2003-2004 Girls Basketball  'Renegade' Poll: Week 2 A USA-365.com Special Report (11-25-2003)

1.  Gary West Side (0-0)

Gary West Side was 20-4 last year and they beat Valparaiso and East Chicago in the playoffs. The Cougars aren't truly challenged until Dec. 4 at Kokomo. 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. The Cougars' schedule is better this year including superpowers like Kokomo and St. Joseph's.

Merrillville's 42-31 win over Valparaiso wasn't as impressive as it seemed. Valpo didn't score in the fourth period, but Merrillville was 17 of 47 from the line. In two games, the Pirates, now ranked number one state-wide, have made just 10 of 21 free throws. Julie DeMuth (18.5 ppg.) is 14 of 32 from the floor, but nobody on Merrillville should be taking 16 shots a game. Merrillville has 94 points and DeMuth has 38. That's not what coach Bob Maicher wants. 6-2 center Brittany Moore has been nonexistent in two games, with only seven shots. Forward Marshay Jolly (9.5 ppg.) has to get back in the offense for the Pirates to win in February. The Pirates' game with East Chicago Wednesday (Nov. 26) may get things smoothed out.

Four good games for the Cardinals against lesser foes, but they have lost 5-11 junior Jernita Moore until the first of the year with a torn ACL. The Cardinals threw away games at the foul line last year but they were 33 of 42 from the line against Chicago's Hope High School.  EC was 26 of 52 in the first three games. Star soph Dee Dee Jernigan (11.5 ppg.) isn't doing enough at the offensive end. The Cardinals play a dream schedule and they will be tested.

The injury to Lindsey Humes affected them, but the Vikings have now lost two of the last three meetings with Merrillville. The Lady Vikings are a step slow and they need to display the wing shooting I believe they have.  Senior guard Lauren Hutton can't go 1-for-8 against good competition like she did against Merrillville. Don't read too much into early season losses. There's plenty of time for the Vikings to develop depth. No game played before the first of the year matters in the grand scheme of a season.

5.  LAKE CENTRAL  (2-1)

Katie Mitchell has averaged eight points and five assists in the first three games. Senior Jen VanDer Zanden (17.5 ppg.) has only played 2 games, but LC has won both. LC was 53-of-74 (72.0%) from the foul line in three games. LC had four players in double figures in the 67-49 win over Michigan City last week. Angie Funston (10.3 ppg.) is a key because she's got to score to balance the floor. This team only appears to have seven players playing regularly at this point.

6.  CROWN POINT (3-1)

Crown Point got into foul trouble and couldn't do much in a 62-47 loss at No. 1 Warsaw last Saturday (Nov. 21). After four games, no semblance of an inside offense has surfaced. Cassie Pruzin (16.8 ppg.) has averaged five steals, five rebounds and four assists, but this team has the same problem Highland has... one player doing everything. The Lady Bulldogs have a key DAC match up with Chesterton Friday (Nov. 28) and undefeated Boone Grove (5-0) is on the horizon. You can't say whether this is a good team yet.

7.  Chesterton (2-0)

Chesterton followed up the 58-24 victory over Munster with a 51-25 rout of LaPorte. Stephanie Boyle (14.5 ppg.), the 6-foot center, is a threat inside. But senior guard Cat Campbell and wing shooter Holly Melton have to score more.  The Trojans won't lose due to bad defense, but they must be patient and shoot well because they really don't have a top flight offensive player.

8.  LOWELL (2-0)

Lowell only scored 13 points in the first half of a 43-22 win over Morton. Repeat what was just said about Chesterton. Good 'D'....shaky 'O'. Senior forward Brooke Bell and guard Natalie Hanas simply have to put points on the board for the Devils to win the upcoming LAC tournament. And 5-of-12 from the foul line (vs. Morton) won't get it done.

9.  ANDREAN (0-1)

Andrean took the expected whipping, 49-31 at Penn Saturday (Nov. 22). Penn (4-0) had already played three times and the 59ers were just starting out. The 59ers will get a better idea of what they have Saturday (Nov. 29) against Lowell. But the visit from St. Joseph's (2-1) on Dec. 2 may be another one of those learning experiences. The 59ers are playing an old school 'Andrean' schedule going back to when they were an independent and they played anyone anywhere. The 59ers will get senior Katie Giannini back soon and that will help.

10.  Boone Grove (4-0)

Junior guard Karissa Walter (22.3 ppg.) scored 15 in a 73-33 win over Knox. Rachel Jenkins scored a season-high 15 points, a very good sign for the Wolves' only senior. Sara Martinovich added 11 for Boone, which averaged 72 points after four games. Martinovich and Becky Keller must score in double figures for Boone to beat good teams. The minus stat in the 40-point win over Knox: Not one three-point basket for Boone. In the two-year 'window' starting now, Boone is two outside shooters away from the 2A state finals.

Could be good.....                    

Hebron (1-2)

Forget the record. Hebron's 43-36 upset win at defending 1A regional champ Washington Township was noted throughout the Porter County Conference (PCC). Hebron's sophomore and junior laden team shut down double-figure scorer Aimee Mishler, holding her to 2-of-16. The Hawks' losses are to CP (3-1) and Boone Grove (4-0), but nobody likes to play Hebron. It will become obvious that, with the possible exception of Tom May, Jerry Bechtold has been the best defensive coach in this region for some time now. If point guard Heidi Freund (7.0 ppg.) can stay in the game (she's fouled out twice already), and the Hawks acquire some skill from the foul line (only 31 of 69 in 3 games, they can't be that bad) this team will steadily become stronger.

Coming up.......

LOWELL (2-0) at ANDREAN (0-1)
7:30 p.m. - CST - Saturday, Nov. 29

MERRILLVILLE - Lowell gets their first real test against a team that beat them three times last season. The Devils will press soph point guard Suzanne Cunningham to try for transition points while Andrean will mix defenses against an almost all-senior Lowell team. The trick is to cover up 5-11 forward Lisa Schulfer (14.5 ppg.) while not allowing McKensey Wietbrock (12.5) and Mary Erpelding (10.0 ppg.) to shoot off the wings.
Andrean's 6-foot wing Kim Kim McCloskey scored only three at Penn and she'll be looking to get the ball in close against the smaller Devil front line. This 'No football bowl' (both teams hoped to be in the grid state finals on this day) should be very close.

CROWN POINT (3-1, 1-0) at Chesterton (2-0, 1-0)
7:30 - CST - Friday, Nov. 28

CHESTERTON - I'm not sure which of these teams is better. Chesterton is solid defensively and has 6-foot Stephanie Boyle inside, but needs an impact scorer.  CP has the impact scorer in Cassie Pruzin, but has no true pivot and needs rebounding and scoring inside. There's no question this game will be close and low-scoring.  The Trojans have to get CP into foul trouble by attacking the basket and score from the foul line. Catherine (Cat) Campbell, a senior, has to recognize CP's changing presses. The Trojans may be the first to use a box and one on Cassie Pruzin... but they certainly won't be the last.

Copyright © 2002 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: July 10, 2004 .