2003-2004 Girls Basketball  Preseason Poll A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith (11-13-2003)

1.) Valparaiso (1-0)

The best team inn the best league, Valparaiso has five returning starters including the top front court in this part of the state in 6-foot-3 Cassie Kerns, 6-2 Lindsay Humes and 5-11 Erica Humes. Point guard Lauren Hutton (8.8, 4.0 assists) can rotate with 5-5 Leslie Bryan and 5-3 Katie Ramirez. If no one gets hurt, this team should play Warsaw in the semistate for the right to go to the state title game. And this is a future No. 1 team. The big front line girls all return next season as well.

2.)  MERRILLVILLE (0-0)

The Pirates get move-in Julie DeMuth (15.5 ppg,) to pair with DAC MVP Marshay Jolly (14.2) at forward around 6-2 soph center Brittany Moore. They should have three epic wars with the bigger, slower Valpo front line. Point guards Melissa Borom and Brittany Usery have experience and 5-8 senior Tianna Coleman is a solid wing forward. This team is getting a ton of hype and that will hurt them in the long run. But, once they figure out who does what when, the Pirates will hit a winning streak.

3.)  Gary West Side (0-0)

In Gary you still can't hide from the intensified 'Side'. Junior Guard Belinda Drake (9.0 points, 7.0 assists) is a premier lead guard  and 5-7 Isabell Rhenwick has lots of potential.  5-10 forwards Ashley Cheairs and Michelle Hamblin are solid and 6-1 Karima Davies is a good defensive center. This team has speed and size. They'll press everybody full court.  And the winner of the West Side-East Chicago playoff game will get another regional shot.

4.) East Chicago (0-0)

DeeDee Jernigan (13 ppg. 6 rebounds, 4 assists) is by far the region's most gifted player but the 5-10 sophomore is young and mistake prone. 5-10 soph partner Kelly Watts (9 assists, 5 rebounds) is also a future college player. Junior Jernita Moore (14 ppg.) is injured and wont play much before the first of the year.  5-7 junior Kandi Rodgers will be one guard but guard will be in name only. Dee Dee will play the point in key moments. They have to find a way to beat Gary West Side's defensive pressure.

5.)  LAKE CENTRAL (0-0)

The key players are 5-7 junior Katie Mitchell (8.5 ppg.), wing forward Linsey Smith (11.0) and Jen Vander Zanden (13.3) who create a solid core if all are healthy.  LC needs a lot of help of the bench but three stars and five role players can win a lot of games. This team's record won't look so good in the first year in the DAC but they have the capacity to sneak by Gary West Side or East Chicago at sectional time.

      6.)  CROWN POINT (0-0)

Crown Point has a premier set of guards in 5-7 juniors Cassie Pruzin (9.6 points, 6.1 steals and 4.4 assists) and Kaitlyn Sertich (4.7 points, 2.0 steals and 2.8 assists) and good forwards in 5-10 junior Jill Weiand and 5-10 senior three-year starter Blayre Reeves.  The Lady Bulldogs have depth at guard so Mallory Michaels and Hannah Plumley will play key roles. The key, when CP isn't playing 3 guards, in the center position where 5-9 soph Jackie Clements will man the slot until 6-foot freshmen Courtney Perry and Anjellica Respond gain experience. The Lady Bulldogs are not a DAC title contender but they will be a year from now.

7.)  Chesterton (0-0)

It's hard to have this much depth and still be fifth in the DAC. Point guard Catherine "Cat" Campbell (8.0 points, 3.0 assists) is the floor leader and 5-1 senior Holly Martin is a good shooter. Junior Stephanie Boyle, a 5-10 veteran, will be overmatched in some league play,  but she's a solid forward.  This team has just three seniors but they seem very fundamentally sound and they have to win now because 2005 may not be an option due to the youth at CP and Valpo.

8.) LOWELL (0-0)

Lowell returns 5-10 Lisa Schulfer (12.4) and 5-4 McKensey Wietbrock (8.3). Senior wing shooter Mary Erpelding comes back after missing all last season with a leg injury. 5-8 Brooke Bell will have to battle bigger players up front. Guards Natalie Hanas, Bailey Wagner and a trio of quick sophomores will aid the Devils' pressure defenses but they need 5-9 center Rachel Thiel to hold her own at center.

9.) ANDREAN (0-0)

This is a much better year in girls basketball than last year was and that's how a good Andrean team can be ninth. The guard line will be interesting with 5-10 soph Suzanne Cunningham at the point with 5-10 Kim McCloskey (9.5) on the wing. Senior Katie Gianinni is a good defender and 6-0 Brooke Bosak can be a solid center.  Forward Amy Goetz (7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds) is solid. This team has more potential than most of the other teams in this poll. They should win the LAC and they should reach the semistate. But, right now, who else listed here could they beat?

10. Boone Grove (1-0)

A poor man's Gary West Side. Karissa Walter (14.5 ppg, 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists) is a consistent 20-foot jump shot away from being the top player in this region. The Wolves full court press and fast break everybody into the ground. Sara Martinovich will be a double-figure scorer as will solid defender Becky Keller for the PCC favorites. Rachel Jenkins and Lani Marsh will handle the pivot and they are more than big enough for the Porter County Conference (PCC). Two potential-packed players to watch are soccer star Danielle Jacobs, a 6-foot wing player and 5-5 freshman Cortney Flanigan, a freshman who would be starting if Walter was not there.

Others to watch......

Rensselaer (0-0)

This team returns five seniors off a 9-12 team ands they have five players 5-9 or taller including 5-11 junior Leslie Rowan (13.5 points, 8.0 rebounds) per game.  Nine players can play and the team is physically strong. They could easily see Boone Grove in the regional.

Portage (0-0)

This is a team of small girls in a league of big girls. Guard Nikki McDonald (10.9 points, 3.2 assists) will keep the Lady Indians in most games but 5-9 junior Krystal Rigoni (3.0 points) is the only size. The biggest problem Portage will face is convincing themselves that they are still a good team as the losses pile up. Their 20-game record will be no indication of how good they are.

HANOVER CENTRAL (0-0)

This is a team of small girls in a league of small girls. HC is very small up front. They do not have a true center. But you can get away with that in the PCC. They do have size on the perimeter in 5-9 Jill McElmurry (13.5 ppg.) and 5-10 Christie Wick (6 points, 5.8 rebounds) both wing players. The Lady Cats have a nice duo at point guard in sophomore Krysta Rickey and senior Karrah Adam. Alisha Staley is a quick leaper on the wing and Amanda Wendlinger is a fine and speedy defender with a capable three-point shot. But it all comes down to whether 5-7 Katie Burke and 5-5 Bess Copak can get enough rebounds.

GIRLS PRESEASON  NOTES:  The match-up between superpower Bishop Luers and Andrean, postponed by Andrean's Saturday night (Nov.15) football game, will be played Dec. 20 in Fort Wayne.  The Nov. 21 Portage game at Crown Point will be the dedication game for the new CPHS gym. Past players will return for a ceremony at halftime.  The next night, CP travels to take on Warsaw, the state's top-ranked 4A team. There is a new holiday tournament at Wheeler involving Hobart, Hammond and Andrean on Dec 26-27.

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Revised: July 10, 2004 .