2004-2005 Boys Basketball  Week-14 Renegade Poll A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith (2-18-2005)

(2-18-2005) Last week was a down week where nobody played Friday night due to the girls state playoffs. There were no major upsets locally. Undefeated Mishawaka lost 64-53 to a Penn team that Andrean has already beaten. A giant game in Indianapolis this week where No. 5 Bloomington South (15-1) rides up to Indianapolis to take on defending state champ Lawrence North (14-2) Saturday afternoon.

North, with 7-foot all-American Greg Oden, plays at Pike (20-1) Tuesday night. A Saturday afternoon showdown in Elkhart will draw a sellout crowd for rivals 2A No.1 Jimtown (17-1) and 4A No. 7 Concord (16-1).

The leagues fade into the background now as the March 1 start of the state tournament nears. The odd season award clearly goes to Gavit, which lost their first nine and won their next 10. At the bottom of the state, Class 1A Waldron, which went 27-0 last season, is 0-18 this year and in danger of going winless. All five starting players from last season graduated (The two 6-6 twins are at the University of Indianapolis) and the state title coach left.

The big day is Sunday when the IHSAA announces the sectional draw. Teams get very serious once they know the future.

1.) Merrillville (14-2)

MERRILLVILLE – Merrillville fell behind 12-4 on the road before rallying to win 69-60 at Chesterton. Josh Mayo scored 20 with seven assists. Dwayne Momon scored 14 with nine rebounds as the Pirates ran their win streak to 13 games. The Pirates beat Valpo 64-56 in December in a game that wasn't that close. Both sides will welcome a big-game atmosphere for this rematch.

A severe test for the Pirates this weekend playing Valpo (16-2), Hobart (10-7) and Munster (13-6) in a five day span. This is a perfect sectional test including two of the three teams Merrillville could face.

2.) Valparaiso (16-2)

VALPARAISO – Valpo made it nine in a row with a 72-59 win over Lake Central. Senior Ryan Osburn sank five three-point baskets and scored a season-high 19. Sophomore Scott Martin (12.9 ppg.) added 16 and senior Jon Moon (15.1 ppg.) scored 11.

Valpo is 23 of 29 from the line over the last 3 games. There's nothing wrong here. Give them a bye and give Merrillville three games and Valpo is the sectional favorite.

Valpo has only Friday's home game with Merrillville and a Feb. 25 match at Michigan City left on the schedule.

Anybody who doesn't have Merrillville and Valpo 1-2 in NW Indiana probably believes that Barry Bonds bulked up by eating extra helpings of Wheaties.

3.) East Chicago (11-6)

EAST CHICAGO – East Chicago ran their season-best winning streak to four games with an 82-69 runaway against defense-free Lew Wallace. The Cardinals got senior lead guard David Conner back in the lineup after academic problems and four players (other than Conner) scored in double figures. The Cardinals made just 14 of 27 from the foul line in the home finale and that is a concern. EC plays at Bishop Noll (7-11) and at Andrean (16-2) to end the year and those are legitimate tests.

EC has defeated everyone in their sectional except Lowell and Highland, who they have not played. The Cardinals will be the sectional favorite on their home floor no matter how the draw comes out.

4.) Andrean (17-2)

MERRILLVILLE – The 59er win streak grew to eight games in a 77-42 runaway over Marian. Four days earlier, Luke Harangody scored 31 in a 66-62 win over Morton. The Niners have made 30 of their last 38 from the foul line and that's always good. But the schedule is not as tough as you'd want for a state finalist so you want routs like the smoke out of Marian on Tuesday (2-17-5) night.

You worry when you see them give up 60 points to Morton but I would think that intensity is a little low right now with nothing to play for. The 59ers lost 6-3 senior Frank Provenzano again, this time for the season. After the 59ers run up the score on Lew Wallace on Feb. 15, they'll get a serious test at home against East Chicago (12-6).

Andrean has to bear down starting now. To the east, Plymouth, Tippecanoe Valley and No. 1 Bellmont are getting ready.

