Region Roundball Review

January, 1999
News & Updates
      

Don't know how I let this one slip by me at the end of last week, but an e-mail from a Region Roundball Review reader brought my attention to the outstanding effort of Merrillville senior Shannon Wells in her team's 78-39 win over Calumet last Saturday. Wells pulled off the incredible feat of a rare quadruple-double in that game, with 16 points, 13 boards, 10 steals and 10 assists. Wells is being asked to do a lot for her team these days, as coach Joe Poteet has moved her from the power forward position to the point guard position to make her team more effective. Looks like Wells is responding quite well to the challenge.

When a team is behind and needs to get possession for a chance to score, fouling sometimes is the only way to go against a good ball-handling opponent. But if you're playing Chesterton, it could be pretty hard to figure out who to put on the line. According to the latest NWI statistics, Chesterton boasts four players with free-throw shooting percentages of .700 or higher -- Jackie Campbell (.809), Christina Poparad (.758), Annie Ray (.741) and Bridget Schwoegler (.732). Looks like Coach Jack Campbell has his Trojans working hard in practice from the charity stripe.

• The effect of the IHSAA's rules on participation in high school sports.

The bill also provides that no school would be allowed to remain a member of, or pay money to, the IHSAA unless the IHSAA considers the recommendations of the Council and reports to the Council in writing the IHSAA's decision on each Council recommendation. The bill also sets out parameters for the membership of the IHSAA Board of Directors, which would include a spectrum of principals from all school sizes. The bill is being sponsored by Jerry L. Denbo, a Senator from French Lick, who also served on the Springs Valley School Board from 1985-88. This is not the first time Senator Denbo has brought government intervention into the athletics arena. He also sponsored a Senate Resolution which was passed last year urging the Big Ten Conference not to assign official Ted Valentine to future IU games. (IU Coach Bobby Knight paid a $10,000 fine last season for harassing Valentine, and Valentine was subsequently barred from Big Ten contests this year after assessing an unwarranted "T" on Coach Knight.) If you would like to view the entire version of Senate Bill No. 1075, you can access it by going to the Indiana Legislative Bills web site.

The South Bend Tribune is carrying a girls basketball update about players and teams in the greater South Bend area. Included in the update is information about Kristi Kaniewski of Mishawaka, who is leading the area in scoring with 20.2 ppg in the NIC. Also mentioned are the Bluejays of North Judson, the upcoming NSC contest between Glenn and LaVille, and season records for all South Bend area teams.

*Amy Gearlds, a senior at Beech Grove, became the school's career scoring leader Jan. 25 as she tallied 16 points in a 48-40 triumph over Indianapolis Ritter. Gearlds has scored 1,164 career points. The previous record was 1,149 by 1996 graduate Kelly Harmas.

*Lynne Johnson, a junior at Corydon Central, scored the 1,000th point of her career Jan. 19 in a 70-54 victory over North Harrison. She left the game with 1,026 points and was 50 points short of becoming the school's career scoring leader.

*Laurie Kitts, a senior at Eastbrook, became the school's career scoring leader in girls basketball Jan. 23 with a 26-point effort against Frankton. Kitts left the game with 1,587 points, surpassing the previous record of 1,578 by 1984 graduate Jana Bragg.

*Kourtney Mennen, a senior at Clinton Prairie, broke the school record for three-point goals in a game Jan. 16 as she hit seven treys in a 90-36 victory over Lafayette Central Catholic.

*Amie Owsley, a junior at Marion Lakeview Christian, reached the 1,000-point level for her career Jan. 20 while scoring 31 points in a 71-43 triumph over host Maconaquah. She left the game with 1,022 career points.

*Kami Vaal, a senior at Northeast Dubois, became the first girls basketball player in school history to score 1,000 career points. She surpassed that total Jan. 23 while scoring a game-high 18 points in a 36-34 loss to Perry Central. Vaal has scored 1,014 points.

