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Valparaiso girls basketball coach Candy Wilson, left, has 303 career wins, one of three coaches this week at the Class 4A Kankakee Valley Sectional with over 300 career wins. Wilson and her Vikings will shoot for 304 on Saturday night when they play K.V. in the sectional championship game.
- John J. Watkins, File, The Times
Munster coach Mike Hackett was very upset after Thursday's loss to Griffith, where the Mustangs blew a 19-point lead along with a nine-point advantage in the fourth quarter. Munster has five losses this season by a combined 19 points with one game going OT.
- John J. Watkins, file, The Times
Saturday Morning Scorer's Table: E.C.-L.C. again, it doesn't get much better than this
- Steve Hanlon
steve.hanlon@nwi.com, 219-933-4198
- Updated
- 5 min to read
Lake Central celebrates their 48-41 win over E.C. Central in the 4A basketball sectionals last year at Lowell High School. The two teams meet yet again in sectional play for what figures to be an instant classic.
- Jonathan Miano, The Times
Valparaiso girls basketball coach Candy Wilson, left, has 303 career wins, one of three coaches this week at the Class 4A Kankakee Valley Sectional with over 300 career wins. Wilson and her Vikings will shoot for 304 on Saturday night when they play K.V. in the sectional championship game.
- John J. Watkins, File, The Times
Munster coach Mike Hackett was very upset after Thursday's loss to Griffith, where the Mustangs blew a 19-point lead along with a nine-point advantage in the fourth quarter. Munster has five losses this season by a combined 19 points with one game going OT.
- John J. Watkins, file, The Times
Lake Central's girls basketball team has won 16 sectional championships, the last one coming in 2015.
E.C. Central has won nine sectional titles, the last one coming in 2012. Joe Huppenthal led the Cardinals to five of those sectional titles at E.C.
Now, Huppenthal is coaching at Lake Central as the two Region titans battle Saturday night for the Class 4A Crown Point Sectional title.
The Indians beat the Cards 51-35 on Dec. 13.
In the first game, which marked the return of E.C.'s Jenasae Bishop from a knee injury, the flashy points guard scored her team's first 12 points.
But L.C. had its own marksmen in Lauren Ladowski, who scored the Indians' first 10 points before finishing with 12.
Lake Central's defense forced 17 turnovers in that game.
"It all starts with Jenasae," Huppenthal said on Friday after his team beat Highland in the semifinal. "And their 'bigs' will be a problem, too."
In the first game, Tai-Yanna and Tiara Jackson were held to a combined four points. But in East Chicago's 45-33 win over Crown Point in the first semifinal, Tai-Yanna scored eight and twin sister had 10.
Their defensive effort in the paint all but shut down the Bulldogs' offensive sets.
In the first game the Indians hit eight 3-pointers. Also, E.C.'s Taiyanna Jackson, Zariah Frierson and Nia Hurt all fouled out.
Huppenthal said on Friday he has scouted 13 E.C. Central games this season and he noted that Cardinals coach Eric Kundich and his staff traveled to South Bend to watch Lake Central play St. Joseph's on Jan. 26.
This is going to be a classic. A chess match in Nikes. Just like all the other ones in this rivalry's great past.
"This is what our kids have looked forward to," Huppenthal said. "It will come down to who executes and who stays out of foul trouble."
Home cooking usually tastes better
Gallery: Kankakee Valley Sectional girls basketball
Michigan City, Kankakee Valley, Valparaiso and Portage descend upon Wheatfield for the semifinals of the 4A Kankakee Valley Sectional.
Portage's Alexis Switzer squeezes around Valparaiso's Shea Pendleton.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Portage's Skylar Flanagan tries to stop Valparaiso's Kiana Oelling's shot.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Portage's Alexis Switzer gets double-teamed by Valparaiso's Aleah Ferngren, left, and Ariana Gerdt.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Valparaiso's Ariana Gerdt looks for a way around Portage's Kristen Cravens.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Michigan City's Hannah Noveroske gets double-teamed by Kankakee Valley's Sarah Martin and Carley DeKock on Friday in Wheatfield. Noveroske was fouled by Martin.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Kankakee Valley's Karmen Nowak passes to a teammate Friday in Wheatfield.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Michigan City's Janicia Anderson holds on to the ball to try to make a shot Friday in Wheatfield.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Kankakee Valley's Maddie Swart gets her shot locked by Michigan City's Hannah Noveroske on Friday in Wheatfield.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Michigan City's Katelyn Halfacre tries to steal the ball from Kankakee Valley's Lindsey Stokes on Friday in Wheatfield.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Michigan City's Janicia Anderson reaches high for a pass over Kankakee Valley's Maddie Swart on Friday in Wheatfield.
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Portage's Alexis Switzer squeezes around Valparaiso's Shea Pendleton.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Valparaiso's Ariana Gerdt looks for a way around Portage's Kristen Cravens.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
Portage's Alexis Switzer gets double-teamed by Valparaiso's Aleah Ferngren, left, and Ariana Gerdt.
- John J. Watkins, The Times
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Kankakee Valley's girls basketball program has won nine sectional championships, but never in Class 4A. Saturday night the Kougars will host Valparaiso in the Kankakee Valley Sectional for a chance to do just that.
K.V. lost to Valparaiso 63-45 on Nov. 7, which head coach Ryan Myers hopes was very long ago.
"I don't know if we're the favorite," Myers said after Tuesday's tight 66-52 win over Merrillville. "There are a lot of good teams in this sectional, a lot of great coaches...
"It's still Merrillville. It was a mental hurdle we had to clear."
