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2004-2005 Boys BasketballWeek-17 Renegade PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(3-10-2005) |
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2004-2005 Boys BasketballWeek-17 Renegade PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(3-10-2005) |
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(3-10-2005) Valparaiso came to the front with emphasis, dominating every game of the Class 4A Merrillville Sectional. This is the problem with regular season polls. Some teams don't really bear down until the playoffs. Top-ranked Jimtown folded up in Class 2A, a bad shooting night costing them against a John Glenn team they dominated during the regular season.
In the big showdown in Elkhart, 5,300 fans saw Concord (22-1) eliminate Mishawaka (18-3), repeating a regular season win.
In the biggest showdown in Indianapolis, an overflow crowd of 3,500 (why didn't they move this game to Butler Fieldhouse?) saw defending 4A state champ Lawrence North (20-2) pull away from undefeated and top-ranked Indianapolis Arlington (21-1) to win 60-45. More than one media outlet said that the nation's top player, 7-foot junior center Greg Oden of Lawrence North blocked 18 shots to dominate the game.
But there's no guarantee Lawrence North gets past three-time state champ Pike (22-2) in the Indianapolis Regional semifinal this Saturday. Hey, the University of Illinois lost, didn't they? Although, to be honest, Illinois doesn't have anywhere near as good a center as Lawrence North does.
The downside of the state tournament is that you can't see all the regional games. Virtually all of them are worth watching if you're a basketball fan.
1.) Valparaiso (21-2)
VALPARAISO
– Valpo dominated Hobart 80-54,
Merrillville 59-52 and Crown Point 64-36 to romp through the Merrillville
sectional last week. 6-6 sophomore Scott Martin scored 24 against Merrillville
while Ryan Osburn hit five three-point baskets and 17 points against Crown
Point. Valpo's 14th consecutive victory earned them a 47th
sectional championship.
Valpo can confront big teams with 6-8 Jon Hanselman or attack small pressing teams with Martin (13.0 ppg.) and 6-6 Rob Hummel, who can take other forwards one-on-one all over the court. They also are not as shallow on the bench as previously thought with guard Kyle West and 6-3 junior forward Paul Coburn. Clay, West Side and Concord will press Valpo and lead guard Jon Moon (14.6 ppg.) full court this weekend if they get a chance but Merrillville pressed Valpo and it didn't work.
There's no doubt who the top team is right now and a favorable draw in the Michigan City regional figures to let the sun shine in for another week.
MERRILLVILLE
– Merrillville led Valparaiso at the
half 29-22 but then got run over 69-52 as the Vikings were able to deal with the
Pirate press. Merrillville is finding out that class sports playoffs is harder
on teams in the 4A bracket than any other schools. The days when the Pirates (or
Valpo, for that matter) dominated their sectional are clearly over. Merrillville
will gear up for another shot at Valpo next year
with 6-3 Greg Hill (13 ppg.), Darryl Evans (6 ppg.) and 6-3 Aaron Marcus (4 ppg.).
They have good size on the JV.
Merrillville won't go 18-2 during the regular season but they won't be bad.
MERRILLVILLE
– Andrean won for the 12th
game in a row rolling over Lew Wallace and Gary Roosevelt
to win the Gary 3A sectional. The 59ers were not challenged
here by anything you could call tough defense.
6-7 Luke Harangody (22.7) scored a career-high 33 against Roosevelt after posting 30 against Lew Wallace. The 59ers must be ready for a team that will play a half court game even though there does not appear to be any such animal at the Plymouth Regional this Saturday (3-12-5). Andrean's 26 of 39 (66.7%) from the line against Roosevelt is not quite good enough. Colin Smith sank his 50th 3-point basket of the season.
The time has come for the big defensive game. The 59ers may talk one-game-at-a-time this week but they are quietly coming up with plans for Plymouth's 1,900-point scorer Kyle Benge (28.7 ppg.) in Saturday's Regional final game.
4.) Gary West Side (19-4)
GARY
– Gary
West Side dominated Munster 60-40 to win the sectional title forcing 24
turnovers. It wasn't that Munster was bad, but West
Side's defense dominated them. No question, the best team won this sectional.
