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2005-2006 Boys BasketballWeek-8, Top-10 PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(2-4-2006) |
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2005-2006 Boys BasketballWeek-8, Top-10 PollA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith(2-4-2006) |
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VALPARAISO (2-3-2006) We're down to just one undefeated team state wide, the powerful Lawrence North Wildcats (17-0). Actually, there is another one. Class 4A No. 6 Shelbyville (16-0). I should give them respect. They have beaten Bloomington South (14-3) and a few other winning teams. But not only does no one know where Shelbyville is (It is 30 miles southeast of downtown Indianapolis in, appropriately enough, Shelby County), Shelbyville has about as much chance of beating Lawrence North as Kobe Bryant does of winning the NBA assist championship.
The game of the year is lined up for Feb. 11 when Lawrence North travels to Evanston, Illinois to play Glenbrook South (20-1), one of the top Illinois teams.
Most times it's a down year in any certain league or an 'up' year. In the small school Porter County Conference, who knows? The top four PCC teams Boone Grove (12-3), Hebron (11-3) South Central (12-3) and Washington Township (9-5) have a combined record of 44-14. But the bottom four of Hanover Central (5-11), Kouts (0-14), Morgan Township (3-12) and LaCrosse (4-11) are a combined 12-48. The Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) Black Division has three good teams, five less than good ones and a combined record of 61-60. The Duneland Conference has four .500 or better teams but the overall DAC mark is 58-61. The LAC Blue, with three top-heavy winning teams and three top-heavy losing squads, is under .500 overall.
If there's a good explanation for that Rich Man-Poor man breakdown, I can't find it. The LAC Blue is always weak in basketball. It's weak in all sports. The league was designed that way, so weaker schools would drop from the Black Division into the Blue. But the LAC Black and the DAC should have overall winning records. The DAC teams play 14 of 20 games within the league so that league will never be very far above .500. But a big school league should never be sub. 500. And the LAC Black gets to feast on the Blue Division so they should soar well over .500 every season.
For Portage (2-14), Calumet (1-15) and Kouts (0-14) to be where the are is very surprising. The softness in established leagues isn't a state wide thing. The powerful Metro Conference, based in Indianapolis, has seven winning teams in an eight team league. The combined record of all eight is 86-36. The Michiana-area Northern Lakes Conference has six winning teams and a combined mark of 71-43, as of Feb. 1. The famed North Central Conference has six top-heavy winning teams and a combined record of 85-38.
Indiana
prep basketball isn't in the dumper overall, just Northwest Indiana. Is
basketball in Northwest Indiana on the decline due to sports apathy and
enrollment declines? That would appear to be the case, but it will take
two or three more years to tell.
1.) 4A Valparaiso (15-1)
22-3 (2005), 22-3 (2004), 17-4 (2003)
VALPARAISO - Valparaiso let a 14-point lead slip away and missed an uncontested tip at the buzzer, losing at home to Munster (15-2) 55-53 late Saturday (1-28-2006). Obviously, because of the way the season has gone, Valpo is still No. 1. No one regular season game changes your status. No one at Valparaiso will say this but it's a good loss, a non-conference defeat, given away after building a big lead, against a non-sectional opponent. The final five teams on Valparaiso's schedule to pay for the Vikings misfortune, starting with Chesterton (10-5) in a 66-40 stomping Friday (2-3-2006) and Highland this Saturday. Published comments by Mustangs about how Munster was 'in better shape' than Valparaiso won't sit well with the Vikings. Munster was the first team to score 50 points on Valparaiso and, at the 15-game mark of the season, that's the kind of motivation you need.
2.) 4A Munster (15-2)
16-8 (2005), 20-2 (2004), 21-2 (2003)
MUNSTER - Munster swept Highland 46-28 and Valparaiso 55-53 to establish themselves with two road wins. Scott Rutkowksi scored 17 against Highland while balanced scoring sparked the big rally against Valparaiso. Munster has to take this weekend in the same thought that they accepted the weekend where they lost to Andrean and East Chicago on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7. Same thing. No sane way Munster is better than Valpo yet. I doubt that they would even claim that after falling behind by 14. Munster travels to Gary West Side (8-8) for a playoff preview on Feb. 8. The Fort Wayne North team Munster beat in December is 12-3 and the leader in the Summit Athletic Conference. Munster is always the local media favorite and the Mustangs, who coasted past Griffith 66-53 Friday (2-3-2006), at this point have done everything they could do to get ready to win the sectional.