Evansville Memorial 16-0 (No. 1 in 3A)
Indianapolis Cathedral 15-0 (No. 3 in 3A)
New Albany 15-0 (No. 1 in 4A)
South Bend Washington 14-0 (No. 5 in 3A)
West Lafayette 13-0 (No. 2 in 3A)

Interestingly, if all the 3A teams remain undefeated in regular season play and are successful in tournament play, South Bend Washington and West Lafayette could meet in the Peru Semi-State, and Evansville Memorial and Indianapolis Cathedral could meet in the Jasper Semi-State. This could result in a battle of two undefeateds for the state championship title in 3A.

The State Coaches Poll is out for the week, and here is a summary of the changes:

There are five Region teams with votes in the 4A poll. Valpo, for some unknown reason, dropped one spot for the second week in a row to No. 5 -- this, after beating two quality teams, Perry Meridian and Mt. Vernon, in the Warsaw Tournament. Hobart and Portage have taken the No. 9 and No. 10 spots, while Gary West received 6 votes, and Highland 1 vote in the runners-up column. New Albany is the unanimous choice for No. 1, collecting all 15 first place votes for the first time this season.

In 3A, Evansville Memorial, led by senior standout Jill Hartman (see article), remains at No. 1. South Bend Washington continues its gradual climb with continued solid play from sophomore standout Jackie Batteast, moving up one notch to No. 5. Locally, Andrean makes an appearance with 1 vote in the runners-up column.

In 2A, Ft. Wayne Luers finally gets the respect it deserves with a No. 1 ranking and 9 first place votes. The rise of this team has been meteoric, as just three weeks ago they were in the No. 7 spot. Locally, North Judson holds onto the No. 4 spot and North Newton dropped two to No. 8. These two regional foes will meet tonight in a makeup game, which is sure to be a fight to the finish. Hanover Central, a team that is continually proving its outstanding abilities, most recently with a PCC Tournament championship, finally received some long overdue recognition with 7 votes in the runners-up column.

In 1A, the Top 10 members have not changed, although there have been some minor realignments. North Vermillion, behind the solid play of an 8-member varsity squad, holds onto the No. 1 spot with 10 first place votes.

The Times Top 10 is out today, and Portage gets a big boost from No. 8 to No. 3, deservedly so with its upset over No. 1 ranked Valpo. The Post-Tribune Girls Top 10 is showing the Indians as the No. 1 team in the Region.

The Indiana Coaches poll was out yesterday for the week, and as expected in 4A, Valpo dropped from the No. 2 spot after a loss to Portage over the weekend. Hobart also dropped out of the Top 10, while Portage and Highland appeared in the 12th and 19th spots, with 11 and 1 votes, respectively. The most notable rise in the polls is in 2A, where Ft. Wayne Luers has moved to the No. 2 spot after being No. 7 just two weeks ago. This team is gaining a tremendous amount of repsect around the state with some wins over ranked 4A teams. Locally, North Judson and North Newton continue to appear in the 2A Top 10 at 4th and 6th, respectively.

The Indiana Coaches Poll, usually out on Monday evening, has not yet been released for the week of January 18. When it is, expect to see some major realignments in the 4A top 5. With Valpo's loss to Portage on Saturday, they will undoubtedly drop from their No. 2 ranking. Portage's game against No. 1 New Albany will be a good barometer for the ranking gurus, who will be able to compare the northern Indiana team (Portage), that beat the No. 2 ranked team in the state, against the No. 1 team from the southern end of the state. Although this will only be one game, it will help those who are trying to make some educated comparisons in the rankings game. We will be checking periodically throughout the day to see if the Coaches' poll is released. Check our news ticker on the home page for updates.

The IHSAA has released a few details about the upcoming 1999 IHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament series, which begins with 64 sectionals the week of February 16. Included in this info is the format to be used for 4-team, 5-team, 6-team and 7-team sectional fields. A listing of the schools in each sectional is shown, as well as the playoff sites that will feed into the regionals and semi-state. Times, ticket prices and order of events is also given. The pairings for the tournament will be drawn at noon on Monday, February 8, and will be available on the IHSAA website at approximately 2 p.m. (EST) on that day.