5.) Gary West Side (13-4)

GARY – The Cougars nipped Munster 44-43 in an unimpressive game for both sides. West Side then headed down to DeMotte to take out Kankakee Valley 68-54. Junior David Bell, the 6-5 high-jumper, scored the winning basket against Munster and then rolled up a career-high 20 on KV. The Cougars lack a true lead guard but Bell, a state class athlete, could make this a great team for four weeks next month.

Nobody knows what their schedule really is but West Side is listed as having only one more game... Feb. 25 at Hammond. I wouldn't be surprised if West Side didn't have games scheduled that are not on the schedule. If the rules let you play 20 games, you need to play all 20.

6.) Munster (13-4)

MUNSTER - The Mustangs looked mighty in a 42-point rout of Hobart, but they followed it up with losses to Gary West Side and Portage. Munster apparently was outplayed for the first time all year in a 62-49 loss at home to Portage. All four of Munster's other four losses are by four points or less. That was the final home game, but the Mustangs have very few seniors so that should not have been a factor. Consecutive sub-50 point games are worrisome.

Still, the Ponies have three road games left at Lowell, Merrillville and Munster. There's still time to get straight before it's to late.

7.) Crown Point (9-8)

CROWN POINT – The Bulldogs nipped injury-riddled LaPorte to go back above the .500 mark. Sam Henderson and Ryan Brown both scored 11 as CP's defense continued to hold up. Henderson has regained his shooting touch that he had early in the season.

CP is only 39 of their last 59 from the line and that has to improve. All they play is close games. CP has played 11 games decided by 10 points or less and they are 5-6 in those games. CP can still shoot the ball. They have 46 three-point goals in their last six games.

Still, LC and EC are the only winning teams beaten by CP, although the East Chicago win was noteworthy.

CP needs a winning streak, but so does improving Portage (7-10) which hosts the Bulldogs on Friday (2-18-5). CP should be 13-4 but they could very easily be 7-10. Stay tuned.

8.) Lake Central (9-8)

ST. JOHN – LC lost 72-59 to Valparaiso but everybody does. Take away the two losses to Merrillville (14-2) and Valparaiso (16-2) and you understand that LC is better than their record.

You cannot rank records. 9-8 in the DAC is better than 13-5 in the LAC or PCC. All veteran NW Indiana coaches will admit that privately.

Does it worry me that the biggest win of the season was the season opener against West Side (13-4)? Well....Yes. But LC's outside shooting has returned. 6-5 Brett Summers sank four three-pointers against Valpo after David Hoffmaster sank seven three-pointers against Chesterton in the 72-69 double-overtime win.

Hoffmaster has 13 three-point goals in his last three games.

9.) Boone Grove (14-5)

PORTER TOWNSHIP – Boone Grove lost 54-52 to arch-rival Hebron but that was the third meeting of those two this year and arch-rivals have a way of doing that to you.

Boone has barely survived North Judson 58-50 and Morgan Township 51-48 and there is still a worry about offense from anybody other than Danny Borys (21.8 ppg.).

Boone is 0-3 against Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) teams and they'd like to beat Chesterton on Feb. 22.

It's their overall size that makes them a potential 2A state tourney surprise.

10.) Highland (13-7)

HIGHLAND - The Trojans took advantage of defense-free Gary Roosevelt for a 73-68 win Tuesday (Feb. 15) night.

Junior Andrew Helmer (13.3 ppg.) scored 30 points and 6-3 Marcus Hammonds (12.8 ppg.) added 16.

The problem with Highland is that they have not really beaten anybody. Hammond (12-8) and Lake Central (9-8) are the only winning teams that the Trojans have defeated and you won't find Hammond in this poll. Highland is 2-5 against 4A schools so this ranking is based largely on who they have played and not who they have beaten.

Next year, Highland needs to schedule West Side and East Chicago, sectional rivals. This team may not be ready for the playoffs. But I like them playing 22 games and wins on the road at Noll and Roosevelt are promising.

