NW Indiana Girls Basketball Renegade Class 3A Sectional/Regional Preview

2003-2004 Girls Basketball

'The Renegade' Sectional / Regional

Preview: Class 3A

A USA-365.com Special Report

(2-7-2004)

2-10-4 (Tu) Calumet [13-8] vs. Morton [8-12] 6 p.m.
2-10-4 (Tu) Griffith [11-8] vs. Hammond [8-10] 7:30 p.m.
2-13-4 (F) Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
2-13-4 (F) Gavit [7-12] vs. Clark [5-13] 7:30 p.m.
2-14-4 (S) Championship game - 7:30 p.m.

Sectional (18) at Kankakee Valley

2-10-4 (Tu) Horace Mann [10-7] vs. Wirt [2-15]
2-10-4 (Tu) Gary Roosevelt [4-12] vs. Kankakee Valley [5-14]
2-13-4 (F) Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
2-13-4 (F) Andrean [7-13] vs. Lew Wallace [10-5]
2-14-4 (S) Championship game - 7:30 p.m.

Sectional (19) at New Prairie

2-10-4 (Tu) Knox [7-11] vs. South Bend St. Joseph's [12-8] 6 p.m.
2-10-4 (Tu) Mishawaka Marian [6-16] vs. Culver Academy [8-11] 7:30 p.m.
2-13-4 (F) Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
2-13-4 (F) New Prairie [13-5] vs. Plymouth [14-6]
2-14-4 (S) Championship game - 7:30 p.m.

Sectional (20) at Frankfort

2-10-4 (Tu) Western [13-7] vs. West Lafayette [17-3]
2-10-4 (Tu) Twin Lakes [16-5] vs. Frankfort [8-11]
2-13-4 (F) Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
2-13-4 (F) Benton Central [9-10] vs. Maconaquah [9-9]
2-14-4 (S) Championship game - 7:30 p.m.

2-21-4 (S) KV Sectional winner faces the Frankfort winner, probably West Lafayette or Twin Lakes
2-21-4 (S) Calumet Sectional winner face the New Prairie winner, probably St. Joseph's
2-21-4 (S) Regional championship - 8 p.m.

MONTICELLO: Actually, this bracket isn't as tough as it once was. With Highland moving to 4A and Tippecanoe Valley in sectional 21, there are no top-10 teams here except for West Lafayette, which must win three times to get out of the sectional. I don't think they will.

The Twin Lakes regional winner may have a short shelf life. They could be fed to either No. 4 Bishop Luers (16-3) or No. 3 Tippecanoe Valley (17-2) in the Plymouth Semistate, which is virtually a home game for TV. But that's one of those pre-tourney projections that assume the brackets go true to form. Ballplayers must always play as if the brackets will NOT go true to form.

I think the strongest team in the 3A northwest Indiana region is 3A No. 14 St. Joseph's (12-8), which has played an elite schedule. Junior Aimee Litka, sophomore Melissa Lechlitner, and freshman center Kristin Dockery and guard Sydney Smallbone give St. Joe the best offense of the 16 teams here. The Indians sank 24 of 27 free throws in a 72-46 win over Adams on Tuesday (Feb. 3). It isn't logical to ignore New Prairie, the host school, led by forward Allison Kessler (13.1 ppg.) but New Prairie played Plymouth (last week and got beat 48-27. Both teams drew a bye at the New Prairie sectional and will meet again on Feb. 13.

St. Joseph's has faced enough powerful teams to handle Plymouth, a team they have have not faced this season.

I would not be surprised if Calumet (13-6), which has won close games all year, wins three times and survives the 3A Calumet Sectional. Griffith will have defenses ready for Calumet scoring leader Kiki Bytnar (14.3 ppg.), but the Panthers are not a good offensive team and will scratch for points. You would dismiss this sectional except that the winner could conceivably slip through to the semistate if upsets occur in Frankfort.

West Lafayette, Western and Twin Lakes appear to be better than anyone in the Calumet and KV Sectionals, but those three teams are all jammed into one half of the Frankfort Sectional bracket and none of them may get out of there alive. If one does, look for it to be Twin Lakes, with 5-8 junior guard Heather McFadden, one of five returning starters. McFadden scored 26 last week in a 70-46 win over West Central (10-9). Twin Lakes is a 15-time sectional champion.

The KV Sectional is interesting because Andrean has played a very tough schedule and they have suffered because of it. It's very hard to judge Lew Wallace and 6-2 sophomore Sharon Houston. Wallace and Andrean drew a bye at KV and meet in the semifinals on Feb. 13. The winner of this game will advance to the regional and the 59ers should rise up and squeak out a close decision.

At the Regional, the title game will come down to St. Joseph playing Twin Lakes on the Indians' home court. St. Joe is much younger than Twin Lakes, but the offensive ability they have all over the floor will carry them. St. Joseph's will repeat as a 3A regional champion.