FRIDAY'S PREP ROUNDUP: Cougars catch and overcome Mishawaka Marian

Falling behind in the third quarter after being outscored 22-3, the Times No. 4 West Side Cougars went on a run of their own with a 27-8 fourth-quarter surge to defeat Mishawaka Marian 57-52 in girls basketball action Friday night.

Tinon Hunter's 14 points paced West Side (16-4), while Lexus Fox chipped in 13 points and six rebounds, and Ashley Danzy added 10 points.

E.C. Central 59, Highland 38: Andriana Moore made her Cardinals Senior Night extra special with a season-high 28 points as part of her double-double.

Moore chipped in 13 rebounds as E.C. Central (15-6) racked up 46 boards against the Trojans. Tiajaney Hawkins added 12 rebounds to go with her eight points, and Mariah Lewis grabbed 10 rebounds.

Sam Kerber topped Highland with 11 points

Westville 84, Gary Lighthouse 32: Shelly Cunningham led three players in double figures with a season-high 25 points as the visiting Blackhawks (5-15) won on the road. Katie Piotrowski had 14 points, while sister Beth scored 12.

Juliah Perry led Lighthouse with 11 points, while Sharakeeda Brown had 10.

South Bend Trinity 37, Marquette 25: Mary Salyer scored 13 points for the Blazers (1-18), but it wasn't enough to defeat the Titans.

Boys Basketball

Gavit 81, Morton 76 OT: Gavit hit 16 free throws through the fourth quarter and overtime to earn their first Great Lakes Athletic Conference victory.

Shalon Bell scored 25 points while going 9-for-12 from the free-throw line to lead the Gladiators (2-13, 1-4). Aryk Rivoli-Johnson chipped in 19 points and added three assists.

Five Morton scorers hit double figures, led by 22 points from Vasha Davis. Kirkland Clark added 14 points, and Jason Griffin notched 13. The Govs (9-6, 4-1) also picked up 10 points each from Vernon Brooks and Alex Dickey.

Clark 62, Hammond 57: Fifty-eight of the Pioneers' 62 points were scored by three players -- LaRoi Harmon (27), Jean-Michel Bernateau (18) and Nate Wilkerson (13) --- as Clark improved to 7-7 and 2-3 in the Great Lakes Athletic Conference.

Hammond fell to 6-9 and 3-2.

Victory Christian Academy 73, Portage Christian 49: Leventes Strong scored a game-high 40 points as the Lions (14-7, 5-2) picked up a South Shore Christian Conference victory. Calvin Reisinger added 19.

Kyle Wolf scored 19 for Portage Christian (6-12, 2-3).

River Forest 53, South Central 41: J.J. Pennington scored a game-high 20 points as the visiting Ingots (5-9) defeated the Satellites (6-8). Jonathan Ballestas added 11 points, while Brandon Laas had 10.

Marcus Kammrath scored 14 for South Central.

Hobart 50, Kankakee Valley 32: Matt Brown scored a game-high 17 points to lead the visiting Brickies (8-8, 3-2) over the Kougars (4-12, 0-5) in Northwest Crossroads Conference play.

Tyler Birky and Brent Walther each had 11 points for Kankakee Valley.

Whiting 71, North Newton 25: Gio Cruz racked up 24 points to lead Whiting (10-6, 4-3) to a Greater South Shore Conference victory. Eight Oilers scored, with Whiting getting 11 points each from Nick Filipek and Cameron Chorba.

Cody Balog topped the Spartans (2-14, 0-7) with 13 points.

Hebron 71, Washington Township 45: Cody Artuso scored a game-high 24 points as Times No. 6 Hebron won its 13th consecutive game. Damon Wallace added 14 for the Hawks (14-1, 5-1 Porter County Conference), while Spencer Sheets scored 11 points.

Brandon Atkins led the Senators (4-10, 0-5) with 15 points, while teammate Bobby Ross added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Michigan City 57, LaPorte 37: Ryan Taylor scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Wolves (8-7, 7-4) past the Slicers (7-9, 5-6) in Duneland Athletic Conference play. Jabbar Washington added 10.

Austin Alcorn led LaPorte with nine points.

Morgan Township 64, Oregon-Davis 51: Ryan Klikus drained four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 28 points as the visiting Cherokees (5-12) defeated the Bobcats (1-13). Brandon Murphy added 13 points, while Chase Braden scored 10.

News and Notes

Smith named softball coach at Marquette: Kayla Smith has been named the new softball coach at Marquette. Smith played at Lewis (Ill.) University, where she started at second base all four seasons. The Blazers didn't have a team last season due to a lack of numbers.

Four to enter LaPorte HOF: Earl Dolaway, Sewell Leitzman, Dave Parsell and Lyn Swanson will be inducted into the Norman J. Huber Athletic Hall of Fame during LaPorte's boys varsity basketball game Feb. 17.

Wheeler needs track assistant: Wheeler High School is seeking candidates for assistant girls track coach.

Interested individuals may contact Randy Stelter at (219) 759-2561, ext. 2237.

Meet the Vikes tonight: Today's Valparaiso boys basketball game against Bishop Noll will be Meet The Vikes Night. Students in grades kindergarten through five accompanied by an adult will be admitted free. Children will get a chance to meet the members of the team following the game. The junior varsity game will start at 6 p.m.