IHSAA Multi-Class Tournament Survey
9150 N. Meridian Street
P. O. Box 40650
Indianapolis, IN 46240-0650

To be included in the final tabulation, survey forms must be returned to the IHSAA by February 28. The IHSAA Board will vote on the class basketball issue at its meeting on May 3.

The Times Top 10 Region-area teams are out for the week. Valpo remains on top, while Hobart, West Side, Highland and Chesterton all move up. Andrean, Munster, Portage and Crown Point drop.

Related Links to the Chicagoland Prep Classic in the Chicago Tribune:

Prep Classic Schedule
Team Capsules
Prep Classic Preview Article

Portage will play No. 1 New Albany in the Reebok Distant Replay Series at 6:00 p.m. (CST) on January 23 after the original meeting on January 2 was cancelled due to weather. As we mentioned earlier, this event will take place in the Knightstown gym of "Hoosiers" movie fame. Tickets are available from the Portage High School East Bookstore for $7.00 each through January 22.

The IHSAA has released the latest Scoring Leaders list and there is little change due to the number of games cancelled because of the weather. The only change to the top 5 is the entry of Kourtney Mennen of Clinton Prairie into the No. 5 spot with a 26.1 ppg average. Shanna Zolman of Wawasee continues to be the state leader with 30.7 ppg. Locally, Valpo's Jeanette Gray enters the list for the first time this season in the No. 49 spot with a 20.3 ppg average, while River Forest's Tracie Mezera (24.9 ppg), Kout's Erica Martin (23.1 ppg) and Chesterton's Jackie Campbell (21.9 ppg) continue to represent as Region-area scoring leaders. Also, in the IHSAA Individual Bests listings, Angel Hall of Anderson Highland takes the top spot in 3-point goals scored in a single game with 9 against Muncie South on January 7.

Tammi Boersma, a junior at Hanover Central, broke the school's single-game girls basketball scoring record with 34 points Jan. 9 in a 103-39 triumph over Washington Township. The Wildcats also set a team record for points in a game.

Jackie Campbell, a senior at Chesterton, became the first girls basketball player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau for her career Dec. 30 in a 66-42 triumph over Madison at the McCutcheon Shootout. Campbell scored 18 points in the game.

Trish Fleming, a senior at Westfield, became the first girl in school history to score 1,000 points in a career. She reached the plateau Dec. 26 in an 83-18 victory over Covenant Christian at the Ritter Invitational.

Jeanette Gray, a senior at Valparaiso, became the school's all-time scoring leader in girls basketball Jan. 9 as the Vikings defeated Kankakee Valley 89-37. Gray scored 27 points in the game and ran her career total to 1,098. The previous record was 1,071 by Jen Cole from 1986-1989.

The Indiana Coaches Poll for this week is showing little change, due mainly to inactivity from game cancellations.

In 4A, the top 3 (New Albany, Valpo and Ben Davis) retain their rankings. Connersville moves up to No. 4, replacing Kokomo, who dropped to No. 5. Center Grove pops back up to the No. 6 spot after enduring a week at No. 8 after its loss to Connersville. Ft. Wayne Snider dropped three spots to No. 8 after losing to tough 2A Ft. Wayne Luers. Homestead sneaks back in at No. 9 and Hobart hangs onto the No. 10 spot despite a loss to Portage. Perry Meridian dropped off the top 10 list after a loss to Martinsville.

In 3A, the only change is an exchange of the No. 6 and 7 spots by South Bend Washington and Franklin, respectively, and Bosse dropped out of the top 10 and was replaced by undefeated Westfield. Still no local teams have shown up in the 3A poll, with Andrean receiving the least amount of respect from voters locally without a single vote.

In 2A, Ft. Wayne Luers rockets from No. 7 to No. 4 after knocking off previously ranked No. 5 4A Snider. This Luers team is gaining a tremendous amount of respect around the state, and even with their No. 4 ranking, have pulled in the most first place votes in 2A with 6. Locally, North Judson retains it No. 3 spot, and North Newton falls one to No. 5.

