat from the perimeter.  The schedule eases up in the second  half of the year, but that's a mixed blessing with the sectional they play in.  Highland's still ahead of Lowell on strength of schedule and depth.

On the outside looking in...

1.) 4A Lowell (10-2)

13-8 (2005), 15-9 (2004), 11-12 (2003)

LOWELL -  Lowell should be 11-1.  They had a 12-point lead with eight minutes left and lost 51-48 at Andrean.  In a physical game on the road, Lowell had no back-up for Ashley Cosentino and Julie Swisher and it showed in the final period.  The 59ers were able to force 24 turnovers.  Rachel Thiel was 6-of-6 from the floor, but she only got six shots against a 59er team that has no true center.  Cosentino (15.1 ppg., 4.1 assists, 4.7 steals - 11 games) and Swisher (14.9 points, 25 of 74 - 3s) are a very complimentary (they work well together) backcourt and Theil (8.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 29-of-37, .783 FTs) might be the LAC's best center.  But, and I know I sound like a parrot when I talk about Lowell, there just aren't enough Devils.  Back-up 5-9 center Gabi Goetz is back on the floor and 5-5 double figure scorer Kelly Johnson (11.4 ppg. avg. last season) is still attempting to return in time for the state tournament.  Lowell needs them both.  Every road win Lowell gets against teams with winning records using just six functional players is an upset.

2.) 1A South Central (11-0)

18-7 (2005), 12-8 (2004), 9-13 (2003)

UNION TOWNSHIP -  South Central completed a victory over the field in last week's Mid-Winter Classic (why do they call it the Mid-Winter Classic if they play it before winter officially starts?) with a 93-68 win over Washington Township on Dec.20.  SC is in the middle of a 15-day layoff before they host Boone Grove on Jan. 5.

5-5 senior Mallory Gorski (25 ppg.) continues to roll up points in the Satellites' up-tempo attack and 6-foot-0 center Anna Kammrath (16 ppg., 11.5 rebounds)  controls the inside.  SC has not been severely tested.  They truthfully score a lot of points because they get 22 steals a game.  The problem for them occurs when they run up against a point guard who won't cough up the ball.  That's why the game with Boone Grove and Cortney Flanigan is significant.

I'm still not sold on this team as a superpower.  You have to look at the 11 teams they've faced.  SC has won three by 10 points or less and they have no answer if Gorski is stopped.  This also is not an outside shooting team if you can get ahead and play a zone.  But, on the other hand, if they get by Boone, South Central is at least a 50-50 favorite to go 21-0.

3.) 2A Rensselaer (6-2)

15-7 (2005), 10-11 (2004, 9-12  (2003)

RENSSELAER - Rensselaer is having trouble getting on the court as the eight total games suggests.  The Bombers end an 11-day layoff and a home date with powerful Maconaquah (9-1).  The two losses are to Benton Central (8-1) and St. Joseph's (9-0).  Rensselaer does have West Lafayette (6-4) and North Judson in the second half of the season, but this team has good balance with guard Allison Malone averaging 5.4 assists and 2.8 steals a game and center Reagan Kanne (14.2 ppg.) hitting 33 of 57 (57.8%) from the field and 19 of 27 (70.3%) from the line.  But how can you play nine games total in the first two months and be sure you have anything at all?
 

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Revised: December 28, 2005 .