2006 IHSAA Boys Basketball Tourney Class 3A-4A Regional Previews A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith (3-9-2006)

Class 4A  -  Michigan City Regional

Game 1 – Valparaiso (20-2) vs. LaPorte (12-12) -- 10:00 a.m., CST
Game 2 – Penn (22-2) vs. East Chicago  (19-4) -- 12:00 p.m., CST
Championship – - 8:00 p.m., CST

MICHIGAN CITY  (3-11-2006)  Obviously, this regional is slanted towards the Vikings.  Valparaiso plays a LaPorte team they dominated twice, 46-25 and 57-38, while EC and Penn meet in a difficult clash of styles.

Valpo's 6-foot-8 inside-outside players Rob Hummel and Scott Martin create matchups that LaPorte doesn't seem capable of handling.  LaPorte beat Riley (11-11) and Adams (12-12)  to survive the Michigan City Sectional.  They were lucky.  Favorite South Bend Washington (14-8) was upset.  Barring a Valpo injury, there is very little chance of an upset here.  LaPorte needs to shoot 3-pointers to win and they can't get them here.

This game will be about as exciting as Korea against Australia in the World baseball Classic.  LaPorte is not in the class of the other teams here and they will fall by 15 points.

Penn is very big with 6-5 senior Tyler Brown, 6-4 senior Brent Dunaway, and 6-5 cousins Wes and Caleb Laidig, all  of whom start.  Caleb Laidig, a 6-5 guard, is the team's top 3-point shooter.  Penn is a fundamentally sound team that was 7-of-10 on 3-point shots in a 46-35 win over rival Mishawaka.  Despite NW Indiana media spin, Class 4A Sectional 4 is the toughest sectional in the northern half of the state.  Penn had to defeat three winning teams, all major rivals in Concord (11-10). Mishawaka (17-6) and Elkhart Memorial (19-4).  The Kingsmen destroy zone defenses and create matchup problems for man-to-man defenders.

Brown, a low Division I player and four year varsity player,  matching against EC's 6-4, 280-pound center Kawann Short, is a pivotal (no pun intended) matchup.  But which Penn player will take the challenge of E'Twan Moore (22 ppg.)?  I would think that Caleb Laidig, who had four steals in the 48-44 championship win over Elkhart Memorial, would start out against Moore with Dunaway shifting over on him.

EC won't out-rebound Penn, so they have to be careful with shot selection.  EC's hopes rise and fall with the full court press here.  Penn is big, tough and sound, but slow.  They will think they can  throw over the top of the Cardinals' press, but there may be a quickness difference.

East Chicago did not play well against Munster and Highland, pulling out narrow victories.  They are now facing a squad that is reportedly superior to Highland, and equal to Munster.  EC's David Bell has emerged as an elite defender, but  there's no one big scorer on Penn.  So look for Bell to defense the point guard Caleb Laidig.

Here's the truth.  EC does not appear ready for this matchup.  They must insist on a quick pace using 9-10 players while Penn tries to slow it down.  EC was easily slowed by Highland and they aren't playing Highland this Saturday.

The Cardinals will run into problems rebounding and will score only in spurts.  Penn allows only 42 points a game and they have seen speed like EC has.

Tyler Brown is the only player in the history of the Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) to start for four consecutive league champions.  EC has won 12 in a row, but Munster and Highland are always overrated in NW Indiana.  Penn had a tougher path and will arrive with a very large crowd.  East Chicago will also be backed by a big audience and Moore has the ability to drop 25 or 30 if Penn can't handle him.

In the state tournament, always go with the bigger, slower-paced team.  Penn will win by nine.

That puts Valparaiso and Penn in the finals.  I don't know if these two have ever met, but they should play every year.  Both sides slow the pace and take you on in half court defense.  This game may be duller than the Academy Awards, but Valpo isn't quite good enough to blow this team out.

Penn's only road loss was at Andrean, a game where the officiating was greatly in question by all reports.  That's a focus here.  Penn is well known in the Michiana area for taking the charge.  Will they get those calls Saturday at Michigan City?

I don't like the matchup of Penn freshman guard Tommy Kurth, the football QB who came in against Merrillville, and Valpo wing shooter Kyle West.  I'm not sure how else Penn can play that and I'd rather have my season rest on West than Kurth.  You don't get many perimeter shots against Valpo and you don't drive to the basket on Penn.  This will be a low-scoring game.

An upset is very possible, but Valparaiso can lock this team down defensively.  Offensively, this game may set basketball back 20 years.

No. 8 Valparaiso 39,  No. 9 Penn 35

Class 3A -   Plymouth Regional

Game 1 –  Clark (16-6) vs. Andrean (18-7) -- 10:00 a.m., CST
Game 2 – Plymouth (19-4) vs. Western (17-6) -- 12:00 p.m., CST
Championship – - 8:00 p.m., CST

PLYMOUTH (3-11-2006)  Usually the team that comes out of the Hammond sectional gets chewed up faster than an Omaha steak.  But that may not be the case this time.  Andrean has stumbled around at times this year and they could be vulnerable against a Clark team that is spouting the typical region 'nobody thought we would be here' party line.  I don't know why NW Indiana teams all feel that surpassing the low expectations people have for you is some kind of badge of honor.