K.V. came back and beat Michigan City in Friday's semifinal 61-55, as Lindsey Stokes and Sarah Martin each scored 16 and Catherine Cavinder added 11.
But now mighty Valparaiso stands in the way of the ladder and scissors.
"Hosting (the sectional) is a great opportunity," Myers said. "Finally we don't have to get on a bus, we've got the home cooking. That's key for us."
Myers spoke of how his sectional has three coaches with over 300 career wins. Chesterton's Jack Campbell has 369, Michigan City's Mike Megyese has 325 and Valparaiso's Candy Wilson has 303, looking for 304.
Such numbers are very rare in just one sectional field.
Griffith coach Grayling Gordon shouts to his players in their win against Andrean last week. His Panthers beat Munster 58-56 on Thursday bringing legitimacy to the program as they play at Hammond on Tuesday.
John J. Watkins, file, The TimesWhat does Griffith play?
The noise echoing out of Griffith's locker room Thursday was loud. The Panthers had just beaten Munster 58-56 in dramatic fashion.
Griffith coach Grayling Gordon got his team into a huddle and asked a simple question. Loudly.
"What do we play at Griffith?"
And his team screamed back, "Defense" before dancing around in joy.
The last time the Panthers won inside Munster's fieldhouse was Jan. 25, 2001 -- a 51-35 victory.
Last week: 3 | Record: 15-2
The Trojans return to the penthouse on the strength of a six-game winning streak, a stretch in which they've won fives times by 15 points or more. They faced a sneaky tough home matchup with surging Michigan City on Thursday.
- The Times
Last week: 5 | Record: 11-4
What a wild weekend it was for the Vikings. First, the controversial overtime game-winner by Nate Aerts at Merrillville, then as irony would have it, more last-second drama with a Brandon Newman buzzer beater to get past Munster. Valpo should have less drama this week. It hosts LaPorte on Thursday and Bishop Noll for an afternoon matinee Saturday.
- The Times
Last week: 6 | Record: 11-7
Still trying to find a steady gear, the up-and-down Pirates have a big game against Lake Central on Thursday. Then, a week off before traveling to LaPorte. Time for this group to find some consistency before it's too late.
- The Times
In Thursday's game the Panthers held the Mustangs to 25 second-half points and only 10 in a fourth quarter where Griffith made a nine-point deficit disappear.
Gordon looked like a NHL coach substituting players on almost every dead ball, keeping fresh legs out there to wear down the opponent.
"We want to get them tired," he said. "That's why we play defense so hard."
Junior Timothy Lawson scored 15 in the win and almost took the game over in the fourth quarter. Oshawn Lee was also very key in scoring 15, while Jake Dye had 10.
But this team is all about the D.
In its 12 games since Dec. 22, Griffith is allowing 52.4 points a game. The Panthers have now beaten Andrean and Munster in back-to-back games, with a huge one at Hammond coming Tuesday.
The Wildcats are 10th in the state in scoring with a 73.72 scoring average.
Something is going to have to give in this one.
More than upset to say the least
After the loss to Griffith, Munster coach Mike Hackett was more than upset.
His team allowed a 19-point advantage to get away, a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter, and he watched his team commit four turnovers in the final few minutes that turned into points for the Panthers.
Munster lost to Valparaiso last Saturday 56-55 on a last-second shot. When asked about two straight gut-wrenching losses, Hackett's voice raised.
"It's five games we've given away this year," he said. "If we finished games this year we would be undefeated."
The Mustangs lost to Hammond 68-65, E.C. Central 57-52 and Andrean 65-57 in overtime.
This should never happen again
On Tuesday night most of Indiana celebrated the tip-off to the 43rd annual IHSAA girls basketball state tournament. As you've probably noticed, there have been incredible games and individual efforts all over the place.
This memo, however, didn't seem to reach Andrean or E.C. Central high schools. On the girls sectional opening night, the 59ers and Cardinals played in big games in their sectionals.
Steve Hanlon and Jim Peters talk about the controversial buzzer beater in last Friday's Valparaiso-Merrillville game (1:15), the surging Chest…
But fans at both schools were split because on Tuesday Andrean's boys basketball team went to E.C. to play the Cardinals. Andrean won 84-70. But this game should not have been played on the same night as girls sectional action.
Is this 2018 or 1918?
Nearly every school in the Region avoids scheduling games for its boys team the same night as girls sectionals. That's why Thursday is a big boys night the week of girls sectionals.
The Andrean-E.C. game could've also been played on Monday.
Splitting crowds and student athletes is awful. It's even worse when it happens during postseason play.
Here's hoping the schools' athletic directors -- E.C.'s Monica Maxwell and Andrean's Kelly Fitzgerald -- make a change next year and beyond.
Merrillville's bench is getting shorter
T.J. Lux was happy with his Pirates' 86-53 win over Lowell last Saturday, but there were some concerns with who was playing where.
Merrillville lost three varsity players in a week's time, which isn't easy this time of year. Rishard Balkcom had been playing great the last few weeks as the 6-foot-5 junior was putting up big numbers. But academic issues have sidelined the budding star.
Junior Darryon Bandy injured his knee last week. And Nolan Thomas was starting for the Bucs, but he is no longer on the team.
"It wasn't something we expected," Lux said after the Lowell win. "We've got a lot of junior varsity guys getting varsity minutes now. We believe they can play well but they don't have a lot of (varsity) experience.
"It's something we're going to have to work on."
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Steve Hanlon
Sports reporter
Steve has won awards during two different stints at The Times. In addition to being the Prep Beat columnist, he covers football, boys basketball and boys track. He is a long-suffering Cubs fan.
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