NW Indiana Girls Basketball: 2006-2007 Week-10 Poll

2006-2007 Girls Basketball

Week-10 Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

(01-25-2007)

MICHIGAN CITY, IN - (01-25-2007) - If you are going to make a move in the 20-game high school basketball season, you make it at the 15-game mark. It's about this time you ask your players for a 'boot camp' mentality where you go hard for six weeks and give it your best shot. In NW Indiana, there is absolutely no favorite in any of the four classes. Kouts (14-3) has had a good year, but there's a feeling they've peaked and Argos and Oregon-Davis have not. I can't promise you that Kouts beats Hebron at the Hebron sectional.

In 2A, Boone Grove and Wheeler may have their most talented teams ever, but North Judson (15-3) could beat either one and Judson has to slug it out with Rensselaer at the Winamac Sectional.

In Class 3A, Andrean (14-3) seems primed to get to the regional out of the KV sectional, but Griffith and Hammond both have reason to believe they can win the 3A Calumet sectional. And I can't promise you that Calumet, with a good draw, doesn't win their own sectional.

In 4A, Michigan City has to find a way to control South Bend Washington and left-handed sophomore guard Skyler Diggins (22 ppg.) and if they do, they need to bottle it and sell it, because nobody else has it. But the interesting matchup is at the 4A Portage Sectional where any of the six teams, with a good draw, could conceivably win. This is the dullest weak of the season because nobody cares about anything except next Monday's state tournament draw, which should be on-line about 7:00 p.m.

I may have said in a previous, long ago poll preview that the Bears and Colts would meet in the Super Bowl before anyone from Northwest Indiana would win a state title in 2007. I cant take that back. I still see no state contenders in NW Indiana. I see no one who will reach the final game. But I sure didn't see Rex Grossman going against the league's worst run defense in the Super Bowl in Miami, either. Indianapolis vs. Chicago. In the Super Bowl??? Y'all better enjoy it, because clearly, the world is about to end. And all those teams that have no chance to get to the state finals. Don't give up just yet. Boise State beat Oklahoma in football. This is clearly a freak year in sports.

NUMBERS GAME: This is the final poll before the state tournament draw Monday night, Jan. 29. It's still on. Avon (17-0) at Hamilton Southeastern (18-0) on Feb. 1. I do not remember any year where two undefeated teams, boys or girls, have met on the final day of the regular season. But the longest winning streak in Indiana belongs to South Bend Washington, which carries a 19-game winning streak into games against New Prairie (3-13) and (Fort Wayne) Harding (9-8).

Did you know that Washington has defeated St. Joseph's (15-2), Heritage Christian (17-2), New Castle (17-2), Michigan City (17-1), Bishop Luers (16-2), North Judson (14-3), Wawasee (13-3), Elkhart Memorial (14-5), Plymouth (12-5), Penn (12-6), Clay (12-7), (Winnetka, Illinois) New Trier (18-2) and (Chicago) Whitney Young (15-3). In all my born days, that is the most incredible list of victims I have ever seen a high school team have. Washington has defeated LaPorte (10-8) and five teams with losing records, but these 13 big-winners have a combined record of 202-43. The Panthers' only loss was 63-58 in the season opener to (Fort Wayne) South (16-1). South and Washington cannot meet again until the 4A semistate.

Oregon-Davis has three sets of relatives in 5-10 seniors Amber (12.5 ppg.) and Angela Boyle (12.3 ppg.), 5-2 freshmen Alivia and Samantha Sims and freshmen Gabrielle and Kelsey Minix. Now I'm not from Hamlet, Indiana but I'm going to assume that the Boyles and the Sims' are twins, but that the Minix girls are not. Why would I say that? Gabrielle Minix is 5-foot-9 and Kelsey Minix is 5-foot-4.

