L.C.'s Bishton excited about All-Star experience before D-I journey begins

When Kayla Bishton was 13, she played town ball softball. No bells and whistles. No neon.

Valpo's Meihofer tied for opening-round lead at state golf finals

FRANKLIN | Valparaiso's Kyle Meihofer birdied No. 9 after eight pars to shoot a 4-under 68 and tie for the individual lead at the state golf meet Tuesday.

C.P.'s Lee has great first round at state golf finals

FRANKLIN | The morning of the IHSAA boys golf regional, Crown Point coach Jon Haas came down for breakfast at the hotel and saw what he thought was a strawberry smoothie machine. So he grabbed a cup and took a big drink.

The tradition continues for Schlotman and Indiana All-Stars

MUNSTER | It's been going on for quite a while, 75 years to be exact, although the forms and mode of this coveted communique have certainly changed.

The big-hit kids keep Portage's playoff run alive

PORTAGE | When Portage plays Franklin Central Saturday for the Class 4A state softball championship, Indians fans might be pulling for Alexis Johnson to strike out.

Franklin Central ace could cause problems for Portage softball team

The Franklin Central Flashes have at least one similarity with the Portage Indians.

Hanover's loss to Fairfield in Class 3A semifinal was a drag

MONTICELLO | For five innings Ashley Yoways was unhittable. The junior pitcher for Hanover Central had a no-hitter and a 3-0 lead in the semifinal of the Class 3A Twin Lakes Semistate.

Hanover's Davis is allowed to play in softball semistate

Hanover Central will have first-basemen Kori Davis in the lineup for Saturday's Class 3A Twin Lakes Semistate game against Fairfield.

Hanover's Dawson leads the way with great talent and a free spirit

CEDAR LAKE | Ivy Dawson owns a bird. His name is Horatio. She brings it to every Hanover Central softball game.

Yoways wills Hanover Central to softball regional championship

CEDAR LAKE | Unchecked anger is a big problem on this planet. It causes a lot of bad things.

Storm stops Hanover's Yoways' no-hitter in Class 3A softball regional

CEDAR LAKE | So far so good for the Hanover Central Wildcats. And junior pitcher Ashley Yoways.

Former Andrean hoops coach, Horvath, dies from cancer

Tuesday could've been a day of mourning and sadness at 5959 Broadway. Surely, there were some sparks of those emotions at Andrean High School.

Munster's Murphy responds from injury-filled junior year

MUNSTER | In March, when it was cold and rainy, Munster's softball team gathered with a lot of high hopes. Coach Beth Thornburg knew her Mustangs had a shot to make a good run this spring.

Griffith's Adams a proven winner for Panthers

Sammi Adams is like Red Auerbach. Winning isn't a thing. It is the only thing.

Bowman picks Nelson as football coach

David Nelson has been with Bowman Academy football from the very beginning. He was always one of the guys in the background doing good work that many didn’t notice.

Hanover's Balkema leads Wildcats to shocking softball sectional title

CEDAR LAKE | People shouldn't be surprised when they see Melissa Balkema on the center of the stage. The sophomore from Hanover Central has been there for much of her life.

Portage softball defines what it means to believe

CROWN POINT | It was in the bag. Over. Kaput.

Portage, Hobart to meet for C.P. softball sectional title

CROWN POINT | Most of the time you can't hit what you can't see. Or what you haven't seen much of.

North Newton picks big city football coach

North Newton has picked Aaron Sauter to be its next football coach, pending school board approval on Tuesday.

Cool Claussen leads Hobart to big softball sectional win

CROWN POINT | The world was spinning quicker. The heart should've been pounding. But Hobart pitcher Dana Claussen's mind was somewhere else.

Andrean's Cunningham hired to coach at Montana college

MERRILLVILLE | Carson Cunningham knows his future will now have his beloved region pizza frozen and sent to him via the U.S. Postal service.

Crown Point gets revenge in beating Chesterton in sectional opener

CROWN POINT | Miranda Elish and her teammates didn't hear it once or twice or three times.

West Side's Johnson commits to Ohio State for football

The courtship lasted awhile, but the date with destiny for West Side wide receiver Lonnie Johnson and Ohio State was confirmed.

Hobart's Wilson overcomes much to get to the top

HOBART | Hannah Wilson is not alone. The sophomore softball player at Hobart is like roughly half the kids in America, whose parents have gone through the emotional roller coaster of a divorce.

West Side's Johnson leads Cougars to historic win at Highland boys track sectional

HIGHLAND | Depth is a great asset in boys track sectionals. Insane speed is right there with the large numbers when trophies are being handed out.

Keilman leads Noll to the top as a freshman

HAMMOND | Bishop Noll lost a lot of talent from its softball team last year. At the top of the list was hard-throwing pitcher Vanessa Hartzell, a powerful strikeout waiting to happen.