In 1A, which was not released last week, North Vermillion is entrenched in the No. 1 spot and picked up 3 more first place votes for 10 total. Dubois moves up two to No. 5 and Milan enters the top ten in 1A for the first time this season.

The Valpo-Chesterton DAC matchup last week featured two of the Region's top seniors in Valpo's Jeanette Gray and Chesterton's Jackie Campbell. These two have been battling in a rivalry royale for the past four years, and during that time, have gained a tremendous amount of respect for one another. Valpo managed to steal the game away from Chesterton last week in what was one of the Trojan's best chances for a win against the Vikings in the past four years. If Chesterton had managed to hold on to their 5-point lead after the half, it would have been the first time that Campbell had gotten the better of her respected counterpart Gray in the prep arena. But it was not to be. Chesterton and Campbell may have one last chance against Valpo and Gray in February, when the two could find themselves going head-to-head to get out of the tough Portage sectional. But that last chance might even be out of Campbell's grasp, as the sectional competition, which includes Hobart and Portage, could eliminate either Chesterton or Valpo in the early rounds. But if they do find each other that week in February, no doubt it will be a game that no one will want to miss. After last week's game, Times sports columnist Steve Hanlon wrote an article about these two Region-best seniors that is definitely worth a read.

All ten teams from the last Times Top 10 are still ranked, but are playing musical chairs. Valpo retains its No. 1 ranking, while Andrean, West Side and North Newton all move up, Hobart, Munster, Portage and Chesterton all move down, and Highland and Crown Point remain seated in place.

We have created a new page for checking on Event Cancellations & Reschedulings. This link will also be available on the site navigation menu from our home page and from our Game Scores page as well. We will add to it as we receive information from around the state and the region. If you have any cancellation or rescheduling information to add to that page, please be sure to e-mail us with your news.

Despite being ranked at the No. 3 spot in the state, Ben Davis (12-1) continues to be the only Indiana team in the USA Today Super 25 Rankings for high school girls basketball, and has even moved up four places to the No. 15 spot since December's last rankings. USA Today is sold on the outstanding play of trio Shyra Ely, Ashley Allen and Sara Strahm. Ben Davis barely pulled out a win in the Hall of Fame Classic against talented Terre Haute South, but a win is a win and they would be undefeated had it not been for an upset win by Roncalli early in the season. Ben Davis's only weakness showed in the HOF at the point guard position, where two inexperienced freshman are sharing distribution duties for the Giants. As the season progresses, however, these two should gain enough experience to make the Giants the most dangerous team at tournament time.

In 4A, although New Albany retained its No. 1 ranking after winning the Crown Point Shootout, Kokomo took a tumble from No. 2 to No. 4 after being soundly defeated by Ben Davis in the Hall of Fame Classic. TH South moves up two notches to No. 7 for their good showing in that tournament. Center Grove dropped two to No. 8 and Connersville went up a notch to No. 6 after defeating Center Grove in the Columbia City Classic. Hobart reappeared as the No. 10 team in the state, but will most likely drop out of the top ten next week after last night's surprise upset by Portage. Logansport dropped out of the last poll's No. 10 spot after losing to New Albany and Crown Point.

In 3A, the top three teams remained the same, with Evansville Memorial still No. 1, but Rushville took over the No. 4 spot from Roncalli on a fine showing at the Crown Point Shootout against New Albany. No. 6 Franklin and No. 7 South Bend Washington both moved up 3 notches after some fine wins over the holiday break, and Evansville Bosse dropped 3 places and Plainfield dropped 2 while being inactive over the break.

In 2A, the new No. 1 is Winamac, which did nothing over the holiday break but wait for the other top-ranked teams to lose a few games. Triton Central dropped from the top of the poll to No. 2 after going 2-1 over the break, and North Judson raised its stock with 2 wins to move to No. 3. North Newton tumbled two notches to No. 4 after a tough loss to 3A No. 7 South Bend Washington in the Lafayette Jeff Holiday Tournament, and North Knox dropped two to No. 5 after a holiday break loss.

