2005-2006 Girls Basketball 

Preseason Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

(11-12-2005)

  

EAST CHICAGO, IN - (11-9-2005) When you look at a season and how it figures to pan out you can't just look at what a team has lost from the previous season.  The beauty of high school athletics is that no one is irreplaceable and no player carried a good team.  No matter how good you were or think you were, player or coach, rest assured they will go on without you.  So, you tend to look at programs more so thaN players.  A star player leaving a top program is no big deal because they've got more coming.  The trick is to see who's coming back and not dwell on who's gone.

Everybody always says that this is the year when the top big school programs in NW Indiana --  Valparaiso, Crown Point, Gary West Side --  will finally crumble like pound cake while new blood runs wild like deer in the forest.

But it never seems to work that way.  Put your money on the perennial big guys until something changes.  When the 'big game' hunters come home in the end, Bambi usually ends up in the freezer.


1.) East Chicago

21-4 (2005), 17-5 (2004), 21-1 (2003)

EAST CHICAGO -   Clearly the No. 1 team at the top of the season. They return four starters off a 21-4 team and add 5-9 senior Candace Bishop who transferred from Bishop Noll.  Rated 6th in the state in the pre-season, they deserve it with D-1 players Dee Dee Jernigan (Purdue)  and Kelly Watts (10 ppg.).  In the Post-Tribune, coach Ron Edmonds said "We should be fair."  That's not really the truth and he knows it. This team plays a top independent schedule (including 3A state champ SB St. Joe, the state's top team in any class) and with 6-0 center Valencia Cotton in the middle, they can drop Jernigan (18.2 ppg, 10.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists) to point guard and roll like the river. The sky is the limit but they must put pressure on themselves. With great talent comes great expectations.  This team, which hasn't won a sectional in this decade, needs to be the regional champion and anything less will be a very disappointing season.

 

2.) Valparaiso   

21-2 (2005), 23-3 (2004), 16-8 (2003)

VALPARAISO -  You can't have a top-10 in NW Indiana without Valparaiso.  The Vikings return just two starting players, but what wins in high school basketball?  You know the answer.  Guards win.  Valpo returns college-size starting guards in 5-11 senior Erica Humes (12.0 ppg., 3.3 assists) and 5-10 junior Lauren Prow (6.0 ppg., 4.7 rpg) and that will create severe matchup and pass defense problems for everyone they face.  This will be very much the same Valpo team they have had for 15 years.  I don't know where they get them but the Vikings have six other players at 5-10 or taller.  If I was to pick a breakout player up front it would be 5-11 junior Tania Blake.  But with the style of play that coach Greg Kirby has mastered, it's all about the guards and passing ability. Depth is not that crucial. This is the original 'Eight is Enough' team.  Don't listen to kindly old coach Kirby talking about how inexperienced his team is.  Everybody wishes they had his guards.  You bet on programs, not players.  But Humes is a D-1 player if she wants (she's also a soccer player)  to be. If Valpo loses eight games it will be a surprise.   The 53-37 season opening wipe out of a very good Munster team says more about Valpo than it does about Munster.

 

3.) Gary West Side

23-5 (2005), 22-3 (2004), 20-4 (2003)

GARY -   West Side lost four starters off the 2005 semistate champs, but again, please don't fall into that trap of dwelling on what a team lost.  Up front is 6-0 senior Erica Simpson, a D-1 forward and backcourt seniors Lacrecia Hudson and Jamie Sherls are quality players who can handle the ball.  The Cougars have tons of depth to run and press and an interesting project in 6-4 sophomore center Ish Shah Terry.  They won't shoot very well, but they couldn't really shoot last year at all and they went to the state finals.  Gary West Side coach Rod Foster said that 'No one expected us to go to the state finals last year.'  He knows better than that.  Everybody expects West Side to be very good every year and that's part of the reason they are.

 

4.) Munster

17-6 (2005), 6-15 (2004), 6-18 (2003)

MUNSTER -   Forget the spanking they took 53-37 from Valpo on November 8th.  Valpo is very strong.  Munster will be, too.  The Fillies have 6-2 soph Natalie Emro and 5-9 forward Jackie Yerga (13.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg.) up front and lead guard Lauren Meneghetti (9.5 ppg.) to handle the rock.  The Lady Ponies have more depth than anybody but West Side, and they play tough teams outside the Lake Athletic Conference in Merrillville, Penn, Valpo, Chesterton and East Chicago.  They are no longer an underdog though.  Unlike Valpo, EC, CP  and West Side where the coaches are preaching poor-mouth this season (when they know they've got WMDs galore), everybody knows what coach Beth Vesa's got.  I think Munster is hungry to win the sectional (over West Side and EC) and anything less just won't be a good season.

