Lady Wildcats optimistic after close 54-50 loss to neighbor Lowell

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith
11-24-2005

11-23-2005  at Cedar Lake, IN

LOWELL (54) Julie Swisher 5-2-16, Kim Bell 4-6-14, Ashley Cosentino 4-6-14, Kara Lamb 1-3-5, Rachel Thiel 1-0-2, Kate Haberlin 1-1-3.  TOTALS: 16 (18-24) 54.

HANOVER CENTRAL  (50)  Andria Trock 2-0-4, Krysta Rickey 4-3-12, Christy Bader 1-1-3, Brittany Griner 1-0-2, Bethany Flores 1-0-2, Chrissy Holmoka 1-0-2, Anna Turturillo 8-5-21, Jordan Kramer 1-0-2, Megan Parks 1-0-2, Sammy Plant 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 18 (13-17) 50.

FREE THROWS:  LOWELL (18-24, 75%) Swisher 2-2, Cosentino 6-8, Lamb 3-5, Bell 6-7, Haberlin 1-2.  HANOVER (13-17, 76.4%) Turturillo 5-6, Rickey 3-4, Bader 1-3, Holmoka 2-2, Kramer 2-2.

REBOUNDS:  HANOVER (26) Griner 6, Turturilo 5, Trock 4, Bader 3, Plant 2,  Bethany Flores 2, Holmoka 3, Parks; LOWELL (24) Thiel 9, Bell 7, Haberlin 4, Lamb 2, Swisher 2.

ASSISTS:  HANOVER (9) Rickey 4, Trock 2, Bethany Flores 2, Turturillo;  LOWELL  (12) Cosentino 5, Haberlin 2, Lamb 2.

STEALS:  HANOVER (7)  Rickey 2, Kramer 2, Bader 2, Turturillo;  LOWELL (9) Lamb 5, Swisher 3, Thiel.

TURNOVERS:  HANOVER (5-7-0-4) 16;  LOWELL (5-3-2-2) 12

FOULED OUT: Jordan Kramer (HC) 4th Q - 0:19 left.

CEDAR LAKE (11-23-2005)  You wish they were all like this.  Contrasting styles.  Good shooting.  A lively crowd.  A close finish.  A little drama.  And both sides coming away feeling pretty good about the whole thing.

That's probably what should happen when neighbor schools get together in a nonconference game the day before the holiday season.  Lowell built up a big lead, lost it all and came back to win 54-50 over sister school Hanover Central the night before Thanksgiving before about 300 friends of the programs.

"The defense brought us back completely," said Hanover coach Chris York.  "What were we down? Eleven ? Twelve?  But we made a couple of turnovers at the end where we dribbled right into the defense.  But these girls haven't played together very long."

"Your first few games are supposed to be ugly," said Lowell coach Patti McCormack, "and this one was.  But he (York) has a lot of good players.  They're going to be very good.  They make you look bad sometimes."

Everybody looked good and bad sometimes in the old Hanover gym. Lowell senior Julie Swisher scored 11 first quarter points and Hanover could score just four first half baskets against Lowell's zone defense as the Devils (3-0) built a 25-13 lead just before halftime.

But when the third quarter began, senior Krysta Rickey and junior Anna Turturillo led a 15-4 run that evened the score at 29, 31, 35 and 37.  Turturillo, a 5-8 forward, consistently got good position in the four lane and scored seven third quarter baskets, all from inside 10 feet.

Hanover led 49-45 when four consecutive free throws by Ashley Cosentino and Kim Bell tied the game with 1:05 to go. Turturillo split two free throws for a 50-49 lead.  But Bell, a 5-10 sophomore, hit two foul shots to make it 51-50.  Lowell senior Rachel Thiel, who missed half the game with foul trouble, blocked Turturillo's shot to give the Devils a chance to clinch the game.

Lowell junior Kara Lamb missed the rim on two consecutive free throws but Lamb then stole the ball as Rickey drove into a crowd in the lane trying to create a game-tying shot.  Fouled again, Lamb sank the second of two foul shots with the Hanover crowd heckling her to make it 52-50 with 12 seconds left.  Hanover's Samantha Plant was called for traveling in the back court and Cosentino sank two foul shots with seven seconds left to ice the game.