Apparently, the 1A poll was not provided by the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association this week.

** Butler rookie Kelly Kuhn's (Lake Central) college indoctrination included an injury against Louisville which needed six stitches to repair. She bounced back against Miami of Ohio score seven points and grab five rebounds. Over the holidays, Kuhn notched a double-double (12 rebounds, 10 points) in a 74-63 victory over Central Michigan. The 27-minute stint was one of her longest of the season.

** Center Melaniece Bardley (Gary West) is performing heroically, but injuries to point guards Tiffany Traylor (stress fracture) and Kim Holloway (back) have left Southern Illinois without a floor general, explaining its seven-game skid and a 1-8 record. The 6-3 junior leads the Salukis in rebounds (5.4), blocked shots (14) and is scoring at a 9.2 clip. Bardley ranks among SIU's top 10 with 59 blocked shots. She is a three-year starter.

** Indiana State's Shameka Robinson (Gary Wallace) is only 5-foot-5, but grabbed 10 rebounds to go with 13 points in a 64-61 victory over Bradley. Her third double-double inspired a 9-1 start for the Sycamores. Earlier, her 3-point shot with 40 seconds left sealed a 63-58 victory at Northern Iowa. She finished with a team-high 18 points and five assists.

It was truly unfortunate that the weekend snow storm prevented the opportunity for Region-area girls basketball players and fans to see some outstanding basketball teams and players from around the state at Saturday's Crown Point Holiday Shootout. Rarely does the Region get a chance to compare the players and styles of play from teams anywhere south of Indy, especially all on the same day and in their own backyard. The evening matchup between two very different players who are both considered Miss Basketball candidates, Kennitra Johnson of New Albany and Elizabeth English of Rushville, was quite a treat and worth the price of admission alone. Many times they went head to head, and both displayed their obvious talents to the fullest. English, who has committed to Colorado State, is an excellent ballhandler and shooter who has a flair for the dramatic play. Although only 5'6 and small in stature, she can drive the lane pretty effectively if given the opening, but relies most heavily on her outside sharp-shooting to rack up the points. Johnson, who is going to the prestigious U Conn program next fall, is a workhorse who plays big and strong, and is totally into the team concept. She is unselfish and controls everything on the floor for her team. Even at 5'8, she's a great rebounder and can get up there with the tallest post players to sweep the boards. As good as she is now, it is obvious that Johnson has not yet reached her physical potential, and her experiences-to-come at U Conn will most likely bring out whatever she is capable of becoming. To us, she looks to be capable of great things at the college level.

For those of you who wished you had been there but for the weather, here are a few tournament tidbits we can pass on to you that were not a part of the game recaps:

~ Logansport's Kristen Lowry, a 6'2 Indiana All-Star candidate, did not get to play in the Shootout due to the flare-up of a two-year chronic back injury that has been finally diagnosed correctly as a lumbar stress fracture. Lowry, who must consistently wear a plastic torso brace that prevents her spine from compressing during her recovery period, will miss a good part of her final high school basketball season before she heads to her college basketball program of choice, Xavier. The Berries are hoping for a mid-February return of their 19 ppg offensive threat. Had Lowry been playing in the first-round game against New Albany, the Berries could have had the upset of the season by knocking off a New Albany team that did not impress in the qualifying game. Logansport only lost to New Albany by 8 and were as close as 3 with just over two minutes to go in the game. Credit Logansport point guard Amy Muehlhausen (13 points) for her team's close finish with her determined play.

~ Rushville sophomore Kristan Moore (5'10 F) was key to Rushville's morning 5-point win over Crown Point. For three quarters the CP defense did not allow English many looks at the basket, but while English was busy fighting off defenders, Moore took advantage of being left open more often than not and capitalized. During the first half, she had 15 points, including 2 treys. She has a nice inside-outside game, and plays with maturity. Most likely she will be the offensive focus of next year's Lady Lions team.