Did you know that the freshman class at Oregon-Davis was 66-0 in middle school led by Gabrielle Minix (12.0 ppg.). Jimtown's 5-10 senior Stephanie Wagner (20.6 ppg.) is 98 of 108 (90.7%) at the foul line. Boone Grove has won three Porter County Conference titles in a row and the future is bright with freshman forwards 5-10 Kelly Dobson (6.0 ppg.) and 6-0 Emily Strilich (5.4 ppg.) who have played in all 19 games this year.

1. (4A) Michigan City (18-1)
2006 (14-11), 2005 (6-15), 2004 (6-16)

MICHIGAN CITY: Michigan City clinched the DAC title with a 66-58 win over Portage. They were 20-of-27 from the line in the victory. The Wolves need to beat Merrillville (16-3) to go 14-0 in the DAC, a feat that only Valparaiso (21-2) has accomplished, winning 14 league games in 2005. The Wolves trailed early by seven against Crown Point but rallied to win by 14. The key remains 6-foot-3 senior center Emma Tucker (12.7 ppg.) who is only occasionally outstanding. Sophomore lead guard TaKenya Nixon (15.5 ppg,) is the player MC cannot lose and the reason the Wolves will be strong next year as well. They're just waiting for the draw. They might want to draw South Bend Washington (19-1) in the first game. Michigan City can't avoid them so the Wolves might as well jump right on 'em. MC doesn't want to be playing Washington as their third game in five days. It's all about the draw now.

2. (3A) ANDREAN (14-4)
2006 (15-8), 2005 (9-13), 2004 (7-14)

MERRILLVILLE: Gary Roosevelt stopped Andrean 44-43 Tuesday night in Gary, and while that doesn't hurt Andrean, it could lift Roosevelt. The Niners may have given backup players extra playing time in this game, not worrying about winning because they know they have a rematch coming. It's never good to pound a team you're going to see again in a winner-take-all game. But it's also never good to lose in the final two weeks of the season to an inferior squad. But you can wake a sleeping giant. Roosevelt didn't really have a quality win all year. Now they do. The loss kept Andrean from going to 12 games over .500 for the first time in five years. Andrean scored 35 second half points against the team that had allowed the fewest points in NW Indiana, beating Griffith 46-42 Saturday (1-19-2007) night. Courtney Pishkur scored 13 for the 59ers. The Niners now face a third meeting with potential regional foe Hammond (12-7). Some say that if you beat a good team twice, it's hard to beat them three times. An extension of that might be that if you beat a team three times, it's hard to beat them a fourth time. I don't know about that. I'll tell you what's really tough. To lose to the same team three times and then draw them in the regional. That's what you really don't want. It's very important for the Niners to go 3-0 against Hammond and let them try to figure it out.

3. (4A) Gary West Side (12-4)
2006 (16-7), 2005 (23-5), 2004 (22-3)

GARY: You just can't hide from the intensified 'Side'. Gary West Side has won six in a row, including a double-overtime win over Harding. Guard Mary Bell had 21 points with six assists. 6-foot-4 Ish Sha Terry scored 13 to aid the cause as the Side came back from a 30-24 halftime deficit. The Cougars have three easy wins lined up before they host South Bend St. Joseph (15-2) to end the season. This is a formidable team and no one who has been around awhile is feeling confident going against them. This team does not want to draw Munster immediately. They want Munster to play a coupe of games before they see West Side. The Cougars used 14 players against Harding. They want to wear you down. The Cougars are one of the very few teams that do not need a first round bye. With their full court pressure style and 14 players, they want to play.

4. (4A) MERRILLVILLE (13-4)
2006 (19-3), 2005 (12-10), 2004 (12-8)

MERRILLVILLE: Merrillville won for the ninth game in a row, beating Chesterton 48-24 Tuesday (1-23-2007). The big 56-48 win against Lake Central, a team that had defeated the Pirates earlier. They have established themselves as the favorite in the Portage 4A Sectional. The Pirates had 20 steals against LC and that's a good sign for them against a veteran team. It doesn't mater how many times Merrillville undresses teams that don't have any guards. That's not a blueprint for winning anything in February. The Pirates aren't big enough to win against good teams unless they steal the ball from decent ball handlers and that's what I believe they did against LC. Merrillville hits the road for a game at Michigan City (18-1) which is only for show, because Merrillville can't see Michigan City in the post-season until the regional and, let's tell the truth, it's unlikely MC will get there.

