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2003-2004
Boys Basketball
Renegade Poll - Week 13A USA-365.com Special Report(2-28-2004) |
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So its Valparaiso and Bishop Noll. The one
team that appears capable of going deep in the state tournament. Depth.
Shooting. Tradition. And a very good draw. The Vikings only have to win
five games to reach the 4A championship game and the first one is against Hobart
(10-9), a team they traditionally have dominated. For Noll in Class 2A,
they got all-state guard Gary Patterson back off injury to the tune of 33 points
last week. And then Monday, Noll got the undisputed easiest draw in the entire
state of Indiana. Noll gets a quarterfinal bye and a game on their own home
court against Lake Station (0-18). The draw does not favor Munster, which has
three tough sectional games.
1. Valparaiso (17-2)
Valpo
swept Merrillville with a 58-55 win and they'll carry a 12-game winning streak
in against Michigan City (2-16) in the final game of the season. MC has lost 12
games in a row and there's little they can do at this point. Valpo
again excelled from the line with 20 of 23. In the Vikings last four games,
they've made 53 of 61, an unheard of 86.8 percent. Jon Moon followed
up 17 against Highland with 19 against Merrillville. This is the longest
Valpo winning streak since they Vikings greatest team won 29 in a row in 1994
before the double-overtime state championship loss to Clay. Plus, they get
a bye and a semifinal game against Hobart (10-9), a team they crushed 69-27 in
November.
2. Lake Central (14-4)
LC
is coasting and the 59-48 win over Michigan City (2-16) was nothing to
celebrate. Center Scott VanDer Meer scored 20 and blocked eight shots. This game
wasn't that close. LC led 45-25 after three quarters. The Indians needed a bye
and they won't get one, with the draw forcing them to play Highland (15-5)
Tuesday (March 2) in the quarterfinals. This after playing Gary Roosevelt and
LaPorte in the final week. If LC gets to the sectional championship, they will
have played five games in 12 days and guard Brett Summers is probably not 100%
healthy.
3. LaPorte (17-3)
LaPorte
rallied from a 30-23 half-time deficit with a 24-7 third quarter to turn back
Chesterton 67-53. The game would have been much easier had the Slicers not
missed 14 of 26 free throws. 6-4 guard Jerome Vann was 10-of-21 from the floor
for 21 points but he was 1-of-4 from the line. The Slicers, who have a five-game
winning streak, have made just 69 of 112 (61.6 percent) free throws in their
last three games. LaPorte hosts Lake Central (14-4) Friday night and they got a
bye in the Michigan City Sectional. LaPorte's semifinal game is with Riley
(12-8), a running team that will have great trouble beating a rested LaPorte
team. The Slicers won 99-82 over Riley in November.
4. Munster (18-1)
Munster
is coasting. They fell behind Lowell before a 20-0 run boosted them to a 59-47
win over Lowell (8-11). The Mustangs are 39-3 in the last two seasons. The
Big-3 seniors of Dustin Bothwell, Pete Trgovich and Josh Martin all scored in
double figures. Ten of Munster's wins are by eight points or less and they just
don't appear to be the fourth-ranked team in the state. The draw has Munster at
home against Gary West Side (11-5) a tall, athletic team that could cause them
major problems. If they win, they get Highland (15-5) or LC (14-4). The odds
have been stacked against Munster. Let's see how they respond.
Andrean
was upset by a good Maconaquah team 60-54 Saturday night in a game that,
frankly, means nothing. As odd as it seems, 54 points is the lowest point total
of the year for the 59ers. Center David Carson (21.0 ppg.) was held to 16 as the
59ers shot the ball from outside in a comeback attempt. Andrean travels to East
Chicago (10-9) Friday in a good test for the upcoming state tournament. The
59ers got a bye and a weak Horace Mann team in the semifinals at the 3A
Roosevelt sectional. They'll be in the finals but Velt or LW will be on the
other side of the floor.
6. Chesterton (12-7)
The
Trojans led at halftime but lost 67-53 at LaPorte. There is a feeling that the
Trojans have peaked. They'll get consecutive games against Crown Point (5-14)
but they better watch the second one because it's not given. Chesterton is
39 of 48 from the line in the last three games. 6-2 guard Matt Campbell (18.5
ppg.) appeared to be in a slump but he scored 24 against LaPorte. Obviously the
Trojans are a solid team with some height now with 6-10 Evan Schmidt in the
lineup. Casey Martin (11.3 ppg.) and Josh Malone (10.7 ppg.) are still
contributing. You just don't get the feeling that this team can win three games
with the last one being Valparaiso (18-2).
7. Gary West Side (11-5)
West
Side slipped in a victory over Kanakakee Valley (7-11) last week although I can't
find out when it occurred or anything about it. The Gary teams have an amazing
ability to reschedule and de-schedule. Still, the draw sent the Cougars to
Munster (19-1) in a sectional quarterfinal so I hope they're ready. The early
key would seem to be whether 6-8 Jamil Tucker can defense Munster's 6-4 lead
guard Josh Martin. Up front 6-7 Sean Smith can be very effective against Munster
6-7 Scott Rutkowski. But the idea that West Side can win three in 5 days on the
road may be wishful thinking.
8. Bishop Noll (12-8)
Gary
Patterson scored 33 to lead the Warriors to a 70-54 win at East Chicago and the
good times just kept on coming when Noll got a bye and a game with Lake Station
(0-18) to start the state tournament. Patterson hit a career-best seven three
point goals as EC was powerless to stop him. The 5-11 guard has scored 113
points (28.2 ppg.) in his last four games. 5-10 junior Sam Watts is averaging
12.7 over his last three games. 5-8 junior Greg Jones is at 11.8 over the last
five starts. Wheeler (17-4) has more balance but it may come down to one game
and that game is on Noll's floor.
