Region Roundball Review

February, 1999
News & Updates
      

Just a few notes from yesterday's Regional action in Northern Indiana:

In 4A Highland's win over West Side yesterday, the Trojans were trailing by 10 with less than 4 minutes to go in regulation when they went on a 10-point run to tie it near the end with a putback by junior Lindsey Chappell. During that run, sophomore Jenny DeMuth gave Region-area fans a look at what it means to have a never-say-die attitude. DeMuth was good for 5 points in those last 4 minutes, including an amazing sequence where she tapped out a West Side pass, chased it down with a tip-toe grab before it went out-of-bounds, and then drove baseline to close the gap to 2. That play sparked the crowd, and more importantly, the last seconds of Highland's play to get to overtime and the eventual win.

Gary West Side Coach Rod Fisher must be playing last night's game over and over in his head this morning after coming so close to a Regional win in what was supposed to be West Side's season to advance after consecutive regional losses to Crown Point (1996) and Lake Central (1997 & 1998). Muddled in those thoughts must be the free throw shooting of Highland in comparison to West Side. To say that free throws were a critical facet to this game is an understatement, where the Trojans were 47% from the line, while the Cougars were just 20%. Not that percentages had anything to do with the free throw factor, but rather opportunities. Highland made the trip 38 times to West Side's 5.

In 4A Hobart's loss to Penn, the Brickies were tentative coming out in the first quarter, but found an offensive rhythm to command the lead for all but the last minutes of the game. Twins Katie Julian (11 pts) and Lauren Julian (12 pts), and guard Abbey Coons (7 pts) were extremely tough on the boards and made some great plays while surrounded by Penn jerseys. As we watched the game heading into the fourth quarter, it seemed like Hobart would realize the next step of their post-season dream, but it was not to be. Penn's defensive pressure in the last minutes of the game was the difference in the game, as the Brickie guards turned it over 8 times in the fourth. Ironically, Penn guard Angela Knight, who was scoreless after missing a number of long shots throughout the game, hit the game winner on a baseline drive with 3 seconds to go to seal Hobart's fate... It was a nice run, Lady Bricks.

As a number of seniors leave the Region girls basketball scene, an underclass(wo)man is making her mark coming in. In 3A Andrean's win over Twin Lakes, the crowd was wowed by the play of 5'6 freshman point guard Jamie Gutowski, who had her high school career breakout game with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. With senior scoring leader Meghann Sullivan sitting the bench in the second quarter with 3 fouls and 1 point, Gutowski (8 ppg avg) and senior guard Kara Austgen turned up the scoring heat in the third to build on a 5-point lead at the half. Sullivan sat out the entire third quarter, which turned out to be no problem, as the guard duo took care of business in an uptempo effort. A running game has not been Andrean's style all season long, so it was a much different look than what Twin Lakes expected. Andrean will probably be running again next weekend, but this time against a better match in seasoned and athletic No. 6 NorthWood, who knocked off No. 5 S. Bend Washington in a 79-41 rout.

Another freshman who is making her mark, in what seems to be near obsurity so far, is NorthWood's Carol Duncan, a 6'1 starting center for the Panthers. This girl is definitely one to keep an eye on over the next few weeks and years. She does not look like a freshman, play like a freshman, or react like a freshman, and we are betting that you will be hearing a lot about her before she is done with her high school career. Duncan had 10 points in her team's win over NorthWood in a pretty physical post game. Although she benefits greatly from the playmaking ability and defensive attention on senior All-Star candidate teammates Amy Zercher (29 pts) and Natalie Will (21 pts), she is not beyond creating the necessary offense herself when presented the opportunity. Look for her to be the centerpiece of the rebuilding NorthWood offense next season.

Watch out 2A teams around the state. The Hanover Central Wildcats are still in it and intend to continue. With their able 63-54 win over No. 4 North Judson yesterday, the Wildcats are definitely on a roll and should not be overlooked. They will be running up against No. 7 Eastern next weekend in the first game of the Maconaquah Semi-State, with an eye on a chance against No. 1 Ft. Wayne Luers in the championship evening game. Don't count these Wildcats out... they are a bunch who have not even realized their full potential yet!

