Hebron, Boone Grove advance in PCC Girls Tourney

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
01-17-2007

Monday, January 15, 2007 - Porter County Conference Quarterfinals at Morgan Township

HEBRON (62)  Molly Marshall 4-2-10, Cindi Boricich 6-4-17, Courtney Robinson 13-3-29, Taylor Asher 2-0-4, Rebah Seidler 1-0-2, Kahla Froah 0-0-0, Tina Cook 0-0-0, Kelly Kraker 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 26 (9-16) 62.

HANOVER CENTRAL (39)  Danielle Graham 1-0-2, Samantha Plant 3-3-9, Beth Flores 1-5-7, Jordan Kramer 0-1-1, Chrissy Homolka 1-1-4, Anna Turturillo 5-2-12, Tori Dahlin 0-1-1, Lindsay Martinez 0-0-0, Brenda McQuade 0-0-0, Anna Plassman 0-0-0.   TOTALS: 13 (12-19) 39.

FREE THROWS:  HEBRON (9-16, 56.2%) Marshall 2-2, Robinson 3-5, Boricich 4-8, Kraker 0-1;  HANOVER (12-19, 63. 1%) Plant 3-4, Kramer 1-2, Flores 5-6, Turturillo 2-4, Homolka 1-2, Graham 0-1.

REBOUNDS:  HEBRON (20) Robinson 9, Asher 4, Marshall 3, Boricich 2, Kraker 2; HANOVER (29) Turturillo 9, Flores 5, Dahlin 3, Plant 3, Homolka 2, Plassman 2, Graham 2, Kramer 2, Martinez.

STEALS: HEBRON (12) Boricich 4, Robinson 3, Kraker 2, Asher 2, Froah;  HANOVER (3) Kramer, Turturillo, Plassman.

ASSISTS:  HEBRON (16) Boricich 8, Froah 5, Marshall, Asher, Kraker;  HANOVER (5) Kramer 2, Flores, Martinez, McQuade.  

TURNOVERS: HEBRON (6-2-4-3) 15;   HANOVER (9-7-8-3) 27.

3-GOALS:  HEBRON (1) Cindi Boricich; HANOVER (1) Chrissy Homolka.
 

Monday, January 15, 2007 - Porter County Conference Quarterfinals at Morgan Township

BOONE GROVE (70)  Jessica Dowdy 5-3-15, Kristyn Kessler 2-2-6, Kelly Dobson 2-0-5, Jessica Fauser 1-1-4, Cortney Flanigan 8-11-28, Emily Strilich 4-0-8, Brittney Roach 1-0-2, Dani Diaz 1-0-2, Amanda Spears 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 24 (18-25) 70.

KOUTS (54)  Jordan Jessen 3-1-7, Jaclyn Jessen 4-3-11, Juliette Keller 5-0-11, Marlie Kniefel 3-2-8, Karley VanDyke 1-4-7, Hannah McNeil 2-0-4, Lindsey Sutter 1-0-3, Jordan Bennett 1-0-3. TOTALS: 20 (10-17) 54.

FREE THROWS:  BOONE (18-25, 72.0%) Flanigan 11-11, Dowdy 3-4, Kessler 2-4, Fauser 2-4, Strilich 0-2.  KOUTS (10-17, 58. 8%) Jaclyn Jessen 3-6, Jordan Jessen 1-2, Kniefel 2-5, VanDyke 4-4.

REBOUNDS:  BOONE (28) Kessler 8, Flanigan 5, Strilich 5, Dowdy 4, Fauser 3, Roach 3;  HEBRON (20)  Kniefel 9, Jaclyn Jessen 7,  McNeil 2, Sutter, Bennett.  

STEALS:  BOONE (7) Dowdy 2, Fauser 2, Flanigan 2, Kessler;  KOUTS (6) Jaclyn Jessen 3, Keller, Sutter, Bennett.

ASSISTS:  BOONE (14) Flanigan 10, Fauser, Dobson, Strilich,  Roach;   KOUTS (8) Sutter 2, Keller 2, Van Dyke, McNeil, Bennett, Jaclyn Jessen.

TURNOVERS:  BOONE (5-1-3-3) 12;  KOUTS (5-2-3-4) 14.

3-GOALS:  BOONE (4) Jessica Dowdy 2, Cortney Flanigan, Jessica Fauser;  KOUTS (4) Juliette Keller, Karley VanDyke, Lindsey Sutter, Jordan Bennett.

MORGAN TOWNSHIP (1-15-2007) - The opening night of the Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament is virtually the opening night of the season for eight Northwest Indiana small schools.  It's not a cliche' and it's no joke.  Teams do come to play and you can get caught on an off night.  Like Donald Trump says:  If you win, you head up to the suite.  If you lose, you go down to the street.

In Monday night's opening quarterfinal game, defending PCC champion Boone Grove turned around two previous last minute losses to PCC regular season front-runner Kouts and put a toasting on the Class 1A No. 3 Fillies 70-54.  Then, Hebron shook off a 5-10 record and blitzed Hanover Central 62-39 to complete a lop-sided opening night of the 35th PCC Girls tournament.

