Crown Point vs. Highland
The Crown Point cheer squad shows off their stuff
during the
starting five announcements for CP.
The Bulldogs held All-American Honorable Mention Jenny DeMuth of Highland to 3 points in the second half (0 points in the last 15 minutes), and got an enthusiastic CP crowd on its feet when they scored 8 unanswered points in the last 50 seconds of the game to take state-ranked No. 5 Highland to the wire in an exciting game. The Bulldogs could have tied it on the last possession with about 5 seconds to go, but a long 3-pointer fell short and Highland walked out with a close-call win.
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Both teams came out gunning in the first half. CP took an early 4-0 lead 2 minutes in, but then Highland went on a 19-8 run to get a 7-point advantage at the end of the first frame. CP kept at it, chipping away to close the margin to 3 late in the half, but Highland kept hitting clutch treys, 6 total for the half, to maintain. Highland was up by 6 (34-28) at the break, mostly on DeMuth's 15 first-half points (3 treys).
The second half saw a tighter perimeter defense, denying outside shots by Highland, but the Trojans responded by finding the open shooters inside. Rina Molina and Lindsey Chappell combined for 13 points in the half to keep the Trojans alive while the CP defense of junior Amanda Bernard and senior Allyson Carnahan kept DeMuth at a disadvantage. CP only scored 6 points in the third, but rebounded in the 4th, mainly in the last 2 minutes of the game. A stepped-up defensive effort kept Highland off balance, making them take difficult shots that would not fall. CP consistently picked up the defensive rebounds, made several key steals and took advantage of every scoring opportunity to close the margin to 3 with about 5 seconds to go. The rest you already know.
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Both teams put out a nice defensive effort, and Highland was unconscious from behind the arc in the first half. CP put together an outstanding team effort, with only 4 buckets unassisted. The refs let both teams play, and Crown Point only got to the line once, while Highland made 13 trips. This is the second top-level team that CP took to the wire in two nights, nearly upsetting highly-regarded Portage the previous night in what was a 1-point game with less than 1 second on the clock.
Leading scorer for CP was junior Sarah Zondor with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while junior Nikki Borys contributed with 10 key post points and 2 steals. Soph Alex Webster had an all-around floor game with 5 points, 7 assists and 2 steals. Amanda Bernard scored 7 and was a defensive force in the second half, picking up DeMuth on the box-and-one to limit the Junior All-Star candidate to 0 points in the last 15 minutes of the game. Leading scorer for Highland was DeMuth with 18, and Lindsay Chappell with 13.
Highland is now 7-0, while CP drops to 3-5, continuing a very competitive schedule. CP will challenged the remainder of the month with Merrillville, No. 8 Valpo, Lake Central and No. 1 Ben Davis and either Plainfield or Bloomington South.
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Scoring by Quarters: |
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| CP | 12 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 50 |
| High | 19 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 53 |
CP - Alex Webster 2 0-0 5 (7 assists), Katie Lemke 2 0-0 4 (3 rebounds), Nicole Smoljan 2 0-0 4, Nikki Borys 5 0-0 10, Amanda Bernard 3 0-0 7, Sarah Zondor 6 1-1 16 (8 rebounds, 3 steals), Erin Plumley 2 0-0 4
High - Carrie Kaczmarek 1 1-3 4, Amiee Stirling 1 0-0 3, Rina Molina 4 1-1 10, Steph Wanicki 1 0-0 2, Lyndee Arnold 1 0-0 3, Jenny DeMuth 6 3-5 18, Lindsey Chappell 5 3-4 13