Before you read anything else today on this web site, I suggest you move on to the following Steve Hanlon Prep Beat column from today's issue of The Times out of Munster. Although this is about a young man from Munster involved in the high school game (and in a way you might not expect as the central focus of an article about prep basketball), you MUST read this oustanding piece. It's truly an inspirational one for players, coaches and parents. It definitely made my day.

The "staff" of the Region Roundball Review has gone out on a limb (yikes) and put together what we consider the players deserving recognition after an exciting regular season of girls basketball in the Region. You can check out our picks, including our choice for Region-Area Player of the Year, at our 1998-99 Region Roundball Review All-Area Honors page. This page is also available from our home page navigation bar.

In what could be considered a moment of insanity, Hobart Coach Phil Misecko failed to use his better judgment in a challenge he made to his senior players that if Hobart won the Portage Sectional, he would let them shave his head. Well, guess what? Hobart did win the Portage Sectional. (Which was not exactly a low percentage possibility, Phil.) So in a Wednesday night community pep rally, Coach Misecko took it like a man and let his senior contingent take the blade to his pate for a new look, which he will be sporting at tomorrow's Regional and, we're guessing, for at least the next few weeks. (At least he should be pretty easy to spot in a crowd.)

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The Elkhart Truth is carrying a nice preview to the NorthWood 4A and 3A Regional games on its on-line sports pages. (This is a one-day link, so check it soon.) Also, the following publications are carrying stories about some of tomorrow's Regional games:

Goshen News, NorthWood vs. S. Bend Washington 3A Regional
South Bend Tribune, Penn vs. Hobart 4A Regional
South Bend Tribune, 4A Elkhart Memorial, 2A Jimtown, and 1A Triton
Kokomo Tribune, 4A Huntington North vs. Kokomo

Rushville's 46-38 championship game victory over New Palestine at the Class 3A Greenfield-Central Sectional was the 21st for the Lions, tops in the state. They had been tied with Bedford North Lawrence with 20 each. Sullivan is third with 17 titles, including a 1999 crown at the Class 3A West Vigo Sectional.

Martinsville's run of 17 consecutive state tournament victories ended in the Class 4A Martinsville Sectional championship game as the Artesians lost to Columbus East 62-58. Martinsville's streak is the third longest in tournament history behind Kokomo's 24 (1992-1994) and Crown Point's 21 (1984-86). Both were repeat state champions, and Kokomo's bid for a three-peat championship fell short in the 1994 state championship game.

Orleans recorded its first girls basketball sectional victory in history when it defeated Medora 44-35 in the first round of the West Washington Sectional. Senior Laurie Kitts helped Eastbrook win its first sectional title since 1994 and fourth overall with a state-best 91 points in three games at the Class 2A Oak Hill Sectional. Kitts had games of 31, 31 and 29, respectively. After leading the state in scoring last season with a 28.5 average, she currently ranks fourth this season at 27.5 a game.

Heather Cusick, a senior guard for Kokomo, exploded for a career high 35 points as the Wildkats outlasted Logansport 76-66 in two overtimes at the Class 4A Logansport Sectional semifinals. Cusick hit 19 of 19 second-half free throws to ice the victory. Cusick, who entered tournament play with a team-high 17.5 scoring average, scored 29 points in the sectional opener against Lafayette Jefferson in an 81-75 triumph. She finished the sectional with 80 points in the three Kokomo victories.

Fort Wayne Snider won 20 regular-season girls basketball games for the first time in school history. Coached by LaMar Kilmer, the Panthers entered tournament play 20-1.

Frankton broke the school record for girls basketball victories in a season Feb. 18 when it defeated Shenandoah 58-38 in the semifinals of the Shenandoah Sectional. The Eagles went on to win their first sectional title and stand 19-3 going into regional competition.

Cathy Herring, a junior at Hammond Morton, reached the 1,000-point level for her career Feb. 17 with 21 points in a 73-23 Hammond Morton Sectional victory over Gary Wirt.

Chakiea Jackson, a senior at Elkhart Memorial, scored the 1,000th point of her career Feb. 16 in a 73-62 Goshen Sectional victory over Warsaw. Jackson scored 22 points in the game.

Kassy Miller, a senior at Eastside, scored her 1,000th career point Feb. 11 on senior night at the school. Miller scored 22 points in the game.