 

5.) Merrillville

12-10 (2005), 18-3 (2004), 15-8 (2003)

MERRILLVILLE -  This team will get better with the addition of Lew Wallace transfer Sharon Houston in December.  Right now, they've got backcourt speed in 5-4 point Britney Cruse, strength at forward with 5-9 senior Gina Howard and a lot of strength in the middle with 6-2 D-1 center (Xavier U.) Brittney Moore (10 ppg, 11 rpg.).  New coach Amy Govert  probably expects to start slow and pick up steam as the season progresses.  Senior Tamara Gaddy is an athletic experienced player but this team has a new coach and will have a new major cog in seven games.

This team is strong because of the guards and the post player, but a quality senior transfer can be disruptive as the Pirates know from past experience with Julie DeMuth in 2004.  Houston can team with Moore to be a dominant inside-outside combo.  But remember, she will miss the first third of this season, and truthfully, hasn't played significantly in two years.

 

6.) Chesterton

11-11 (2005), 14-8 (2004), 13-10 (2003)

CHESTERTON -   This team returns a very solid core in 5-10 senior guard-forward Kelly Peller, 5-9 forward Molly Rau (8.0 ppg.,) and 5-9 forward Maddie Wilk (9.0 ppg.).  Peller, who could score 25 points a game if the Chesterton coaches wanted that,  is easily the best player in Porter County and the defense-oriented Trojans can shut anybody down.  All games will be close.  With six seniors and six players at 5-9 or taller, the future is now for coach Jack Campbell.  The Trojans play in the cut-throat DAC and take on Penn, Highland and Munster outside the league.  Here's another mediocre offensive team, but everybody who plays Chesterton knows they can get shut down.

 

7.) Crown Point

17-6 (2005), 14-8 (2004), 12-9 (2003)

CROWN POINT -   CP lost leading scorers Cassie Pruzin and Kaitlyn Sertich from last season, but again, you're just not listening to me.  It does not matter what you've lost, only what you have coming back.  CP has eight retuning varsity players, not counting 5-11 all-purpose player Katie Kvachkoff, who missed last season with injury.

5-8 senior wing shooter Hannah Plumley (7.7 ppg.) moves to the point and wing player Stephanie Poulos (3.7 ppg,.) drops back to the wing.  CP becomes post oriented with Kvachkoff and 5-11 juniors Courtney Perry and Anjellica Rospond.  Plumley, who is surprisingly adept at the point, and Michelle Lipton will share the lead guard role which won't be the scoring slot it has been for four years.

Power forward Jackie Clements is a foundation of this squad on the baseline and 5-9 junior wing Amanda Moore will average in double figures.  Like Chesterton and Valapraiso, everyone who plays CP will know they have faced some defense.  This will not be a good offensive team early on, but they will be a very good defensive team with 5-9 Clements unwilling to be pushed around at forward, defensive stopper Michelle Lipton at guard and three 5-11 shot blockers rotating in the middle.  This is one of CP's tallest, most experienced and physically strong squads.

 

8.) North Judson

22-4 (2005), 12-9 (2004), 13-8 (2003)

NORTH JUDSON -   The Judds return top 5-5 point guard Kristen Bolen (10 ppg, 4 apg.) off a state finals team and 5-10 big girls Miranda  (8 pg, 8 rpg.) and Chelsea (6 ppg, 4 rpg.) Howard are back up front.  That's all they'll need to be in the top-10 all year.  Judson now adds relative LeAnn Howard, a 6-foot sophomore.  Guards Crystal and Whitney Trusty can compliment Bolen, a gifted ball-handler and legacy player whose great aunt (I believe)  Debbie Bolen is one of the top-10 all-time leading scorers in state history.

This is a very good team with a significant home court advantage.  I'd love to see them play Crown point or Michigan City but they do play 3A No. 10 Plymouth, Twin Lakes and Benton Central.  They don't have the depth or size to beat DAC teams but in 2A with their wonderful motion offense, everybody's got a problem with them.

 

9.) Highland

19-5 (2005), 17-6 (2004), 24-3 (2003)

HIGHLAND -   You look for the point and the post and Highland's got that.  6-2 Katie Kane (7.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 blocks) returns in the middle and 5-7 soph Lizzie Stapke will be better as the lead guard.  5-8 shooter Tina Traczyk returns on the wing for a team that doesn't need much offense.  Look out for 5-10 soph Jordan Bedelia, the next in line of quality big people for coach Mike Urban.  The Trojans are like CP, Valpo and Chesterton in that the defense is a constant.  This team won't shoot very well, but the Trojans couldn't shoot a lick last year either and they won 19 times.

