December 7, 2001
Crown Point at Merrillville

Crown Point 68, Merrillville 35

After coming so close to upsetting No. 4 Wawasee the week before, Crown Point was ready to prove that their previous performance was no fluke, and that they did.  Against a scrappy, physical and extremely quick Merrillville (3-3) squad, the Bulldogs put together a solid 33-point win while forcing the Pirates into 29 team turnovers for their second Duneland Conference win of the season.
   
Crown Point opened up the scoring with good interior passing by senior center Carissa Triplett, who found fellow senior post Janel Heneghan open in the lane for an easy jumper.  That began a 14-3 run, which was sparked by four steals and four assists by senior Alex Webster, and six quick points by frosh Cassie Pruzin in her first varsity start.  The Bulldogs did have some trouble adjusting to Merrillville's aggressive quickness, though, and late in the first quarter and into the second, the Pirates went on a 11-0 run off of seven CP turnovers to put the Bulldogs back on their heels to a 14-14 tie at just under five minutes left in the half.  After the offense calmed down a bit and seniors Webster and Ashley Plumley took control of the backcourt, the Bulldogs came back to outscore Merrillville 17-4 and were up by 13 at the half.
   
The Bulldogs maintained the scoring pace in the second half, even though things became extremely physical, especially underneath.  No whistles were blowing, but Crown Point persevered just the same.  The Lady Dogs received balanced scoring in the third quarter, led by sophomore Blayre Reeves and Pruzin, who both tallied 5 apiece in the frame.  Triplett was stellar on the boards in the quarter, pulling down four rebounds to help the cause.

In the final quarter, Crown Point continued to attack the basket, resulting in eight free throw attempts in the first 4:30.  But as has been the case since the beginning of the season, the Bulldogs continued to struggle from the line, going just 5 for 8 (17 for 30--just 57% for the game).  Late in the quarter, Crown Point came on strong behind Webster, who had 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds and 4 points in about two minutes, and the Dogs finished with a 12-2 run for the final 33-point margin.
   
This was a good learning experience for CP, as the Pirates were the quickest and most aggressive team the Bulldogs have faced yet this season.  After struggling with Merrillville's quickness and pressure in the first half, the Bulldogs settled down in the second half and had better control of the game tempo.  

Leading scorer for CP was Alex Webster, who had an unconventional double-double with 15 points and 12 steals.  Cassie Pruzin was close behind with 14 points.  Janel Heneghan had a productive game and held her own against the taller Merrillville post players, who were extremely physical.  She finished with 9 points and 6 hard-fought rebounds.  Reeves also finished with 9 points and got the ball to her teammates for 3 assists.  In fact, as a team, the Bulldogs assisted on 17 buckets for the night.  Lots of CP's players came off the bench to provide strong minutes, especially Plumley, who finished with 6 points and handled the ball well under pressure when called upon to do so.

Next up for the Dogs is Highland at home on Tuesday, December 11. 

Stats for CP:  Webster 15 (12s 7a 6r), Pruzin 14 (3r 2s), Heneghan 9 (6r 2a), Reeves 9 (3a 3r), Plumley 6 (2r), Triplett 5 (5r 4a), Weiand 3 (2b), Zondor 2, Swanson 2, Cuculich 2, Isailovich 1)
 

JUNIOR VARSITY

Crown Point 29, Merrillville 2 – The Junior Varsity Lady Pirates of Merrillville had a court date Saturday night, and pleaded "no contest" for playing under the influence of the Lady Bulldog defense. By evening’s end, Merrillville had been sentenced to a 29-2 clubbing at the hands of the Crown Point JV squad.

Kaitlyn Sertich scored 8 points and Mallory Michaels added 6 as Crown Point held an 18-0 advantage heading into the second half. Merrillville scored from inside at the start of the third period, but it would be the only shot of the evening that would find the bottom of the net. Unofficially, Merrillville shot a dismal 1for 18 from the field, as a stifling Bulldog defense limited their shot opportunities throughout the game.

The Lady Bulldogs moved to 6-1 on the season and picked up their second win in the DAC against no losses.

Photos by Bob Strempka:

(above) Sophomore Teresa Kaminski goes in for the score.

(left) Freshman Kaitlyn Sertich tries to get advantage for the the rebound on a free throw.