Kate Rolf, a senior at Carroll (Fort Wayne) broke the school's single-game and career scoring records Feb. 18 when she scored 39 points in a 67-50 victory over Tippecanoe Valley in the semifinals of the Tippecanoe Valley Sectional. Rolf left the game with 852 points. The previous records were 33 by Tina Carpenter in 1979 and 842 by 1998 graduate Sally Hilger.

Erin Stackhouse, a junior at Springs Valley, became the second girl in school history to score 1,000 career points. She reached the plateau Feb. 18 in a 50-36 victory over Crothersville in the West Washington Sectional semifinals. Stackhouse contributed 26 points, 12 rebounds and 13 steals in the game.

Jamie Sturgell, a senior at North Judson, scored the 1,000th point of her career Feb. 16 in a 75-39 North Judson Sectional victory over Bremen. Sturgell scored 21 points in the game, all on three-pointers.

Tessa Wynn, a senior at Southwestern (Hanover), broke the school's career scoring record Feb. 20 when she scored 12 points in a sectional championship game loss to Eastern (Pekin). Wynn completed her career with 1,172 points.

S. Bend Washington sophomore Jackie Batteast was named the Northern Indiana Conference Player of the Year in NIC honors announced yesterday. Batteast's coach, Marilyn Coddens was named Coach of the Year for the conference. First team selections include Stacy Handschu of Penn, Erin Miller of S. Bend Riley, Kristi Kaniewski of Mishawaka, Chakiea Jackson of Elkhart Memorial, and Briana Hensley of S. Bend LaSalle. To see the remainder of second team and honorable mention picks, go to the South Bend Tribune (alternate link).

According to USA Today, Miss Basketball candidates Kennitra Johnson of New Albany (headed to the University of Connecticut) and April McDivitt of Connersville (headed to University of Tennessee) were both selected by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association this week to play in the WBCA's High School All Star game on April 3 in Hartford, Connecticut. Honoring two Indiana players with spots on the team is quite an accomplishment considering only 20 players from across the USA were named. Other states with more than one player on the team include Alabama with two (Gwen Jackson and Tasheika Morris) and Illinois with three (Olga Gvozdenovic, Alicia Ratay and Kourtney Walton). Last year's sole Indiana representative on the WBCA High School All Star team was Kelly Komara of Lake Central.

The Times out of Munster is carrying a feature article about 3A Andrean senior Meghann Sullivan (6'0 C), "center"piece of the '59ers offense. Sullivan and her teammates are looking for some state tournament satisfaction this year after being ousted early in the sectionals last year as a 3A state finals favorite from the Region.

The Elkhart Truth is carrying a preview to the East Noble Regional, featuring Elkhart Memorial and Ft. Wayne Snider. Memorial's appearance in the Regional is nothing short of remarkable after going winless for two seasons in a row just three years ago. Credit Coach Scott Geist and senior LaTasha Wolfe (15 ppg, 7 rpg) as the reason why Memorial has left those winless memories behind. (Please note - this link will only be active for today, as this Elkhart daily does not archive its on-line stories.)

The South Bend Tribune is featuring a variety of players in a round-up story of teams and players in the area. Included in that story are Shanna Zolman of Wawasee, Jackie Batteast of S. Bend Washington and former S. Bend Washington coach Jack Disler.

The Connersville News-Examiner features Miss Basketball candidate April McDivitt in a sentimental and retrospective piece about her last game in the Spartan Bowl. From her first appearance there as a freshman when she scored 22 points in her high school debut, to her final appearance there last Saturday when she finished with 26 points, McDivitt does not recall a single bad memory of her time there.

The Times locally is featuring an article about 2A Sectional Champ Hanover Central's Christy Bilinski, a 5'3 tough-as-nails, defensive dynamo for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, this article is not on-line, but suffice it to say that Bilinski is looking forward to the regional matchup with North Judson on Saturday. According to a Bilinski quote in The Times, "Nobody likes us in our conference (PCC). And that made winning it better. We all wanted to rub it in their faces. Right now we're really pumped. At this moment we're not nervous or scared. We want to prove to people we're not this little school in the cornfields." First-year Hanover Central Coach Denny Foster always gives Bilinski his team's toughest defensive assignment, and she gets a thrill out of guarding opposing high-profile players. She'll get her fill of that on Saturday against No. 4 North Judson, which features a number of offensive weapons in the form of Jaime Sturgell (15.2 ppg), Kristie King (13.0 ppg) and Kori Glass (15.0 ppg).

