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2003-2004 Girls Basketball'Renegade' Poll: Week 3A USA-365.com Special Report(12-3-2003) |
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2003-2004 Girls Basketball'Renegade' Poll: Week 3A USA-365.com Special Report(12-3-2003) |
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1. Gary West Side (1-0)
This
team needs to get started. Only a 45-34 win over Hobart is on the record. Things
pick up Saturday when the Cougars face Andrean. Lead guard Belinda Drake should
be the difference in the Hammond Civic Center Saturday.
2. East Chicago (6-0)
When the Cardinals are motivated, they can overcome anyone in this area. The foul shooting is still shaky and they don't really have a lead guard. Dee Dee Jernigan (12.8 ppg.) is the top offensive talent in this area, but she needs to prove that on a consistent basis. 5-10 India Reeves is an underrated pivot. The Cards beat Morton 84-33 (Dec.1) but were still just 10 of 20 from the foul line. The key date is Jan. 8 against Gary West Side.
3. MERRILLVILLE (3-1)
Merrillville
is only averaging 42.2 points per game and that has to go up by about 10 points.
The arrival of Julie DeMuth (14.5 ppg.) has taken Marshay Jolly (6.5 ppg) out of
the offense. 6-2 center Britney Moore (4.7) got a season-high 11 shots against
Portage (Nov. 29) in a 38-25 victory. The offense should go through here but she
has to hit shots. Coach Bob Maicher has an unusual problem. Too much
talent and too little time to coordinate it.
4. Valparaiso (5-1)
Valpo
has allowed 204 points (34.0) and that will keep them in any game. Cassie Kerns
(12.8 ppg.) and senior Lauren Hutton (7.6 ppg.) anchor the team but the Vikings
need more offense, especially from Hutton, who totaled just seven in two DAC
games. The schedule, which includes Plymouth, Carmel and Jefferson, is a major
plus for Valpo, which has seen 6-ft Breanne Gustke fill in admirably for injured
6-2 Lindsey Humes. They'll have problems on the perimeter with Lake Central
Friday.
5. LAKE CENTRAL (3-1)
I get a lot of newspapers and none of them reported LC's 56-22 win over LaPorte last Friday. Sometimes when the home team gets creamed, the results never see the light of day. Lake Central's DAC debut went well, it is safe to assume. LC can change people's minds when they play Valparaiso this Friday.
Crown Point bounced back from a 36-27 loss to Chesterton with a solid 50-29 win over Lowell. The Lady Bulldogs have virtually no inside offense but their full court presses have forced at least 20 turnovers in every game so far except Warsaw (15 turnovers). CP will be favored to go to 5-2 Friday (Dec. 5) against LaPorte, but then face a formidable weekend with Lake Central (3-1) and Boone Grove (7-0). The quality and playoff potential of CP has yet to be determined.
7. Chesterton (3-0)
I've still got them behind Crown Point because the Trojans 36-27 victory over CP was not a game to judge anyone by. Catherine (Cat) Campbell (6.6) and Holly Melton (5.0) have to put more points up and turn it over less. Kelly Pellar (13.0 ppg.) and Stephanie Boyle (11.7) have nice averages but they were not effective against a small CP team. The Trojans have allowed just 25.3 per game, tops in northwest Indiana. Chesterton is up to 34 of 51 (67.0) from the line and that will win for you. The Trojans need to find more offense to face Merrillville.
Lowell hit a bump in the road with
a 21-point home loss to Crown Point Tuesday (Dec. 2) night. The Lady Red Devils have
to fight fatigue... with another game Friday against Hobart (3-3) and the
potential of four games in the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) tournament next
week. Lowell was 19 of 25 from the foul line in a 55-49 win over Hanover
Central.
Andrean got another stomping 70-43
at the hands of state power St. Joseph's, but they knew it was coming. Brooke
Bosak scored just six points in the first two games, but added 15 against St.
Joe's. The 59ers are only 23 of 50 (46%) from the foul line and that simply has
to improve. Don't judge them until after the first of the year.
Becky
Keller (11.8) scored a career high 25 Tuesday (Dec. 2) in a 64-42 victory over
Kankakee Valley as the Wolves continued to roll against a weak schedule. None of
the six teams Boone has beaten has a winning record. Karissa Walter (19.8 ppg.)
has scored 615 points in three seasons and if she maintains that average through
26 games (the regional title game), she will pass the 1,000-point mark as a
junior. The Wolves hit the road to Washington Township (2-3) and Crown Point (4-2)
next week.
Could
be good.....
Highland (4-2)
The schedule has been pretty good (Wheeler, Portage, Merrillville, Calumet) and Highland has held five teams to less than 40 points. Jody Shimanek is 17 of 19 shooting free throws in her last two games. The Trojans are still a bad shooting team from the field, but so is everybody else. 15 wins and an LAC title are not out of the question.
Wheeler (4-1)
The Bearcats have won four games by 15 points or more with Allison Roper (15.8 ppg.) leading the scoring and Alyse (10.0 ppg.,) and Becca Bruszewski (11.8 ppg.) in double figures. Wheeler has allowed only 31.4 points per game and they probably see a realistic goal of winning the LAC Blue Division in their first year in that league.
Coming up.......
LAKE
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Tuesday, Dec. 9
LOWELL vs. Hammond
Griffith vs. Bishp Noll
Kankakee Valley vs. Munster
Highland vs. ANDREAN
Hobart vs. Whiting
Gavit vs. Morton
Lake Station vs. Wheeler
Clark vs. Calumet
Thursday, Dec. 11
LOWELL or Hammond vs. Griffith vs. Bishp Noll
Kankakee Valley vs. Munster vs. Highland vs. ANDREAN
Saturday Dec. 13
at Highland)
Semifinals: 10 a.m.
Consolation: 6 p.m.
Championship: 8 p.m.