The Cougars proved well-suited to play 3 games in 5 days and they should have no problem with two games in one day if they get the chance. Big wing player, 6-8 Jamil Tucker scored 18 against Munster and big 6-4 guard DeShawn Wright added 12.
West
Side has a habit of falling behind early. They did it against LC, Highland and
Munster but they rallied to win all three. The Cougars have to understand that
they are stepping up in class this week. Concord (23-1) is not Munster and the
Minutemen and guard Michael Moore handled Mishawaka's pressure twice. The
Cougars still have a lot to prove.
5.) East Chicago (13-8)
EAST
CHICAGO – East Chicago did not play that badly
against Munster in a 62-55 loss in the EC Sectional
semifinals; they just got beat. EC sank 16 of 20 from the line but Munster's
size created matchup problems that the Cardinals could not overcome. Senior
guard David Conner finished with 23 points.
EC will be back next year with 6-3 E'Twan Moore (20.7 ppg.), but they have to hope for somebody to grow. It's hard to win with no one taller than 6-3. West Side isn't going to get shorter over the summer.
CROWN
POINT – The
Bulldogs beat Chesterton 61-48, but they got run over by Valparaiso 64-36 in the
sectional title game at Merrillville. The Bulldogs had a five-game winning
streak, but they ran into Valpo on the wrong night. The size of Valparaiso was
too much for CP, especially on defense where they shut out post players Ryan
Brown and Brian Maloney all night.
The immediate future is unclear for Crown Point, which graduates seven seniors. But CP was 20-0 at the freshmen level and they'll be back in the sectional championship game by 2007.
7.) Munster (16-8)
MUNSTER
- The
Mustangs were strong in the 62-55 Sectional one semifinal win
over East Chicago but they were overmatched in the 60-40 title game loss to Gary
West Side.
Munster was probably too young to take on that type of challenge.
Promising point guard Michael Bizoukas was shut out in this game against the taller, faster Cougars.
Munster loses just two guards off this team so they don't really have many problems. Except for the eternal problem of how to beat East Chicago and Gary West Side in the same week.
PORTER
TOWNSHIP –
Boone Grove won
three games in five days to take the school's eighth boys basketball
championship. The final game was bizarre as Boone beat Bishop Noll 75-69 in a
game where Boone was 43 of 54 from the foul line.
Danny Borys (22.6 ppg.) scored 80 points in wins over Lake Station 59-16, Hanover Central 76-57. Senior Joe Faron, who averages 4.3 points, hit every shot he took against Hanover, 7-of-7 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line including six three-point goals for 24 points.
Boone Grove benefits from lack of media attention because the pressure on them is light. This is one of the biggest basketball weeks in school history and no one seems to notice. The Wolves drawback is depth and they must play twice in one day. But Boone did do that in the PCC tournament so they should be ready.
9.) Highland (16-8)
HIGHLAND
- Here's
another team that did everything they could do before losing 64-60 to eventual
sectional champion West Side. The Trojans led 36-32 at the half before West Side
turned the tide.
This team returns Andrew Helmer and Derek Moser, two 6-3 athletes that will create another winning season. Highland has now won 16 games for three consecutive seasons. But the reality is, they have to beat East Chicago AND Gary West Side at the sectional most seasons and they do not have a 50-50 chance of doing that.
10.) Lake Central (10-10)
ST.
JOHN – LC had a good year and they led Gary West Side in the fourth
quarter of their sectional quarterfinal before losing to the Cougars 63-55. The
Indians won six games by 10 points or less and three in overtime.
LC returns forward Adam Short (13.7 ppg.) but they graduate seniors David Hoffmaster, Jon Maida, Brett Summers and Mike Crnocrak. This will be a much different team in 2006.
OUTSIDERS...
Outsider No. 1 - Rensselaer (18-6)
RENSSELAER
- The Bombers beat North Judson
(14-9) at North Judson to take the 2A Sectional
championship. It wasn't a surprise as the Bombers were
strong all year. Guard Johnny Igoe (17 ppg.) scored 18 as did senior football
star Andrew Malone (14 ppg.).
This is a rough and tumble team that includes speedy football QB Jacob Kiger. I wouldn't advance them much further in the tournament except that they face John Glenn (18-6), a team very similar to them with little size but a physical nature.