4A Adams Sectional - Penn senior Stacy Handschu, Penn juniors Angela Knight and Jessica Reiter, Mishawaka senior Kristi Kaniewski, and LaSalle senior Briana Hensley.

3A Plymouth Sectional - SB Washington sophomore Jackie Batteast, SB Washington junior Simone Benion, Plymouth senior Erin Cox, St. Joseph's senior Mary Kate Cressy, and St. Joseph's junior Bridget Pluta.

Just a few notes from Region-area sectionals:

The Region saw several upsets during sectional play over the last week that left a lot of us scratching our heads. Perhaps the most notable was the incredible win of Michigan City over sectional-final favorite Portage. Portage had not been playing well since it's loss to New Albany in mid-January, but was considered a favorite to make it to the final game with it's outstanding sectional draw -- a bye with a Thursday game against Michigan City (6-15), who the Indians had beaten by 31 points in the regular season. But the Wolves had different plans and gave Portage, and themselves, the surprise of their lives by eliminating Portage with an astounding 62-55 win. Michigan City was eventually beaten by Hobart in Saturday night's championship game. Other Region upsets include Chesterton over No. 5 Valparaiso by one point in overtime, and Hanover Central over No. 10 North Newton.

At the 4A Portage Sectional, the Hobart senior contingent finally, finally, finally (yes, finally) won a sectional title, Hobart's first-ever in girls basketball. They've had some near misses over the past few years, including a last-second loss as sophomores to Crown Point in 1997, when the Lady Bulldogs went on to eventually play against Martinsville in the State Championship game. After playing together since the fifth grade, seniors Abbey Coons, Katie Julian, Lauren Julian, Chrissie Synko, Colleen Casko and Natalie Cartwright will get their chance on Saturday to advance to the "Big Show" when they play Penn in Game 1 of the the NorthWood Regional. We wish them continued success.

4A Highland's Jenny DeMuth (5'10 G/F) made the case for consideration as the top underclass player in the Region with an impressive performance in her team's 51-37 Sectional Championship win over Munster. The sophomore sensation plays with tremendous poise and offers up a pretty big game. She was all over the place for her team on Saturday night, diving for balls, getting key steals, pulling down critical rebounds and wisely dictating the pace of the game. She finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals and several assists. Last year as a freshman, DeMuth sat out of the sectionals after an ACL injury during Highland's last regular season game sidelined her for the tournament season. Highland moves on to the 4A Regional at Merrillville on Saturday, where the marquee matchup of DeMuth and Gary West Side senior standout Kristin Cheairs should be quite interesting.

Senior players who finished out in a big way at the Merrillville 4A Sectional included Crown Point's Danielle Tovsen and Merrillville's Shannon Wells. Tovsen, a 5'9 center, posted her best stats in second-round play against Munster with a career-first double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds). Tovsen also had 3 steals. Wells, a 5'10 Jack-of-All-Positions, finished her career in the first-round game against Crown Point with a 9-point run in the third quarter after being held scoreless in the first half. That run kept her team in it after trailing by 7 at the half to lose by only one point in the end. Wells finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in her last high school game.

In 3A, it was almost deja vu all over again for the Andrean Lady 59ers when it came down to the wire in their championship game against Griffith Saturday night. Last season, Andrean, who was favored locally for a trip to the state finals, was unexpectedly eliminated by Gavit in early sectional play. Down by 1 point to Griffith with just over five minutes to play in this season's sectional final, clutch free-throw shooting by senior Meghann Sullivan secured a win for her team and a chance to play next Saturday in the Merrillville Regional against Twin Lakes, winner of the Benton Central Sectional (where last year's 3A champ, West Lafayette, was eliminated in first-round play).

2A Sectional Champ Hanover Central freshman Julie Moniak (5'11 F/C) has been a steady contributer to her team's success on the season so far. Backing up big name Hanover players Christy Koby and Melanie Brumbaugh, Moniak was key with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and 1 steal in the Wildcats' 70-63 upset win over No. 10 North Newton in the sectional final Saturday night.