LATE NOTE: All the the top-10 won Friday night (Feb. 18) except for Merrillville, which lost 62-59 at Valparaiso, and Gary west Side, which didn't play. Based on Friday results alone, none of the Top-10 poll positions would change.

OUTSIDERS...

Outsider No. 1 - Bishop Noll (7-11)

HAMMOND - Hang in there. Noll has six losses by 10 points or less. Once again, they are a 2A team which does not play 2A schools. The biggest day of the season is Sunday when the draw comes out for the 2A Wheeler sectional. If Noll gets a bye (and in a 5-team sectional, they should), they are the favorite even though Boone Grove (13-5) and Wheeler (15-4) have had good years.

Guards Sam Watts (17.7 ppg., 26-69, 3s – 38%, 43-55 Fts – 78%) and Greg Jones (18.5 ppg., 27-72 3s – 38%, 66-84 Fts – 79%) must now stay in games and stay aggressive offensively because they clearly carry this offense. Ryan Schooler (5.4 ppg, 24-70 3s – 34%) is the wing shooter who must get his share when foes design defenses to stop the guards.

I have not checked all 370 schedules but I cannot find any team in the state which has not played ANY team in their class as of yet this season. That's a state finals' schedule.

Outsider No. 2 - Kouts (14-4)

KOUTS - Kouts sank nine three-point goals but still got ambushed 73-68 at West Central (13-5) on Tuesday night (2-15-5).

Guard Johnny Selman (14.0 ppg.) scored 20 and three other players scored in double figures. John Lauer (13.2 ppg.) has a streak of four consecutive games where he has made three three-point baskets.

Kouts has 28 three-point baskets in the last five games.

The Mustangs are vulnerable to teams with size so Morgan Township is the team they don't want to draw in the 1A Kouts Sectional. Kouts also has to beware of up-and-coming Hanover Central (5-12) in the home finale Friday night (2-18-5).

Outsider No. 3 - Rensselaer (13-5)

RENSSELAER - The Bombers lost 70-62 to 4A Logansport and Rensselaer is 0-3 against 4A schools. The secret stat for the Bombers is that they are a 2A school that is 4-0 against 3A schools. Football star Andrew Malone scored 24 with four three pointers but the Bombers fell to a late rally.

Rensselaer's home finale is against Twin Lakes (15-3) Friday night. Still, here is a team that's playing 'up', going against bigger schools. That's all good in the long run.

On the horizon...

3A Lakeland (16-3)

Offense: 61.6; Defense: 47.6

LaGRANGE – This little-known school in far northeast Indiana's LaGrange county (a Michigan border county 30 miles west of the Ohio state line) has excelled against a lesser schedule losing only to Concord (16-1), Northwood (12-5) and Northridge (12-6), all by 10 points or less.

It's all about junior achievement for the Northeast Corner Conference champions (Amish Country east of Elkhart and well north of Fort Wayne) with 6-1 junior three-point shooter Tommy Pechin (9.8 ppg.) fronting for 6-3 junior wing Jared Feller (9.3 ppg.) and 6-8 low-post powerhouse Jon Workman (22.4 ppg.). This team may be a year ahead of schedule with seven juniors on the roster. I don't know how quick they are but the size (three juniors at 6-3 or taller) is good.

For this season, 6-5 senior Adam Lower at center allows Workman to be versatile inside or outside. Senior guard Matt Sherck is the floor leader of a team that returned seven lettermen from a 14-9 squad.

Workman isn't quite unknown as he has already signed with the University of Iowa despite the fact that the 12-team league the Lakers play in is not a basketball powerhouse. Lakeland's nonconference games are their toughest and the school has won just one sectional (2003) in history and no regionals in almost 50 years of existence. Class sports has made them a player at the regional level.

Lakeland plays in the overloaded Northwood Sectional with Wawasee (12-5), Angola (12-6) and Northwood (12-5). Northwest Indiana teams would not see Lakeland until the semistate and that is unlikely.

But local 3A coaches like Andrean's Mark Horvath might not want to pass on acquiring a tape of Lakeland, not just for next month but for next year. 

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Revised: February 20, 2005 .