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2009-2010 Boys BasketballWeek-17, Top-10 PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(03-10-2010) |
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2009-2010 Boys BasketballWeek-17, Top-10 PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(03-10-2010) |
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MUNSTER (03-15-2010) The first round of the state tournament played out well with a lot of ranked teams advancing. There is a school of thought that the tournament should be about upsets and surprise teams, but that's a crazy school. You don't play an entire season just to have teams that did not achieve playing for titles. The fact that Bowman and Triton (in 1A), Wheeler and Boone Grove (in 2A), Lew Wallace in 3A plus Munster and Merrillville in 4A all advanced is a positive development.
There's nothing good about a tournament where the highly-rated teams do not eventually meet. Which is another strike against the all-inclusive state tournament. Bowman Academy won three sectional games 100-40, 110-68 and 98-70 which is an indication that 1.) They are a dominant team, and 2.) They aren't real Class 1A.
What isn't spoken of locally is the fact that Bowman Academy was a 1A school when they became eligible in the IHSAA three years ago but they are far from a 1A school now and their four-year enrollment has jumped up by 100 or so in each of the last three years. At the time they began state play, Bowman had no 10th, 11th or 12 grade classes. Now, the four year grade 9-12 enrollment is said to be over 500, which would make Bowman a large 2A school (or small 3A if they keep growing) by the time enrollments are re-done after the 2010-2011 school year.
Combine that edge with the fact that Bowman has no boundaries and can accept
students from all over Gary and no one should brag about Bowman defeating Morgan
Township.
If Bowman does not win the Class 1A state title with the enrollment and
recruiting advantages they have over public schools, it will be one of the
biggest upsets of all time in the Indiana state tournament.
The best day of the state tournament is the regional Saturday when all teams are
challenged, possibly for the first time. Some face real heat twice in one day.
The season is over for most of the state after regional Saturday so anyone still
standing has actually done something.
Again, you've got to get on your horse to actually see any games because there will be no TV of anything but the Mountain West championship in Northwest Indiana.
And if you like the smaller schools, you're out of luck because TV and newspapers will understandably tilt their coverage towards the larger schools in 3A and 4A. Bottom line: If you find out late Saturday that Boone Grove is playing Wheeler in the 2A final at North Judson and you want to know anything about it ever, you'd better warm up that Toyota and get there because you will NOT hear it on real radio and you will NOT read about it in the newspaper.
1. (4A) Munster (23-2)
2009 (24-2), 2008 (16-6), 2007 (21-4), 2006 (20-4), 2005 (16-8)
MUNSTER: Munster nipped East Chicago in overtime to win the sectional championship. The Ponies defeated Lowell, Highland and EC so they got a good draw. This team always has its detractors and understandably so. There is no one go-to scorer here. But let the record show: They are in the regional for the second consecutive season. Joe Crisman, a 6-foot-4 junior, was very impressive in the sectional and Munster continued a quiet streak. The 46-42 win in overtime over high-powered EC on EC's home floor was the 16th consecutive game that Munster did not allow 50 points. Munster got a good draw again in the regional as Merrillville (20-3) and Warsaw (20-2) are in the other half of the bracket at the Michigan City Regional. Playing the first game Saturday, you have to like the position the Mustangs are in.
2.
(4A) Valparaiso (19-4)
2009 (20-4), 2008 (11-14), 2007
(23-3), 2006 (21-3), 22-3 (2005)
VALPARAISO: Valparaiso lost three of their last five games, including a 50-47 loss to Merrillville in the 4A Sectional two final. Something occurred here as the Vikings were just an average team the last three weeks. 'Average' may be an understatement. Valpo couldn't score 50 points in any of the last four games. I have no reasons or explanations but they weren't the best team. Adam Butterfield (8.3 ppg.) and Jerrick Suiter (10.8 ppg.) plus 6-foot-5 late bloomer Dan Hummel come back next season and another top year is in the making. But there are questions as to what happened the last five games in 2010.
3. (1A) Bowman Academy (20-1)
2009 (19-4), 2008 (7-7)
GARY: Totally disregard Bowman's three big number wins at the sectional level because none of the three teams played a true small school, Indiana style - the style Bowman will eventually see in the state tourney. I sense that Bowman's statistics (like Chris Bond supposedly averaging 12 rebounds a game) are the product of friendly score-keeping. I don't know of any guard in the history of NW Indiana who averaged 12 rebounds a game. Somebody's making that up. Bowman has bet everything on winning the state tournament and rightfully so. They are almost a 3A private school playing in the 1A bracket. In truth, Bowman should welcome the pressure. They are the best team in 1A. No team in NW Indiana has ever been so hyped based on so little. If 6-foot-6 DeJuan Marerro can stay in the game this time, the only team that can stop Bowman is Bowman. There's no more time to talk here.
4. (4A) Lew Wallace (16-4)
2009 (14-7), 2008 (13-11), 2007 (5-17), 2006 (4-17)
GARY: Wallace walked through the sectional against little competition to win their first post-season title in 14 years. The challenge now comes with the regional semifinal against Plymouth, a slow-paced, good shooting squad. Lew Wallace does not shoot the ball well. They have to abuse people in the open court and that becomes more and more difficult as time goes by. I think Plymouth is poison for Wallace. They shoot well. They are very patient and physically tough, with a couple of players off their league championship football squad. The Pilgrims play a zone and they have a tradition of winning (12 regional titles) championships. Wallace folks will like playing at Chesterton. Lots of parking and a 4,800-seat gym. Big, wide hallways. It's a lot better than Plymouth. I'm just concerned that LW's ball club won't prove to be a lot better than Plymouth. Plymouth and West Lafayette are the style of team that could beat LW.