In 1A, sophomore Erica Martin (5'10G) secured a win that put to end a 7-year sectional championship drought for Kouts. Martin, a member of the IHSAA State Scoring Leaders list at 22.2 ppg, stayed true to form with a 22-point performance in her team's 58-39 win over Whiting. Kouts moves on to the Knox Regional where they will take on Triton for a chance to appear in the 1A Semi-State.

It's been an interesting week of Sectional action around the state, and we would like to bring you up-to-date on the status of ranked teams in all four classes prior to tonight's sectional championship finals. We have created a new page, State Tourney Status of Ranked Teams, that will follow the progress of all the ranked teams throughout the tournament. You can access this page from here or from our home page throughout the course of the IHSAA State Tournament.

Jill Hartman, a senior at Evansville Memorial, broke the Evansville city career scoring record Feb. 11 when she tallied 34 points in a 75-70 loss to Washington. Hartman left the game with 1,861 points, surpassing the former city record of 1,843 by 1987 Evansville Bosse graduate Vicki Lander.

Erin Jedilkowski, a senior at Portage, became the second girl in school history to score 1,000 career points. She reached the level Feb. 6 in the Penn Shootout, running her total to 1,014.

Kourtney Mennen, a senior at Clinton Prairie, finished the regular season with 1,950 career points and ranked 15th on the state's career list. She needs 50 points to become the 13th girls player to score 2,000 career points.

Amy Meyer, a senior at South Adams, scored the 1,000th point of her career Feb. 11 in a 68-34 victory over Union (Modoc). Meyer scored 26 points in the game to raise her career total to 1,001. She is second girl in school history to score 1,000 points.

Erika Roudebush, a senior at Hamilton Southeastern, broke the school's single-game scoring record Feb. 9 with 41 points in a 70-67 victory over Anderson Highland.

Lindsay Secrest, a junior at Bloomfield, broke the school's single-season scoring record with 576 points in 21 regular-season games. The former record was 575 by Misty Norris in 1991-92.

Jennifer Turner, a senior at Terre Haute North, became the school's career scoring leader in girls basketball Feb. 9 in a 71-58 victory at Northview. Turner scored 26 points in the game to move her career total to 1,556. The previous record was 1,555 by Shannon Huddleson. Turner also holds school records for single-game scoring and three-pointers in a game.

LaTasha Wolfe, a senior at Elkhart Memorial, scored 26 points Feb. 9 in a 76-70 loss to Bethany Christian to run her career total to 1,023 points.

The Indiana State Coaches poll has been released for the final week of regular season play and, as we anticipated, Cathedral has moved into the No. 1 position in 3A. That was the most significant change at the top of any poll, although there were minor changes in most of the polls in the bottom five. As a side note, 3A No. 1 Cathedral and 4A No. 1 New Albany remain as the only undefeated teams heading into this week's sectionals.

The Indiana Coaches Association final season poll will be out this evening, and there will most likely be some adjustments, especially in the 3A poll. With the defeat of previously unbeaten No. 1 Evansville Memorial, the news of the season-ending ACL injury to No. 4 Rushville's Elizabeth English, and the 3-loss season finish of No. 5 South Bend Washington, there are bound to be some major realignments. In 4A, NWI Indiana teams No. 5 Valpo and No. 9 Hobart stumbled in the final week, which might create some minor adjustments. Check back later this evening (usually after 9:00 p.m. CST) to see if final poll results have been released. In the meantime, you can check out our own Region Roundball Review Top 12 Region & State Picks for the week.

Locally, The Times and Post-Tribune are carrying complete girls sectional coverage, with predictions of sectional winners and picks for All-Sectional teams and favorites. Steven Hanlon, Times editorial writer, has selected his sectional winners in his weekly Prep Zone column. And although it won't be known until the final buzzer is sounded which teams and players will step forward and answer the call, here is what The Times and Post-Tribune are previewing for Region-area sectionals:

Sectional 1 - 4A at Hammond Morton
Post-Tribune Pick: Gary West Side
Times All-Sectional Team: Kristin Cheairs (West Side), Cathy Herring (Morton), Tiffany Humphrey (Hammond), Inesha Hazley (EC Central) and Francis Malone (Roosevelt).

Sectional 2 - 4A at Merrillville
Post-Tribune Pick: Highland
Times All-Sectional Team: Jenny DeMuth (Highland), Shannon Wells (Merrillville), Susan Hay (Munster), Lori Moore (Lake Central) and Sarah Zondor (Crown Point).