~ New Albany's 6'2 center, Jessy Dablow, is as fine a post player as we've seen play on Region turf since Lake Central's Kelly Kuhn ended her high school career last spring. She is not a real powerful player, but has an outstanding touch around the basket and a nose for the errant rebound. In the final game against Rushville, she was unstoppable with a double-double 20 points and 11 rebounds. Also of note was the defensive play of New Albany's 5'6 freshman colt Jessica Huggins. She did nothing spectacular to stop English in the second half with her defense, but just played her tight and smart, by moving her feet and sticking to her assignment. When she did get hung up on a couple of Rushville picks, Johnson took over until she was free, which gave English fits. Most definitely this was the difference in a fairly close game.

~ Elizabeth English, as mentioned earlier, has quite a flair for the dramatic, and the morning CP game was stopped 3 separate times while English lay on the floor. The first time was about two minutes into the game when English looked to suffer a shoulder injury after colliding with a CP player going for a rebound. She was down for a good 2-3 minutes and looked pretty shaken, but bounced back into the game a minute later. It was fun watching English deal with her emotions throughout the game, and it was on the inbounds at the start of the fourth quarter that she seemed to give herself a good talking to. It must have worked, because she came out all gangbusters and took control of the game to score 14 points in the final quarter to give her team the win.

~ Everyone in the Region, including most fans in Crown Point, were bracing themselves for what was surely to be a massacre of the inexperienced Lady Bulldogs against two Top 10 state-ranked teams. (As one basketball friend of ours put it, "What, Tennessee was busy that day and couldn't be in your tournament?") Well, a tough schedule is what coach Tom May was looking for to determine if his team could rise to the challenge, and they did not disappoint. Some strong play by a four-guard rotation in senior Beth Tully, junior Sarah Gourley, sophomore Sarah Zondor and freshman Alex Webster seemed to finally click, and rotations in at the 4-5 spots with post personnel Danielle Tovsen, Allyson Carnahan, Erin Plumley and Katie Lemke kept the Bulldogs fresh against Rushville and Logansport, who did not go as deep. By the time the Bulldogs get ready for their first sectional contest, they will have played 8 teams in the Hoosier Basketball Magazine's Preseason Top 50, as well as the 7 tough teams in their own Duneland Athletic Conference, 4 of which have been ranked or received votes during the course of the season in the 4A Top Ten Coaches' poll (Valpo, Hobart, Portage and Chesterton). This has been baptism by fire for the inexperienced Lady Bulldogs roster, but will hopefully pay off in the February-March state tournament series.

~ Having seen No. 1 New Albany in two games on Saturday, it is the Region Roundball Review's opinion (as we indicated in our State Top 12 yesterday), that Valparaiso should be the No. 1 team in the state. Valpo's defense would be hard for New Albany to overcome, and Jeanette Gray could competently go one-on-one with Miss Basketball Kennitra Johnson. (Don't forget that Gray was an AAU All-American selection this past summer.) That would be an interesting state final, and could possibly come about with these two teams from opposite ends of the state. One thing we are conscious of, however, is that neither New Albany nor Valpo could match up with last year's finalists, Lake Central and Martinsville. We have not seen a team yet this year that can match the level of play from these two teams last year.

~ Finally, kudos to the two-man media team from a Rushville radio station that braved the weather to cover all four games of the Shootout live for their fans back in Rushville. Talk about dedication to get the important news of the world out to the interested public, these two win the award for coverage despite all conditions!

to all of our Internet friends and everyone who visits the Region Roundball Review. We hope you enjoy visiting us and will continue to do so throughout 1999. We will continue to cover Region-area high school girls basketball as best we can to keep everyone up-to-date with the latest girls basketball game scores, recaps and news. We hope to recruit some help in the back half of the season to do a better job covering Region teams and games. If you would like to help us out, either with just a game score the night of games, or short recaps, please contact us to find out how. (It's not hard. Really.) We greatly appreciate the help from all of you who have been contributing to our coverage so far this season. Help us tell the rest of the state about the great talent up here in NWI!