December 11, 2001
Highland at Crown Point

Crown Point 35, Highland 26

Despite one of the ugliest games played yet this season by the Bulldogs, Crown Point pulled out a win against last season's Regional foe Highland.  Even though the 'Dogs took lots of good shots, nothing would fall early. But some good defense on the Trojans, including 11 steals and five forced turnovers, combined with Highland's own shooting problems from the field, gave CP the opportunity to take the game for their seventh win of the season.

What looked like a game that would be called closely by the referees early, turned into a wild and physical game. Both teams couldn't seem to pass the ball well in the first few minutes, and it wasn't until the 5:48 mark that senior Alex Webster hit one of two free throws to get the Bulldogs on the board. She followed that up with a layup off of a Cassie Pruzin steal, and hit the bonus to make the score 4-0 with 5:00 minutes to go. Over the next 4:30, Highland was able to get on the scoreboard behind three for four free throws by soph Julie DeMuth, and then CP sharpshooting junior Amy Zondor came off the bench to redeem CP's quarter with two quick buckets, the second at the buzzer, to make the score 8-3 at the end of the first half.

At the start of the second, senior Carissa Triplett hit a jumper in the lane, and then neither team would score for the next 5:30 when DeMuth hit a bucket with 1:37 to go. (Score at this point was 10-5... yikes.) Both teams were playing extremely good defense, and Webster was getting special defensive attention from a Highland defensive specialist. The play was getting extremely physical, but the whistles were quiet.  At the end of CP's lowest scoring quarter of the season, Pruzin buried a jumper to give the Bulldogs a measly 12-5 lead heading into the locker room.

In the second half, CP took control and found a rhythm, scoring 11 points to Highland's 4 behind the scoring of Webster (4), soph Blayre Reeves (4) and Pruzin (2).  At the 3:48 mark the Bulldogs led by a 23-9 margin, the biggest of the night. After a Highland bucket to bring the Trojans within 12 points, the Bulldogs coughed up four straight turnovers in the final 2:10, with Highland converting on three of them to shrink the margin to five points at 23-18.

In the final quarter, the Bulldogs worked the ball well, forcing Highland to foul throughout by attacking the basket and handling the ball well under pressure. The senior-frosh backcourt of Webster and Pruzin combined for 10 of 11 free throws to help save the win. Highland scored three field goals in the fourth quarter, two in the last minute, but it wasn't enough to seriously challenge for a win at the end of the game.

Both teams played extremely hard in this game, and at times the play got extremely physical. Lots and lots of contact throughout. Give credit to a young, scrappy Highland team that stayed in this game from start to finish with no letup on either end of the court. Credit also goes to the Bulldogs for salvaging a win in a really ugly game. Despite the conditions, they found a way to win.

Leading scorer for CP was Alex Webster with 14, followed by Cassie Pruzin with 8, who also racked up 9 steals during the night. Leading scorer for Highland was Julie DeMuth with 8.

Crown Point (7-2) will now prepare for the visiting Valparaiso Vikings on Saturday night.  Both teams are undefeated in conference play, and Saturday's game could determine the winner of the DAC title, although both teams will have to get through some other challengers before either can claim the crown.

Stats for CP - Webster 14 (5s), Pruzin 8 (9s 3a 5r), Triplett 5 (7 r), Reeves 4 (3s) Zondor 4, Heneghan (6r 2s)

JUNIOR VARSITY