Sectional 3 - 4A at Portage
Post-Tribune Pick: Valpo or Portage
Times All-Sectional Team: Jackie Campbell (Chesterton), Jeanette Gray (Valparaiso), Abbey Coons (Hobart), Natalie Yudt (Portage), Erin Sampsel (Valparaiso).

Sectional 17 - 3A at Calumet
Post-Tribune Pick: Andrean
Times All-Sectional Team: Kara Austgen (Andrean), Meghann Sullivan (Andrean), Joann Smith (Gavit ), Stacy Jones (Bishop Noll), Lawanda Mitchell (Calumet), and Jamie Gutowski (Andrean).

Sectional 18 - 3A at Benton Central
Post-Tribune Pick: (None selected)
Times All-Sectional Team: Kristen Kruchowski (Kankakee Valley), Kelly Lane (Rensselaer), Lello Gebisa (W. Lafayette), Keaton Brumm (W. Lafayette) and Julie Goad (Twin Lakes).

Sectional 33 - 2A at Boone Grove
Post-Tribune Pick: North Newton
Times All-Sectional Team: Tracie Mezera (River Forest), Kristi Koselke (N. Newton), Lindsey Schultz (Wheeler), Melanie Brumbaugh (Hanover Central) and Becky Schuster (N. Newton).

Sectional 49 - 1A at Hebron
Post-Tribune Pick: Morgan Township
Times All-Sectional Team: Kim McGinley (Morgan Twp.), Erica Martin (Kouts), Michelle Armstrong (Hebron), Megan Hefner (Morgan Twp.), Thespena Kollintzas (Whiting).

Sectional 50 - 1A at Culver Community
Post-Tribune Pick: (None selected)
Times All-Sectional Team: Hannah Herrold (S. Central), Amber Oneal (S. Central), Crista Bulger (Westville), Jacque Drubert (Westville) and Ryan Dunleavy (MC Marquette).

Susan Hay, a junior at Munster, had a perfect shooting game Feb. 4 when she made all seven field goal attempts and all eight free throw attempts on the way to a 22-point game.

Lisa Bergey, a senior at Bethany Christian, became the school's career rebounding leader Feb. 4 when she grabbed 10 in a 59-41 victory over Argos. Bergey left the game with 511 career rebounds, breaking the mark of 507 set by Audrey Schultz in 1992.

Emily Butler, a senior at Center Grove, reached the 1,000-point level for her career Jan. 27 when she scored 23 points in a game against Warren Central. Butler left the game with 1,017 career points. She earlier became the school's career record holder for assists and three-pointers. Butler has signed a letter of intent to attend Northwestern University.

Lynne Johnson, a junior at Corydon Central, became the school's career scoring leader in girls basketball Jan. 27 when she scored a season-high 34 points against Salem. Johnson left the game with 1,097 career points.

Melissa Merkel, a junior at Northeast Dubois, scored the 1,000th point of her career Feb. 4 in a 73-32 victory over Heritage Hills. Merkel scored 23 points to run her career total to 1,013. She joined teammate Kami Vaal, who reached the milestone earlier this season, as the only players in school history to score 1,000 points.

Lindsay Nelson, a senior at Western, became the fifth girl in school history to score 1,000 points. She reached the level Feb. 3 with 12 points against Tipton.

Erika Roudebush, a senior at Hamilton Southeastern, became the school's girls basketball career scoring leader Feb. 2 when she scored 26 points in a 72-44 victory over Indianapolis Broad Ripple. Roudebush ran her career total to 1,089 points. Her father, Jack Roudebush, has been the school's boys basketball career scoring leader since 1970 with 1,465 points.

Cara Stuckey, a senior at Terre Haute South, broke the school's 10-year-old record for points in a game Feb. 3 when she tallied 38 in an 87-69 triumph over Sullivan. The former record was 35 by Val Evans.

Kristy Thomann, a senior at North Vermillion, surpassed the 1,500-point mark for her career Feb. 2 when she scored 33 points in a 68-49 victory at Rockville. Thomann has signed a letter of intent to attend Indiana State University.

