HAMMOND | It was a display of hot starts and ugly starts in both opening-round games of the Greater Southshore Conference tourney on Tuesday night.
The boys from Bishop Noll provided the hot start, especially senior swingman Larry Crisler, who started 6-for-8 from the field and tallied 16 first-half points in Class 2A No. 2 and Times No. 4 Noll's 89-33 win against Calumet.
"We've had Larry bring up the ball more in a point guard role and he's really excelled at that," Noll coach Drew Trost said. "He leads us in every statistical category and when your best player is unselfish, that's a good thing."
After a high-scoring 19-15 first quarter, the blue Warriors put their foot on the gas pedal and didn't let up in the second quarter, outscoring the red Warriors 20-4 in the quarter and putting the game away early.
"We played very well for three quarters and it's nice to see us shoot the ball like I think we are able to," Trost said.
Crisler and Tyreon Gates each finished with 18, even though both played sparingly in the second half.
Bishop Noll easily defeated Calumet 49-32 in the girls game, but not without a little trouble in the first half.
Perhaps still recovering from an emotionally exhuasting 61-58 overtime win against Whiting on Saturday night, the Times No. 7 Lady Warriors got off to a horrid start against Calumet, making only two baskets and committing six turnovers in the opening quarter.
Calumet couldn't take advantage, as it committed five of its own on the way to a 4-4 first quarter score.
The hosts got it together in the first four minutes of the second, though, as they hit their first four shots.
Calumet (3-14) crawled back into it, forcing Noll into six additional turnovers in the last four minutes of the second in its 8-2 run to end the first half.
Bishop Noll (15-1) finally got it going in the third quarter, exploding for 27 points and having two different 10-2 runs.
Noll had three players in double-figures including freshman guard Naomi House leading with 14.
Calumet senior forward Theresa Strong scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
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