 

10.) Lake Central

7-14 (2005), 11-10 (2004), 13-8 (2003)

ST. JOHN -   A very similar situation to Crown Point. They lose their leading scorer and top guard in Katie Mitchell and nobody notices that they return almost everybody else.  5-9 senior guard Angie Funston (10 ppg.) can stay in the backcourt as LC has five players at 5-9 or taller.  Funston will probably take over at lead guard and she will do well there.  5-10 forward Jenelle Kapelinski is a solid player and 6-foot Ashley Michalski gives LC the size to compete and LC is against becoming athletic enough to press everybody.  LC may end 10-10, but it will be a 'real' 10 wins, not seven steak sandwiches and eight cupcakes.  Experience is a big factor here against a very tough schedule.

 

On the outside looking in:

 

11.) Michigan City

6-15 (2005),  6-16 (2004),  6-14  (2003)

MICHIGAN CITY -   A load of talent, but with a record of 18-45 in the last three seasons, the Wolves have to prove they can win more often than they'll lose.  MC looks good on paper with 6-3 junior center Emma Tucker (10.2 ppg, 10.9 rpg.) and 5-6 junior guard Stefani Sanders (8.2 ppg) but the real push figures to come from freshman guard Bianca McGee, who should start immediately. But with only one senior in the program, MC could fold late in games like they traditionally do.  You don't make the top-10 off of talk.  MC does not play Munster, Highland or East Chicago so they could get to the .500 mark.  But  Michigan City was 4-10 in the DAC last year they'll be hard pressed to do better than 6-8 this time.

 

12.) Rensselaer

15-7 (2005), 10-11 (2004,   9-12  (2003)

RENSSELAER -  They graduated Leslie Rowan (19.6 ppg), but it may not matter with four other starters back including 5-10 senior Reagan Kanne (7.7ppg, 7.1 rpg.), 5-10 senior sisters Amy (5.6 ppg.) and Andrea Streitmatter, and 5-7 track star Allison Malone (5 assists per game).  This is a very big 2A team overall and they have a lot of depth.  Offense will be a problem but defense will not be.  The Bombers are one of those teams nobody in NW Indiana really wants to play because they can make bigger schools look bad.  Give them credit.  They have the nerve to take on 3A power West Lafayette and 3A superpower St. Joseph's.

 

13.) South Central

18-7 (2005), 12-8 (2004), 9-13 (2003)

UNION TOWNSHIP -   A very entertaining team that got hot and almost ran the table in the playoffs last year.  No lead is safe from the fast-breaking satellites with 6-0 senior Anna Kammrath (16.5 ppg, 12.7 rpg.) at post and 5-8 senior guard Mallory Gorski (18.9 ppg, 5.0 steals) out front.  SC has four senior starters in a young league.  The Satellites don't have a true point guard and a lot of what they do is in transition so they may struggle against good guards who can control the pace.  To be brutally honest, this team had some lucky wins in the playoffs and they didn't get past the quarterfinals in the PC tournament.  It will be very hard to win 18 again.

 

14.) Lowell

13-8 (2005), 15-9 (2004), 11-12 (2003)

LOWELL -   Lowell won 13 games with largely six players in 2005, a miraculous feat that went largely unnoticed.  They will not have much more depth in 2006 as guards Kelly Johnson and Whitney Magley will sit out for health reasons.  But the senior class is a very good core with 5-3 Ashley Cosentino and long range shooter Julie Swisher (40 3-point goals) at guards plus 5-9 multi-sports star Rachel Thiel up front.  New to the varsity are 5-10 forwards Kim Bell and Gabby Goetz.  If the Devils can find one more guard, they could surpass last year's win total.

 

15.) Hammond

15-7 (2005), 8-12 (2004), 13-8 (2003)

HAMMOND -   You've got to like Hammond's size with five players 5-10 or taller.  Cena Nasiloski (12.8 ppg, 9.4 rebounds) is a solid 6-foot center.  Denita Phelps (12.6 ppg. 11.2 rebounds) is a solid, consistent forward but Hammond's back court is shaky and this team already turned the ball over a lot.  They'll win the LAC Blue because nobody else is very good, but Hammond doesn't play the overall schedule to improve during the season.  They have to beware of teams that can slow them down and control the pace.

 

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Revised: November 16, 2005 .