9. Highland (15-5)
Highland
has a third consecutive unimpressive win 50-42 over Clark. the Trojans scored
just two points in the second quarter. Highland drew Lake Central in the
4A East Chicago Sectional quarterfinals and while they do match up well, there
isn't anything in the previous 20 games that convinces you they can beat the
Indians. The Trojans are 35 of 50 (70 percent) from the foul line in the last
two games and that's a major upgrade. Did they get a good draw? Obviously not!
Don't they play two games the last week (who makes out the schedule here?) which
means a potential five in 12 days? That's no fun. But can they win one game? Yes
they can.
10. Wheeler (17-4)
The
BearCats have dropped off the face of the earth with a 10-day layoff before
Friday's game against winless South Central (0-18). I don't know if they
can come off all that inactivity to be ready for rival Boone Grove (11-8).
Cordale Micou (17.6), Steve Wilson (14.1) and Joe Dobson (11.7) should all be
rested, but the BearCats will need to win three times in five days including a
final triumph over Noll at Noll. The winner of the 2A Sectional at Noll has a
good chance to go to the state finals but, after this bad a draw, you'd have to
be a big Wheeler fan to see that happening.
Others to watch......
East Chicago (10-9)
The
Cardinals got all smoked out by Gary Patterson in a 70-54 home loss last Friday
(Feb. 20) and they need a win over Andrean this week to get straight. How can
you be down 56-31 after three quarters on your home floor in what is always a
big game. None of the newspaper stories commented on why top scoring 6-3
freshman E'Twan Moore (15 ppg.) did not play. An injury here would be crucial.
Guard Tremaine Cooley has 65 three-point baskets and he must stay hot. This is a
.500 team but they got a great draw. 1.) A quarterfinal bye. 2.) a
semifinal against Lowell (8-12), which will come in with seven straight losses
and possibly, without top scorer Jim Jeffries. 3.) The home court,
although they had the home court last week when Noll lit them up.
As odd as it may seem, EC is still a big favorite. There's almost no way they
can't be in the EC Sectional final and a large crowd will show up to root them
on against whoever. If E-Twan Moore is not hurt, this team has a 50-50 chance to
win the sectional. They should thank the IHSAA.
Out of town......
2A
Jimtown (17-2)
There
are high hopes for the champ of the Bishop Noll Class 2A Sectional but this
Elkhart area power, better known for football, won their 13th game in a row last
week, 48-45 over 4A Concord last Friday. There's no secret why the Jimmies (it's
a kind of fish) win. First of all, 6-8 center Kyle Johnson is hard to deal with.
Against Bethany Christian on Feb. 19, Johnson hit 8-of-9 shots and scored 20
points. Point guard Derrick DeShone (9.8 ppg, 8.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds
and 2.1 steals), the coach's son, is a 6-3 junior with the size and skill to get
the ball inside or to wing shooter Tyler Leighton, who scored 16 in the win over
Concord (11-7). The Boys of Baugo (Jimtown is in Baugo Township on the west side
of Elkhart) team reportedly gets a lot of very good shots. DeShone
had 11 points, 10 assist and eight rebounds against John Glenn (14-5).
The Concord win is significant because the Minutemen had won 20 in a row against
Jimtown, a school less than half Concord's size. That indicates that this is a
once in a generation team for Jimtown. The Jimmies have to win three times in
the Westview (2A) Sectional and they'll probably have to defeat John Glenn
again. Jimtown sets a school record for wins Friday when they beat LaVille.
Then, it'll take three wins in five days on the road to win just the second
sectional in school history. This is not a fast team but nobody in their
sectional appears to be lightning quick either.
Then, the big test. The Westview winner faces the Bishop Noll
winner in a pivotal match in the 2A bracket. Nobody at Noll has a 6-8 center or
a 6-3 coaches son at the point. Jimtown has never advanced beyond the regional
level in boys or girls basketball in almost 50 years of existence. The winner at
Noll will be a formidable team coming off a big victory and they may feel they
have a lock on getting to the semistate. But, at the North Judson Regional, that
lock might get 'Jimmied'.
2A
Jimtown (17-2)
Coach
Randy DeShone - Offense: 56.9 ppg.
Defense: 40.5 ppg.
Dec. 2 (W) 62-40 at Lakeland Christian
Dec. 9 (W) 54-44 Northridge
Dec. 13 (W) 66-23 Argos
Dec. 16 (L) 48-55 at NorthWood
Dec. 19 (W) 71-31 Culver
Jan. 2 (L) 47-57 Fairfield
Jan. 3 (L) 64-28 Bremen
Jan. 7 (W) 65-49 at Central
Noble
Jan. 9 (W) 42-29 at Knox
Jan. 14 (W) 55-39 Mishawaka
Marian
Jan. 16 (W) 60-45 New
Prairie
Jan. 20 (W) 69-51 at West
Noble
Jan. 24 (W) 59-39 at Westview
Jan. 30 (W) 43-36 at Triton
Feb. 3 (W) 62-43 Elkhart
Baptist
Feb. 6 (W) 42-33 Bremen
Feb. 12 (W) 57-42 at Glenn
Feb. 19 (W) 68-41 Bethany
Christian
Feb. 21 (W) 47-45 Concord
Feb. 27 LaVille
(8-9)
Mar. 2 Bremen
(5-13)