5. (4A) Munster (14-5)
2006 (19-5), 2005 (17-6), 2004 (6-15)

MUNSTER: Munster coasted last week with a 64-50 win over Kankakee Valley, Lauren Meneghetti scored 22 and Chelsea Kimes scored 24 for the Lady Ponies. The biggest event next week won't be the game with East Chicago (2-16) but the Jan. 29 draw. If Munster can get a first round bye, they can win the 4A East Chicago Sectional. The story with Munster in recent weeks is the 20-point games by Kimes and Jennifer DiCostanzo. They don't have to post 20 a night. But Munster cannot win playoff games with one player (Meneghetti) in double figures. Confident senior players must score. Munster is not good enough defensively to beat good teams with 40-45 points, but anybody who thinks they'll go away quietly next month has been smoking more weed than Michael Vick. We'll know more Monday night, but things look good for Munster.

6. (2A) BOONE GROVE (17-3)
2006 (14-11), 2005 (21-2), 2004 (17-5)

PORTER TOWNSHIP: When you have a 2A team up this high there are questions because you are unavoidably saying that they could beat a half dozen 4A schools. Boone has defeated Highland and Crown Point and you have to like the three-game sweep of the Porter County Conference tournament last week where no one came within 14 points of them. You can talk about who the best player is but the MVP of Northwest Indiana is Cortney Flanigan (20.5 ppg,) of Boone. She controls the pace of the game and gives her team a chance to win. If shooting guard Jessica Dowdy is healthy (9.8 ppg,), there is a lot of promise here. The front line which includes 5-10 Kelly Dobson and 6-0 Emily Strilich, is getting better. The problem for Boone is that three of the best 10 layers in NW Indiana (maybe 3 of the best 5) are 2A players Flanigan, Wheeler's Becca Bruszewski and North Judson's Kristen Bolen. The immediate future is bright. In a 5-team sectional four teams get a bye so Boone is probably only four wins away from the semistate.

7. (3A) Hammond (12-7)
2006 (15-8), 2005 (15-7), 2004 (8-12)

HAMMOND: Hammond is coasting into the playoffs. They whipped up on three weak teams and will get another shot at LAC champion Andrean Friday night. The Wildcats are 0-2 against Andrean and they could see them a fourth time at the Twin Lakes Regional next month. I think it's crucial for Hammond to win Friday. A win guarantees them a 15-7 final record and I don't see them going 0-3 against the 59ers and then turning it around in the post-season. Ride with me here for a second. Hammond has lost to Andrean (14-4) twice, Highland (13-5) twice, Gary West Side (12-4), Wheeler (15-3) and Gary West Side (13-5). And I still think they're better than Highland. While they have been somewhat forgotten locally, they have not lost to a bad team. Hammond is still the Calumet Sectional favorite.

8. (4A) Highland (15-5)
2006 (19-3), 2005 (22-4), 2004 (12-9)

HIGHLAND: The Trojans have rolled up nine wins in a row and they could finish at 17-5 if they can top Griffith Saturday. Guard Mandy Moes scored a career-high 30 points in a win over Wheeler Tuesday. How does somebody who averages eight points a game score 30? Probably the same way the Bears got to the Super Bowl. A series of insane circumstances. But the Trojans have not lost since December 2. They are shooting much better (21 of 29 from the line against Wheeler) and they could probably defeat most of the teams that beat them early in the year. Their problem is that Gary West Side is not one of those teams and Gary West Side is the main stumbling block for everyone at the East Chicago 4A Sectional next month. I'm still doubting that this team can win three games in a week.