Clark has to come here expecting to play twice and attacking the 59ers as if they were Morgan Township, Joliet Baptist or one of the weak non conference teams they schedule.

Clark has a size problem against Andrean.  6-3 Nick Curosh and 6-5 Zack Curosh will have to deal with 6-8 forwards Chris Kaba and Luke Harangody.  But Andrean must deal with 6-5 guard Andrew Polak, who will create matchup problems.

The key to Clark is 6-foot-3 soph forward Mario Ramirez, who will have to neutralize Kaba (11 ppg.) in some way.  The taller Curosh won't get a 50-50 break with Harangody.  But he can, at least, make him shoot jump shots.  Clark's first sectional title in 34 years should bring a big Hammond crowd to Plymouth, but it probably won't.  Andrean fans will wait for the expected nighttime showdown with Plymouth.

I see a potential upset here.  Andrean was knocked out at this point in 2005, something they have been reminded of all week.  The swing factor will probably be Clark's schedule.  Clark is one of the schools that never plays any games outside NW Indiana.  That was the case again this season as the Pioneers' only game outside Lake and Porter county was against Kankakee Valley.

You can't do that if you want to advance in the state tournament.  Clark will make it close, but they'll choke up in the end because of youth and the schedule and Andrean will win by seven.

Plymouth is the defending regional champ and they'll carry a nine-game win streak onto their home floor.  The Pilgrims won all three sectional games by 15 points or more and they shoot the ball extremely well from the perimeter.

Western is another perimeter team that shoots 35% from three-point range and 74% from the foul line.  They took out a good West Lafayette (17-6) team 52-44 in sectional play and 6-5 center Kyle Irwin (17.9 points, 7.2 rebounds) plus guard Wes Dickinson (17.2 points) are keys.  Nine of Western's wins are by 10 points or less and they closed their regular season schedule with three losses, including a loss to 4A sectional champ McCutcheon by 17 last month.

Plymouth lost the opener to Bremen with an all-new squad from 2005. They won 10 in a row and then lost to LaPorte, Wawasee and Northridge, all decent teams.  The Pilgrims have now won nine straight and have won 11 games this year by 10 points or more.  Plymouth had three starting players suspended for disciplinary reasons at mid-season (they are back now) or else they'd be 22-1.

Sophomore guard Randy Davis averages 18 per game and 6-3 football QB Chad Clinton averages 11.8 per game.  Plymouth is 149 of 327 shooting three-point baskets.  You either address that successfully or you go warm up the bus.  But three starters shoot 50% or better from 2-point range.

Randy Davis has 'freak' numbers.  He is 38 of 98 from 3-point range but an incredible (if true) 78 of 120 from 2-point range.  This 5-10 guard has eight 20-point games and has been held out of double figures just once.  Clinton is a another freak.  He's the only Clinton who's a bigger long shot than Hillary.  Chad Clinton has attempted 51 2-point shots but is 48 of 108 (44.4%) on three-pointers.  Clinton is 40 of 45 (88.9%) from the foul line.  These are the caliber shooters Western has not seen.

Plymouth's problem is the same as Andrean's.  The Pilgrims are the better team, but they'll get beat if they look ahead.  In front of a sellout crowd on what is expected to be a 60-degree Saturday, Plymouth will not look ahead and will win by 10.

Then the long-awaited match of Plymouth and Andrean.  These are tradition rich opposites.  The inside game of the 59ers against the shooting and spread-the-floor skill of Plymouth.  Andrean has to pound the ball inside and dominate the small Plymouth front line.  The Pilgrims have no one taller than 6-4.  Andrean cannot settle for the long shot.  They have to be especially hard-headed and get Luke Harnagody 25 shots.  Forget balanced scoring.  Andrean loses a shootout here and they lose big.

You don't get many calls at Plymouth and the 59ers still grumble about the officiating in the regional semifinals last year.  Composure is the key here as the 59ers will face a standing room only crowd.  Andrean has to get out of character and slow the pace of the game. Opening up the attack will get Andrean layups and dunks, but it will get the Pilgrims three-point shots.

The final scores of the Gary sectional worry you from an Andrean standpoint.  They beat Wirt 73-67, Lew Wallace 79-69 and Gary Roosevelt 70-68.  What worries you is that the 59ers have played three consecutive games against up-tempo Gary teams.  They want to challenge Plymouth that way, but that will create more shots for the Pilgrims. 

I don't think Andrean can or wants to play a slower pace.  Anybody will tell you that shooting at your own basket in the regional finals is at a huge advantage.  The 59ers may have to go to a smaller lineup to cover the perimeter while they leave Kaba or Harangody alone underneath to defend the basket.

Bottom line, Plymouth is not a more explosive offensive team than Andrean, but they are a better offensive team than Andrean is a defensive team.

Let's face it.  Andrean has been a little better than .500 since mid-season, while Plymouth hasn't lost at full strength in four months.   And Plymouth is on their home floor.  In front of 4,000 home fans.  It's too much to ask for Andrean to win two games here.

No. 7 Plymouth  67, ANDREAN  62

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Revised: March 09, 2006 .