"We played three quarters," said York. "The second quarter was not good at all. If we'd play four quarters, what will we be doing? We'd be competing with everybody."

Hanover has a combined total of six juniors and seniors. They should see close games with Wheeler (a 45-35 loss on Nov.18) and Lowell as forward steps.  Lowell starts three core seniors and they want to win now.  So it doesn't matter how they got to 3-0.  It's the 3-0 that matters.

"We're doing enough right now," said McCormack, who used only six players against a rotating bench of 10 Lady Cats.  "Rachel's got to stay on the floor.  She knows that.  We made an adjustment in halftime and Rachel picked up a quick foul and came out and that messed up the adjustment.  I called a couple of time outs and then I finally let them figure it out.  Sometimes you have to cut the chord.  They're an experienced team. They've got to figure it out themselves."

Cosentino, a four-year varsity player, acts like it. The 5-foot-3 lefty had 14 points and four assists playing all 32 minutes.  Lowell hasn't faced any other 4A teams yet, but the Devils really haven't had a bad backcourt game so far this year.

"She's such a quiet leader," said McCormack.  "I don't think she gets nearly the credit she deserves.  We're working through the kinks.  I don't know exactly when they'll go away. The only way we'll make it is if everybody scores."

I haven't coached a team like this in years.  We have such balance.  They went to a box and one on Julie.  She's going to see a lot of that.  But we can still spread it out and go to the basket."

Hanover (1-2) shouldn't have fallen 12 points behind in the first half.  Swisher hit four consecutive jump shots at the start of the game after the 5-5 distance shooter had been the focus of Hanover's defensive game plan.

"We just didn't react to her," said York. "We had to go to a gimmick defense (box-and-one) because our girls just didn't adjust to her.  And they didn't have anybody else who could hurt us from out there."

The appeal of this game was the speed at which it was played.  With seniors Rickey and Cosentino as the lead ball-handlers, there were only 29 turnovers on a night where both teams had some full or half court pressure much of the game.

Swisher (18.6 ppg.) and Cosentino (14.3 ppg.) have both scored in double figures in all three games so far and the Devils totaled just 12 turnovers Wednesday.  With just six regular varsity players, McCormack will accept some rough stretches just to keep the right-handed distance shooter and the left-handed point guard on the floor all the time.

"We did some ill-advised things," McCormack said. "But I'd rather have the 'Ws' and be ugly."

GAME NOTES:  Kim Bell had 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in her best game of the season. The team of Bell and 5-10 Rachel Thiel is going to be formidable at both ends of the floor.

"Bell has a great shot," said McCormack. "She squared up one time, made a head fake and went to the basket.  When she gets that dribble move down, she's going to be a force."

McCormack's only complaint was that the 5-10 sophomore didn't take every open shot from the 10-15 foot range.  "She is way too into sharing. She can shoot that shot any time."

Hanover freshman lead guard Jordan Kramer played much of three quarters and fouled out, taking only one shot.  

"We're going to have to work that out," said coach Chris York. "She's just 15 and she may feel she isn't supposed to take shots away from the older girls."

Lowell's Saturday game (Nov. 26) against Andrean has been postponed until Dec. 22 due to Lowell's state title football game with Roncalli Saturday.  Hanover recognized Lowell's berth in the state title match with an announcement just prior to the tip-off.

One of the reasons that prospects seem bright for both Hanover and Lowell is foul shooting.  Both teams are getting to the line frequently and making the most of it. After three games, Lowell is 50 of 66 (75.7%) from the foul line after three games.  Hanover is 42 of 55 (76.3%).

Hanover makes their first visit to the new Hebron high school on Friday, Dec. 2 for a boys-girls double-header.  The schedule says the girls play at 6 p.m. but that is not definite.  Lowell hosts rival Crown Point Tuesday night (Nov. 29) with the JV game beginning at 6 p.m.  The CP Lady Bulldogs versus Lowell varsity game will be carried live on Internet Radio www.USA-365.com with the pregame show starting at 7:15 p.m., CST.