9. (4A) LAKE CENTRAL (7-11)
2006 (11-10), 2005 (7-14), 2004 (11-10)

St. JOHN: I refuse to give up on this team after a double overtime loss to Valparaiso Tuesday. You have to look at the schedule here. LC has lost six games by eight points or less and they have faced Hamilton Southeastern (18-1), Carmel (17-2) and Michigan City (18-1) twice. But I'm getting a little tired of making excuses for having Lake Central in the poll. Of course, they're better than Wheeler and North Judson and they have defeated Wheeler and Merrillville. Jamie Auer scored 12 with 10 rebounds against Valparaiso. But 7-11 is 7-11. And it's hard to win with 46 points a game. LC is a step slow and that would hurt them against Gary West Side. But against Highland and Munster, of course they have a chance. Wait and see.

10. (2A) Wheeler (16-3)
2006 (14-7), 2005 (18-8), 2004 (19-4)

UNION TOWNSHIP: I don't think Wheeler has gotten worse, but Boone has surpassed them because of Boone's late season schedule which has boosted the Wolves. Wheeler hit just 4-of-13 foul shots (can that be real?) in a 56-45 loss at Highland Tuesday night. Becca Bruszewski (21.2 ppg.) needs more big games from guard Emile Naccarato (8.3 ppg.) and others. The problem for Wheeler is always that they are one-dimensional. I think the Bearcats need to draw Boone right out of the box Monday night and not get a bye or someone else. Boone-Wheeler in the 2A Lake Station quarterfinals is what Wheeler wants. Boone-Wheeler in the finals is what Boone wants.

ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN.....

(2A) North Judson (14-3)
2006 (19-3), 2005 (22-4), 2004 (12-9)

NORTH JUDSON: Judson needs to beat North Miami (10-7), Rensselaer (12-6) and Boone Grove (16-3) down the stretch to close out at 17-3. This team is playoff tested, balanced and they haven't lost since Dec. 2. It gets forgotten because Starke County is not the hub center of all media, but senior Kristen Bolen (16.7 ppg., 39 3-point baskets) was the lead guard in the state championship game two years ago. Judson has lost 10 games in three seasons. Why not put them in the top-10? They are small at a lot of positions and very dependent on one player. But a lot of girls teams are. Judson plays in a 5-team sectional, so odds are they will get a quarterfinal bye.

(4A) LaPorte (10-8)
2006 (8-14), 2005 (8-13), 2004 (4-17)

LaPORTE: Got to take LaPorte off the board. LaPorte beat Crown Point 51-44 Tuesday (1-23-2007), but they fall in the poll due to some internal problems. Junior Cassie Cepeda (5.6 ppg.) and senior Erin Justice (7.6 ppg.), both starters, are out now due to team rules violations. They did win on the road Tuesday, but they can't win in the very tough South Bend Washington Sectional with the players they put on the floor Tuesday. I'm assuming the two girls will be back, but it's not certain. This team is looking at South Bend Washington (19-1) and Michigan City (18-1) at the sectional level. They MUST get a bye Monday night. They cannot use back-up or seldom-used guards against league championship teams.

(1A) Kouts (14-2)
2006 (12-9), 2005 (12-9), 2004 (13-9)

KOUTS: Kouts got 10 days off after losing to Boone in the quarterfinals of the Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament. Kouts needs to smoke these last three teams on the schedule (Calumet, Hanover, Marquette) to gear up for the sectional. Kouts plays in an eight-team sectional so there will be no quarterfinal bye. Sometimes this kind of late season vacation is very positive. I'm sure Kouts can do better than they did in the PCC tournament because that style of run and push offense rarely works in the post-season where the game slows down.

(3A) Griffith (13-4)
2006 (14-8), 2005 (15-8), 2004 (13-9)

GRIFFITH: The Panthers lost 42-36 to Andrean last week, but here's a team that plays a playoff style. They do not have the players that Hammond high has and they will have to play the sectional at Calumet (10-6). But they still have allowed the second fewest points (32.9) of any team state wide and that can't be ignored. The Panthers have a Rex Grossman offense. It works really well when the defense plays great and they never fall behind. But Griffith isn't going to get blown out by anybody. They simply don't allow that type of game.