Hebron (6-10) and Boone (14-3), arch rivals, two miles apart, meet in Friday's 6 p.m. PCC girls semifinal at Morgan Township, while Hanover (7-8) and Kouts (14-2) rode the loser's bus home for a little late season vacation after getting embarrassed on a snowy Monday night.

"It's all about what have you done lately," said Boone coach Candy Wilson, whose teams' biggest wins of the season (against 4A schools Highland and Crown Point) were both over a month ago.  We'd lost some close ones and that sticks with you.  But I was proud of the girls.  They really stepped up tonight.  And this was a big one because if you lose tonight, you lose one or two games (on the schedule)."

It is Kouts that will only play 19 games after a 12-2 second quarter run erased a 14-11 Boone deficit.  Jessica Dowdy, who has missed time with illness over the last month, scored eight points during that run while consecutive baskets by all-stater Cortney Flanigan broke a 16-16 tie.  Kouts mounted a 7-0 run to close the score to 34-30 with 6:06 left in the third quarter.  But another 12-2 run led by Flanigan made it 46-32 in the final minute of the third quarter.

Kouts again had no answer for Flanigan, who scored 21 points in each of the earlier two meetings.  The 2006 junior all-star scored 28 points, including 8-of-8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.  The Fillies tried to trap her in the back court, but the Boone guard split the pressure to create odd-man fast break situations.  Counting the 10 assists, Flanigan was a player in 18 of the Wolves' 24 field goals.

Kouts defeated Boone 46-45 on Dec. 12 and 53-50 on December 29 and they jumped to a seven point lead after one quarter of each game.  When Boone pulled ahead in the second period, Kouts was in a tough position defensively.  Boone used some '1-4' offense which lined up for players parallel to the baseline with Flanigan out front going 1-on-1.  Kouts could not stop it.

"She is so good at that," said Wilson.  "And when she scores, it opens up our shooters on the wings."

"I thought we executed what we tried to do," said Wilson, who admitted to some serious unhappiness over the two earlier losses to Kouts.  "You have to limit their transition.  That is a big part of their game.  Our kids got back on defense.  We had to box them out and stop their transition."

Hebron totally dominated the second half of the nightcap, running the Lady Cats off the floor after a 21-20 first half.

"We were just more aggressive," said Hawks' rookie coach Courtney Hale, who is making her PCC tourney debut.  "I had a talk with them at half time and they responded.  They really played as a team tonight and that's something we've been working on with them.  What a perfect time to do it.  In the PCC tournament."

Teaming up were 5-8 senior guard Cindi Boricich and 5-11 senior Courtney Robinson.  Boricich repeatedly found Robinson close to the baskets for layups behind the HC defense.  Boricich had eight second half assists and Robinson had nine second half baskets.  The senior duo combined for 46 points and they totally dismantled the Hanover defense.

"My girls attacked the ball and they attacked the boards," Hale said.

HC coach Doug Nelson was very disappointed.

"We've got to get better, period, summarized the Lady Widcats coach.  "We aren't aggressive enough.  And that's something that's not going to be fixed in the short term."

HC lead guard Jordan Kramer drew three fouls in the first 11 minutes of the game and was not a big factor.  Senior forward Anna Turturillo had 12 points with nine rebounds.  But Hanover just didn't attack the basket or dribble and pass with confidence.  In arguably the biggest game of the season, HC faded badly after halftime.  The Lady Cats' early ouster from the tournament left them with nine days off.

"We've got to get better," said Nelson.  "That's all we can do."

PCC NOTES:  Boone regained the 'Kup', the PCC's traveling trophy which Kouts won from Boone in December.  Teams that win the 'Kup', a large old-fashioned looking beer mug, dress it up in school colors, carry it to every game and display it proudly on the bench.

Boone held Kouts' 1,000-point scorer Jaclyn Jessen to just four field goals and 11 points. 

"We put two post players down low so she could not post up," said Wilson of the defense against Jessen (15.6 ppg.).  "Our small guard cannot stop that.  Flanigan and Fauser tried to deny her the ball."

Hebron's Courtney Hale said that Hanover had improved since a 44-29 Hebron win at HC in early December.

"They were better this time," said Hale, who played for Valparaiso high school as Courtney Rosenbaum in the late 90s.  "They stayed with us for the first half.  They played hard.  We had trouble scoring."

There was a familiar face on the Hebron bench.  Former Lowell graduate McKensey Wietbrock is Hale's assistant coach in her debut season.

"I know Courtney," said Wietbrock.  "I've known her for quite a while.  I'm still going to school around here and I thought I'd try it.  They listen to me.  They're getting used to me."

The total crowd for the two games on Monday night was about 750, the majority showing up early for the Boone-Kouts showdown, despite a fairly significant snowfall outside.  With the outcome Monday and Tuesday, (South Central's rally from a 16-point deficit to beat Morgan) Boone Grove becomes a heavy favorite to win the title if they beat Hebron Friday.

Boone freshmen Emily Strilich and Kelly Dobson showed little nervousness in their first PCC quarterfinals Monday.  Boone's Candy Wilson reminded that they are only in their first PCC varsity tournament.

"That group (Boone's freshman class) won the PCC last year in eighth grade," she said.

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Revised: January 21, 2007 .