Noll's Trost resigns to return home for coaching job in Utah

Bishop Noll boys basketball coach Drew Trost is looking forward to returning home to Salt Lake City, where he accepted the coaching position at Juan Diego Catholic High School, making the announcement on Thursday afternoon.

Blind draw gives tough sectional openers to many area softball teams

The IHSAA blind draw tournament is as traditional in Indiana as corn and dirty flannel shirts. Sometimes it gives good results. Sometimes it doesn't.

Noll pitching, hitting gets back-to-back win over Whiting

HAMMOND | The biggest drama took place on Tuesday night when Times No. 6 Bishop Noll scored five runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh inning to beat No. 10 Whiting to win the Greater South Shore Conference championship.

Andrean's Cunningham interviewing for college post in Montana

Carson Cunningham led Andrean to the Class 3A Northern Semistate in March. After the 68-63 overtime loss to Fort Wayne Concordia and the coming loss of nine seniors, the Purdue grad was asked if he would return as the 59ers coach.

Morton gets past Westville on passed ball

HAMMOND | Many old-timers say today's youth just don't listen to their elders anymore. Too busy with social media and other silly nonsense, it's been suggested.

Elish not surprising anyone with her fantastic start for the Bulldogs

CROWN POINT | She's like Elvis at a county fair in the mid 1950s. Or the Beatles playing in front of a German crowd before Ed Sullivan.

Murphy sisters lead Munster to at least a share of NCC crown in softball

GRIFFITH | You would think that Carly Murphy would've taken her little sister, Tegan, out for dinner on Thursday night. And paid for it, too. At a place that doesn't serve grub in a bag.

K.V.'s Cavinder steps up big for her mother

WHEATFIELD | Diane Cavinder gingerly walked to the softball diamond at Kankakee Valley on Wednesday before the Times No. 8 Kougars took on No. 4 Griffith.

IHSAA to allow home-schoolers to compete at public schools

When Calumet Christian School volleyball coach Melinda Carr learned the Indiana High School Athletic Association adopted a bylaw to allow home-schooled students to participate in IHSAA-sanctioned sports, Carr said two words.

Big changes come as IHSAA releases new sectional allignments

The IHSAA's Board of Directors were busy on Monday. The new sectional alignments for all sports were released for the next two school seasons, and the IHSAA approved home-school students to participate in athletics in the school district where they live.

Rock leads Crown Point to dramatic come-from-behind win against L.C.

CROWN POINT | One of the oldest and most time-tested adages in softball is simple: "Don't give up. Don't ever give up."

K.V.'s Matson doing what she always does, win

Alyssa Matson was your typical 10-year-old. She didn't really know what she wanted to do so she did everything.

Bohnert's blast caps crazy Chesterton comeback against L.C.

ST. JOHN | If it was by design, Chesterton coach LouAnn Hopson won't admit it. If it was planned out, it was brilliant and allowed The Times No. 1 Trojans to win an insane game at Lake Central on Thursday.

Boyle keeps young Andrean moving in the right direction in softball

MERRILLVILLE | Maybe it was the freezing wind blowing straight into her face. Or maybe one of her Andrean 59ers cracked a joke when she was in the middle of the circle.

Lowell 'drops' Kankakee Valley in big NCC softball contest

LOWELL | It was a Yin and Yang kind of afternoon. It had a little good, a little bad and a little ugly.

High school all-stars get a quarter pounding in McLegends

HARVEY | Tim Zasada looked at the rosters and knew it was a little slanted. The 1990 Hammond grad's premonition proved true Saturday afternoon at Thornton High School.

Lake Central's Del Toro learning how to lead

ST. JOHN | Lily Del Toro was an interesting young lady. There were highs and lows as she started her love of physical activity.

Lowell's Pokropinski not alone in her solo quest

LOWELL | Pete Iussig heard a noise last summer. He looked out the window and saw nothing. No car. No tractor. No cows.

Munster's Schlotman named to Indiana All-Star team

Michael Schlotman led Munster to an undefeated regular season, the No. 1 ranking in the state in every poll and a sectional championship.

Hanover Central picks Harrison as new football coach

CEDAR LAKE | The Hanover Community School Board hired its first football coach in more than four decades on Tuesday night, voting 5-0 in favor of hiring Robert Harrison.

L.C.'s Del Toro deals goose eggs against Crown Point in softball

ST. JOHN | It wasn't a "must win" game as "must win" games go, but it wasn't too far away.

Region hoop fans celebrate the 'hometown' Michigan Wolverines

Across Northwest Indiana on Saturday night, sports fans cheered loudly for their favorite team in the NCAA tournament's semifinals. Pubs and sports bars were packed.

SYF coach remembers fondly Michigan's three frosh

Several years ago Mitch McGary grabbed a rebound in a summer AAU tournament game. His coach started barking the same thing over and over again.

Kankakee Valley softball gets wind-blown win over Hanover

CEDAR LAKE | Sometimes being nice isn't the best way to go. At least in a wild and crazy high school softball game played on a cold field with gale force winds blowing at hurricane speed.