5. (4A) Merrillville (23-3)
2009 (16-6), 2008 (16-5), 2007 (13-9), 2006 (17-4), 2005 (18-4), 2004 (9-12)
MERRILLVILLE: I've got to be honest with you. Merrillville defeated Valparaiso 2 out of 3 and Valparaiso is still the better team. Merrillville has come on strong late in the year and Jeremiah Jones' five three-point baskets were a revelation in the 50-47 win over Valpo for the sectional title last week. The Pirates rallied from an eight-point deficit to defeat Valpo, but they only had to top Hobart (5-16) and Portage (4-19) to get to the finals. I'm not on board of the bandwagon here yet. To me, this team is a year away. It's a good position to be in when you're in the regional. Merrillville must defeat Northern Lakes Conference champ Warsaw (20-2) Saturday morning and that's a lot to ask, especially since the Pirates will operate on two days less practice (they played the sectional final game Monday night) than everyone else in the regional. But the further they go this year, the better 2011 will be.
6. (4A) East Chicago (17-4)
2009 (14-8), 2008 (20-4), 2007 (23-3), 2006 (19-5)
EAST CHICAGO: How many times in this poll have I said that East Chicago is ALWAYS overrated? A disappointing 46-42 loss to Munster ended the season and it was a game that EC very much should have won. The Cardinals always have a lot of talent and they'll be back in 2011, but the days of them walking through their sectional are over for awhile. When you see how Gary West Side and Roosevelt have slipped from Lake County's elite teams you wonder if EC is next. The overall problem here is the migration of people from the north end of Lake County as a whole. The state title EC won a couple of years back doesn't work out if they don't stick in a ringer (Angel Garcia) who was ineligible every second he was there. The future in EC basketball isn't all that clear.
7. (2A) BOONE GROVE (19-4)
2009 (13-7), 2008 (12-10), 2007 (11-12), 2006 (18-6), 2005 (19-7)
PORTER TOWNSHIP: Boone Grove won by an average of 23 points a game at the sectional after North Judson (16-5) was upset by Culver. This was a weak sectional and it proved nothing. Boone has great balance with three scorers in double figures and eight seniors on the roster including all five starters. I think pressure finds them for the first time Saturday night as a favorite as well. Fairfield (15-9) has been the luckiest team in the state winning four overtime games. Boone defeats them and plays Wheeler for the regional title. I'll say this one more time. Wheeler has won more games than Boone, but no one who saw Boone play Wheeler on New Year's Day thinks Wheeler is the better team. But Boone has won 10 sectionals and no regionals. They know that history says this is a major hurdle for them. The pressure is on and they need to welcome it. There is no next year for Boone Grove. About 75% of the varsity graduates. You and I could play for Boone next season. Somebody's got to play Bishop Luers in the semistate in two weeks. They have waited 100 years for a regional title.
8. (2A) Wheeler (23-1)
2009 (21-4) 2008 (16-6), 2007 (17-6),
2006 (19-6)
UNION TOWNSHIP: Wheeler got past River Forest (15-7), Hanover Central (17-4) and Bishop Noll (17-4) and they did it decisively, winning all three games by 10 points or more at the Lake Station Sectional. The Bearcats have as much experience as they can ever have with two four-year starters. Wheeler has good size. They are a tad slow, but they play with a hustling, but still calm demeanor. I see them facing Boone for the 2A Regional title at North Judson Saturday night. I will say this. The Sagarin computer ratings say Wheeler will beat Boone by nine points. The computer also said that Wheeler would defeat all three sectional foes by 10 or more. The drama of a Boone-Wheeler title game is that Wheeler has also waited 100 years for a regional boys basketball title. Of all the games to be played Saturday, Boone-Wheeler means the most to history.
9. (4A) Lake Central
(13-8)
2009 (15-6), 2008 (9-12), 2007 (13-9), 2006 (7-14)
ST. JOHN: LC just needs to come back next year. The Indians just weren't good enough, even though they did defeat sectional champ Merrillville. They drew East Chicago on EC's home court. They couldn't hold a 10-point first half lead and lost 51-47 to end the year. LC was 0-2 against EC during the season, but their day will come in that respect. Glenn Robinson returns next season and there is word of more help on the way. Watch the off-season closely here. Munster and EC lose key players to 2010 graduation. Lake Central returns good players, but a lot of DAC teams do next season.
10. (2A) Hanover Central (17-4)
2009 (9-11) 2008 (11-11), 2007 (9-11), 2006 (7-14)
CEDAR LAKE: Hanover lost 65-51 to Wheeler so they lose to Crown Point (8-13), Boone Grove (19-4) and Morgan Township. It was a hard loss because there was no doubt who the better team was. The Wildcats don't have to start all over because they return four starters in 2011 and they'll see different Wheeler and Noll squads. But they need to get physically stronger. Class 2A Sectional 33 is going to be strong for the next few years. Hanover will be the PCC favorite in 2011, but they lost their last two games this year to sectional opponents. The Cats need to pump up their non-conference schedule and get reedy for a do-or-die year. Hanover Central needs to play Bowman Academy or Lew Wallace. Hanover defeated Gary Roosevelt this season. Maybe they could play Bowman Academy next year.