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2003-2004 Girls Basketball'Renegade' Poll: Week 8A USA-365.com Special Report(1-7-2004) |
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2003-2004 Girls Basketball'Renegade' Poll: Week 8A USA-365.com Special Report(1-7-2004) |
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This
poll predates the EC-West Side and Valpo-Merrillville games but, short of
blowouts, that won't change the poll. Don't jump to conclusions on the outcome
of a regular season game. Outside the area, Warsaw (14-1) is looming large in
the 4A bracket in the north. They would confront a region team at the semistate.
The 3A and 1A brackets still appear wide open. This is the tough part of the
year when the weather is the worst and the playoffs are not yet in sight.
1. Gary West Side (11-1)
5-11
soph Erica Simpson averaged 19.7 over three games in the Big-8 tournament in
McCutcheon. The Cougars beat three teams by 10 points or more and ran their
winning streak to 10, hitting 21 of 28 (75%) from the line. The manner in which
West Side wore down the opposition speaks well for the sectional and regional
format where you eventually have to play twice in 24 hours and twice in 10
hours. Junior Ashley Gates averaged 11.1 in 3 games. If anyone expects EC to
dominate West Side, they will be surprised.
2. East Chicago (10-1)
East Chicago bounced back from the loss to Fenwick (14-2) to beat Illinois small school power Ottawa Marquette (17-1) 54-41 in Illinois. Dee Dee Jernigan (14.1 ppg.) scored 16 and Kelly Watts added 10. East Chicago was 6 of 7 from the line in the fourth quarter but only 9 of 14 from the line for the game. Not good enough for where they want to go.
3. MERRILLVILLE (10-1)
The Pirates got a boost when 5-10 senior Marshay Jolly broke a season-long slump with 16 points against Crown Point and 21 against Hobart in a twin weekend win. The Pirates went into the mid-week game with Valparaiso with a six-game winning streak. Merrillville's 50-47 victory over CP pales in comparison with Valpo's 58-34 win over the same team but matchups can be deceiving. The Pirates were 18 of 25 from the line on the road at Crown Point in a close game and backup guard Jessica Gallinati sank 6-of-6.
4. Valparaiso (11-1)
Valpo didn't do very much in a 32-28 win over Chesterton on Dec. 29. Here's what happens when you play the same team all the time. Valpo used to play Chesterton twice a year and now they play them three times a season. Valpo was 14 of 36 from the field. Chesterton was 8 of 27. Everybody knows everybody. Valpo led 31-22. The VHS people must remember. While they're trying to figure out how to beat Merrillville at next month's sectional, Chesterton is trying to figure out how to beat them.
Cassie Pruzin (17.7 ppg, 6.0 assists, 7.3 steals, 4.7 rebounds) had another big weekend with 19 points against Merrillville and 27 against Hanover. Junior center Jill Weiand (5.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg.) had nine rebounds in the 50-47 loss to Merrillville and nine more in the 84-53 win over Hanover. CP has only 187 turnovers (14.4) in 13 games, many against top competition. Coach Tom May (399-141) can become the first region girls coach with 400 wins with a late Wednesday win at Portage. The Lady Bulldogs can mount a significant win streak if they beat Chesterton Saturday (Jan. 10), but the final two games of the season are Valparaiso (11-1) and Merrillville (11-1), teams CP could then draw in the new CP Sectional.
6. Chesterton (8-4)
The Trojans played well in the Big-8 shootout losing only to Gary West Side (11-1) 48-32. Stephanie Boyle (13.7 ppg.), a 6-0 center, scored in double figures in every game. Chesterton clearly tired against West Side, playing a third game in two days. But the Trojans' 32-28 loss to Valpo had to be encouraging. If this was a poll, four points is within the margin of error.
7. LAKE CENTRAL (6-6)
LC split two at the Center Grove tournament and there weren't many details. Lake Central figures to get well against LaPorte (Jan. 7) and Michigan City (Jan. 10) before they travel to next door neighbor Crown Point (9-4) on Jan. 16. Five DAC teams play in the same (CP) 4A sectional, but it's worth reminding that LC is not one of them. LC is funneled through the East Chicago (EC, Highland, Lowell West Side, Munster) sectional. Not easier. Just different.
8. Highland (12-3)
They have not played the schedule of the top eight teams, but Highland rolled on with a 67-43 win over South Bend Adams (3-8). Katie Lewis scored 16 and 6-1 Katie Kane added a career-best 14 points. The Trojans smoked out Hammond 64-52 Tuesday (Jan. 7) as 5-10 Jody Shimanek added 16 points. Cassi Siska has 47 steals in 17 games and Shimanek is 68 of 86 (79.0%) from the line. But 16 of 30 from the foul line (against Hammond) is not prime time. By this time of year, kids should be shooting 500-1000 free throws a day by themselves. It's not a lot to ask.