3.) 4A East Chicago (12-4)
13-8 (2005), 13-10 (2004), 18-6 (2003)
EAST CHICAGO - EC buried Wirt 67-40 Tuesday night (1-31-2006) for their fifth win in a row, a streak where EC has scored 60 or more in every game. All four losses are to winning teams... like North Central (13-3), Snider (10-6), Merrillville (12-3) and Arlington (11-5). Playing on their home floor, EC is certainly 50-50 to win a sectional crown for the first time in three years. Somebody's got to find an answer for 6-3 guard E'Twan Moore (22 ppg.). Somebody also has to meet the level of 'need.' EC needs to win the sectional. The school tradition almost demands it. That's a different kind of pressure from Chesterton, CP, Highland or Munster, who rarely win.
4.) 4A Merrillville (12-3)
18-4 (2005), 9-12 (2004), 15-11 (2003)
MERRILLVILLE - The Pirates don't seem to get challenged that much in DAC play but that may say more about the 2006 DAC than it says about Merrillville. Senior Greg Hill (15.8 ppg.) seems to be adapting to playing an inside-outside game to help with the Pirates' lack of size. The Pirates carried a six game winning streak to CP to face a school they've beaten 15 times in a row and they made it seven and 16 with a 62-60 escape (2-3-2006). You still look at the Feb. 17 game against Valparaiso as the big regular season contest, but it comes so close to the state tournament that the Pirates would do well not to emotionally bank the entire season on it. It's unlikely Merrillville beats Valpo and no games matter before March.
5.) 4A Chesterton (10-6)
9-12 (2005), 13-8 (2004), 16-6 (2003)
CHESTERTON - A five-game winning streak has Lake County media discovering the Trojans, which is hard for them. To rank Highland and Andrean ahead of Chesterton all season indicates you haven't seen Chesterton much, which lost 66-40 to Valpo Friday (2-3-2006). The six losses are to Crown Point (6-10), Mishawaka (14-2), Merrillville (12-3), Valparaiso (15-1), and in overtime to Munster (14-2) and the combined record there is 58-17. The Trojans are in a light part of the schedule where they play only once a week. They played Valpo on Feb. 3 but the Feb. 21 game with Boone Grove (12-3) is interesting. No two-game (in two day) weekends all season could hurt the Trojans, because you have two-game weekends in the first two rounds of the playoffs. 7-foot Evan Schmidt is still rehabbing for the Trojans but there's still time to get him out there.
6.) 3A Andrean (12-5)
21-3 (2005), 15-7 (2004), 11-12 (2003)
MERRILLVILLE - Pre-season No. 1 Andrean has lost five of their last 10, but this should not have been unexpected. Like West Side, many assumed this school returned most of its 2005 playoff team. They didn't. There's plenty of time for the 59ers to get going beginning Friday night (2-3-2006) with a 58-36 win at Lowell and Saturday at home against Penn (13-1). Playing Penn in February is the kind of non conference game you need. Plymouth update: Plymouth has three players on suspension for undisclosed reasons and the Pilgrims (13-4), Andrean's 3A nemesis in many sports and an almost certain regional foe, has also hit on hard times, losing three of their last five.
7.) 4A Highland (13-4)
16-8 (2005), 16-7 (2004), 16-10 (2003)
HIGHLAND - Highland lost by 18, 46-28 at home to Munster, but they bounced back Friday (2-3-2006) with a 77-51 win against Bishop Noll. No one game changes your status. The Trojans are a little too reliant on 6-3 guard Andrew Helmer (14.6, points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists) to do it all. Highland faces Valparaiso (15-1) Saturday night and that appears to be too much to overcome. Valparaiso is the only game left on Highland's schedule that they should not win. The Trojans have only lost to Munster (twice), Merrillville and East Chicago but they don't have many quality wins. Highland falls into the 'yet to be determined' category.
8.) 4A Gary West Side (8-8)
19-5 (2005), 12-7 (2004), 7-12 (2003) 23-4 (2002)
GARY - West Side is in an odd 10-day layoff before a game with Munster (15-2) on Feb .8 and here a chance for the 'Side' to 'restart' the season. A win over Munster would put the Cougars back up top as the favorite in the EC sectional because everybody believes they have the talent. There's a tendency to say that this squad has underachieved, but against an uneven and wide-ranging schedule, who knows? Last year, West Side had a top-caliber regular season and a mediocre playoff finish. Maybe they can turn it around this year. The Cougars lack experience, though, something that has been overlooked all year.