Amy Waugh, a senior at Homestead, broke the school's career scoring record in girls basketball Jan. 28 with 15 points in a 76-42 triumph over New Haven. Waugh left the game with 1,233 points, surpassing the total of 1,226 set by 1997 graduate Candi Crawford. Waugh also broke the school's single-game assists record with 15 in the contest. Waugh has signed a letter of intent to attend Xavier University.

Natalie Will, a senior at NorthWood, reached the 1,000-point mark for her career Jan. 23 against Whitko in the NorthWood Invitational. She subsequently moved to No. 1 on the school's career scoring chart Feb. 4 with a career record of 35 points in a 97-41 victory over South Bend Adams. Will completed a triple-double performance with 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Also scoring a triple-double in the game was teammate Amy Zercher. The school's former career mark was 1,056 by Jami Heckaman. Will has signed a basketball letter of intent to attend Northwestern University.

We have put together sectional brackets for all four divisions of the state tournament, which are all in an easy-to-follow format which can be accessed from our home page. Teams from the north are shown on the left side of the brackets and teams from the south are on the right. Also, to easily identify the ranked and runner-up teams from the State Coaches Poll, we have highlighted those teams in color for you to track their progress during the tournament. When games begin on Tuesday, we will do our best to post as many scores as possible. We would appreciate any scores that you might be able to send our way throughout the course of the tournament. Thanks.

3A South Bend Washington, led by sophomore Jackie Batteast, will put its unbeaten record on the line against NIC foe 4A Penn tomorrow night in what is sure to be a thriller. You can read about this impending battle in the South Bend Tribune. Penn will be hosting Portage, Crown Point and NorthWood on Saturday in the Penn Classic. Both varsity and JV teams will be competing. The action starts with Penn taking on Portage at 9:30 a.m. (EST), followed by Crown Point v. NorthWood at 11:00 a.m. (EST). Evening competition will pit NorthWood against Portage at 5:00 p.m. (EST) and Penn against Crown Point at 8:15 p.m. (EST). All varsity games will be played in the Penn High School Arena.

Cortney Cooper, a senior at Martinsville, reached the 1,000-point level for her career Jan. 23 in a career-best 41-point effort against Lawrence Central. Martinsville recorded a 99-68 victory and Cooper ran her career total to 1,038 points.

Patti Groover, a senior at Clay City, scored the 1,000th point of her career Jan. 26 against Northview in a 64-45 loss. She scored 23 points and left the game with 1,020 career points.

Lindsay Secrest, a junior at Bloomfield, scored the 1,000th point of her career Jan. 27 in a 68-32 victory over North Daviess. She scored 37 points in the game, running her career total to 1,029.

"Butler's Kelly Kuhn (Lake Central) has racked up four double-doubles, the latest being 14 points and 11 rebounds in a 116-101 victory over Detroit and 14 rebounds and 11 points in a 78-65 decision over Cleveland State. The Bulldogs are 13-6 and 6-1 in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference."

"Tennessee-Martin's Zabrina Harris (Calumet) became the seventh player in school history to top 1,000 points with her effort against Austin  Peay. The junior center racked up a season-high 29 points, hitting 12 of 14 shots. She also grabbed 10 rebounds."

"Forward Jenn Sliwa (Boone Grove) is second on Villanova's team in 3-pointers with 28. Her specialty is post defense, but the 6-1 senior is also averaging 8.1 points and 3.3 rebounds. Sliwa has started all but two games for the Wildcats (9-10)."

The Indiana Coaches poll is out for the week, and there were very few changes in the top 5 for each division. In 4A, all of the top 10 teams retained their position, except for Portage, which dropped from No. 10 to be replaced by DeKalb. In 3A, West Lafayette dropped one spot to No. 4 after it's weekend loss to 4A Lafayette Jeff. 2A North Judson moved up one position to the No. 3 spot after a win over No. 7 North Newton. In 1A, the top five remain the same, however Lapel has moved up 3 positions to No 6. There are only two weeks left in the regular season. All of those teams feeling they've been overlooked during the course of the season by the pollsters will finally get their chance to prove their point. The "real season" begins on February 16 when everyone starts with an 0-0 record and when polls won't make a bit of difference to what happens on the floor. The exciting part about it all is that there is a tremendous amount of parity around the state this year, and there is no one team clear ahead of the pack up and down the class tournament ranks.