9. Wheeler (13-3)
Wheeler
invaded Boone and scored a rare win over the Wolves. Becca Bruszewski (15.3 ppg.),
Wheeler's 6-1 freshman scored 19 despite just 4-of-10 from the line. The
Bearcats were 29 of 40 overall from the line on the road. Allison Roper (12.8
ppg.) sank 7 of 8 in the nonconference win. Wheeler got only 36 shots from the
field but they held Boone to 16 of 50 (32%). Wheeler smoked out Morgan Township
67-36 Tuesday (Jan. 7) despite just 4-of-13 from the line. Maggie Schultz, a 5-10
forward, had a career-high 8 assists. The Bearcats don't have a lot left on
their schedule with Noll, Lake Station, Westville, Morton and North Newton
remaining. Only overconfidence can keep them from an 18-3 record.
Boone Grove had Tuesday's game against North Newton postponed until Monday (Jan. 12), but the Wolves did not look good coming of the 10-day layoff against Wheeler. Karissa Walter (16.4 ppg,) got handcuffed with four fouls against Wheeler with 6:15 left in the third quarter. Walter had just 12 points and 3 assists in the 66-53 loss, Boone's first home loss of the year. Freshman Cortney Flanigan (8.6 ppg.) did step in with a career-best 15 points, but four Wolves fouled out and Boone lost to a sectional rival. Junior Becky Keller (10.8 ppg.) was just 4-of-15 from the floor against Wheeler and her team was 16 of 50. Give the BearCats credit, but Boone is not a good shooting team. The Wolves needed a loss and a nonconference defeat is always preferable. Boone can be 14-2 going into the Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament if they beat North Newton (5-5) Monday.
What's
going on????....
Lowell lost 27-26 to Bishop Noll (7-6) and I agree that Noll's improving, but Lowell is headed for the monster 4A Gary West Side sectional. 26 points is just unacceptable. The Devils have to take it out on Griffith Saturday (Jan. 10) night. There is time. Eight games remain and 5-9 center Rachel Thiel is coming on strong as the rebounder the Devils need. But Lowell has had trouble scoring most of the year and basketball is an offensive game. The way they're scoring, the Red Devils' sectional run won't last much longer than Britney Spears marriage.
That
35-point win over Lafayette Catholic Saturday, 73-38, really put Andrean back on
track, right? Well, maybe, possibly. Could be. Okay, lets run it down. Included
in Andrean's 8 losses are defeats to Bishop Luers (11-1), Gary West Side (11-1),
St. Joseph's (6-5), Lowell (10-4), Penn (9-3) and Highland (13-3). But time is
running out. People are talking about 6-2 Sharon Houston and Lew Wallace winning
the sectional over Andrean. The 59ers have January rematches with three teams
(Highland, Hobart and Hammond) that defeated them in December. If they're
improved, they'll win two out of three.
Outside
the area.......
4A No. 3 Warsaw (14-1)
Warsaw
won the Warsaw Holiday Tournament, the Hall-of-Fame Tournament AND the Northern
Lakes Conference (NLC) tournament over the holidays and they won all seven games
by 10 points or more. In fact, since a 54-45 loss to Tippecanoe Valley (13-1) in
the season opener, Warsaw has won 14 games by 10 points or more. All-stater
Jacklyn Leininger (25.5),a 5-10 wing player, is the top scorer in northern
Indiana and she scored 33 in a 63-51 Hall-of-Fame victory over Mooresville. 5-9
soph guard Julie Seiss (12.8 ppg.) scored 22 in a 63-46 win over 4A No. 6
Jeffersonville (12-2). Watch for the score from Warsaw on Jan. 14 when
(Allen County) Carroll (13-0) comes over to show down. Warsaw must beat Carroll
to get out of the Warsaw 4A sectional and they'd have to beat Kokomo (10-1) at
the Huntington North regional. But if they got to the Plymouth semistate, only
Crown Point, a 62-47 loser at Warsaw in November, has seen them.
Coming Up......
CHICAGOLAND
CLASSIC at Willowbrook, IL
Jan.
16 Kokomo vs. Fenwick (Ill.), 8:00 pm - 1st round
Jan. 16 Warsaw vs. Neuqua Valley (Ill.), 9:30 pm - 1st round
Jan. 17 Niles North (Ill.) vs. Kokomo, 10:30 am - 2nd round
Jan. 17 New Trier (Ill.) vs. Warsaw, 12:00 pm - 2nd round
Jan. 17 Hamilton Southeastern vs. Loyola Academy, 6:30 pm - 2nd round
Jan. 17 Heritage Christian vs. St. Ignatius (Ill.), 6:00 pm - 2nd round
Jan. 19 Fenwick (Ill.) vs. Heritage Christian, 2:30 pm - 3rd round
Jan. 19 East Chicago Central vs. Fremd (Ill.), 2:30 pm - 3rd round