9.) 2A Wheeler (13-4)
16-5 (2005), 20-5 (2004), 21-3 (2003)
VALPARAISO - Wheeler escaped Morton 72-69 in overtime Friday night in a good playoff warm up as 6-foot-6 Nate Kasper scored 20 and Nick Pitts added 15. Wheeler has done what they can do with the regular season, but again, they need tougher late season games. The last five games on the Bearcats schedule are not tough assignments, so they'll cycle back as other teams are gearing up. Still, Wheeler just needs to take out rival Boone Grove (12-3) and they should feel somewhat confident they can do that. No talking here. If I'm from Wheeler I say nothing in the local media. You can't brag about anything when your school has never won a sectional. Boone has better teams coming and Noll won't be down for long. It's now for Wheeler or not for a few years.
10.) 2A Boone Grove (12-3)
19-7 (2005), 13-9 (2004), 11-12 (2003)
PORTER TOWNSHIP - Boone Grove nipped Morgan Township 39-36 to go to 5-0 in the PCC. But they know that first place in the Porter County Conference is the consolation prize after you lose the league tournament. The Wolves still have arch-rival Hebron (11-3) and 4A Chesterton (10-6) left on the schedule, so they'll get the kind of playoff warm ups they need. The story of the season is 6-3 junior Bryce Palleson who is averaging 16 points a night and had 17 against Morgan. Game-by-game box scores can be inaccurate, but I don't think Palleson scored 50 points total all last season. Look at the teams Boone has played this season and rate their schedule against other 2A schools. Boone Grove continues to be the undiscovered country as far as NW Indiana prep basketball is concerned.
On the outside looking in...
11.) 4A Hebron (11-3)
11-11 (2005),10-11 (2004), 9-11 (2003)
HEBRON - Hebron continues to roll towards that 16-4 season (They've got to find a way to beat Boone) on Feb. 14. The Feb. 18 game with South Central (12-3) has also risen in caliber after SC won the PCC. The Hawks also get a shot at surprising North Newton (11-5). Hebron falls just short of the Top-10, but they are the top 1A school in NW Indiana heading down the stretch. Here's a very experienced team as well.
12.) 1A Oregon-Davis (15-3)
8-13 (2005), 12-9 (2004), 6-14 (2003)
HAMLET - Nobody's discovered Oregon-Davis, a 68-42 winner over Morgan Township this week. The schedule is questionable, but this team should smoke out Westville (12-3) again on Saturday night. Hard to explain how Westville is in the Post-Tribune top-10, despite TWO losses to Washington Township and an earlier loss to O-D. After an opening loss to Triton (I can't explain), the Bobcats have won 15 of 17 losing only twice to a traditionally strong John Glenn (12-3). NW Indiana people don't get a chance to see them, but John Glenn is one of the top 2A programs in the northern part of the state. Local media is very much forgiven for knowing nothing about Oregon-Davis boys basketball. This is the school that lost 56 games in a row from 2000 to 2003. It's a great story and someone will uncover it soon. O-D shouldn't ever beat Glenn. But the Starke County boys (they are neighbors of North Judson and Knox) have taken down everybody else for two months. We've got Wildcats and Bearcats in the poll. At 15-3, why not Bobcats?
13.) 3A Wirt (7-6)
9-12 (2005), 6-15 (2004), 12-9 (2003)
GARY
- Wirt got stomped 67-40 by East Chicago last week, but that's a 4A
power beating up on a small 3A. The Troopers' losses are to West Side, Lew
Wallace, Roosevelt, EC and big winners Huntington North and Terre Haute
North. The Troopers have also defeated Roosevelt and Wallace. Here's
another odd Gary schedule with nine days off until a match with Hammond high.
Wirt has already beaten Morton and Clark. If they top Hammond and Gavit,
maybe they call Wheeler and claim a co-championship in the LAC Blue
Division. There are wins coming in the final month and a Feb. 17 measuring
stick at Munster (16-2). But the real undercover story here is Wirt's
declining enrollment. There seems to be a chance that when the next
classification goes down, Wirt could be a 2A school. If Wirt becomes
a 2A school, they'll be calling Wheeler a lot. And they won't get an
answer.