Boys
Boone Grove (13-4)
The Wolves defeated Lowell 56-48 to run their winning streak to five games. Senior Mike Eleftheri led the way with 22 points, his seventh 20-plus outing of the season. In the process, he moved past 1986 grad Bob Nemtuda and 1960 grad Lee Hallberg into 11th place on the Boone scoring list.
Chesterton (7-9)
The Trojans lost to Merrillville 56-42 despite a career-high 13 points from junior Scott Homner. Chesterton has lost five straight to the Pirates and trail the series 52-24.
Hebron (9-7)
Sophomore Cody Artuso unloaded a personal-best 25 points on Westville in a 70-55 win. Hebron has won eight of its last 10 games. The Hawks lead the series with the Blackhawks 36-6, although this is the first time the two schools have met since 2000 when Westville was still a member of the Porter County Conference.
Kouts (5-10)
The Mustangs dropped their sixth straight game with a 70-66 loss to Morgan Twp. Sophomore guard Matt Bradley fired in 28 points, giving him 61 in his last two games. Junior Conor VanDyke tossed in a personal-best 15 points.
Morgan Twp. (11-4)
The Cherokees' win over Kouts was their fourth straight and their seventh win in the last eight games in the series. Junior Brandon Grubl poured in 29 points, enabling him to join the Porter County 500 club with 513. He is the 60th player in Morgan history to reach that plateau.
Portage (3-16)
The Indians' 51-37 loss to Michigan City was their 12th straight in the Duneland Athletic Conference.
South Central (12-6)
The Satellites defeated Washington Twp. 79-59 to take a 38-17 advantage in the series. Senior Jake Kitchell led the way with 25 points, moving over the 1,500 mark to 1,515. Senior Eric Baum added 23 points. The two have combined to average 37.7 per game, which is the best 1-2 scoring punch at South Central since the combo of Wayne Bluhm (26.3) and Ron Rosenfeld (13.3) in 1970.
Valparaiso (17-1)
Class 4A No. 3 Valpo demolished Lake Central 72-33 for its ninth straight win. The Vikings, 12-0 in the DAC, have already wrapped up a share of the conference crown and can assure themselves of an outright title with a win at Merrillville on Friday. Valpo has beaten the Indians 13 times in a row. Senior Derek Kennett scored 14 points to move over the 300 mark to 307. Valpo has the ninth-best winning margin in the state at 20.2 points per game.
Washington Twp. (4-11)
The Senators snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 61-24 win over Howe Military in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Senior Ben Dunn equaled his career high with 17 points. Senior Joe Lowther netted a personal-best 13 points in the South Central loss.
Westville (4-13)
The Blackhawks suffered a 64-48 loss to River Forest in addition to a loss to Hebron, running their losing streak to five games. Junior Reilly Wilson scored 26 points in the two games to move over the 400 mark to 412. Junior Jesse Mills added 23 points to move over the 200 mark to 214.
Wheeler (17-1)
The Bearcats dominated Morton 86-56 for their seventh win this year by at least 30 points. Wheeler has the third-highest average winning margin in the state at 25.3 per game. The Bearcats are riding a 13-game winning streak. Senior Petar Todorovic matched his season high with 23 points against the Governors. Senior Andrew Rudakas moved past 1997 Boone Grove grad Mike Lemmons, 1965 Jackson Twp. grad Al Lindahl and 2001 Hebron grad Andy Marks into 22nd place on the Porter County scoring list.
Girls
Boone Grove (22-2)
The Wolves recorded wins over Hebron, 57-44, and North Judson, 53-39, but were eliminated from the Class 2A Hebron Sectional by Winamac, 50-33, for the second straight year. The loss to the Warriors ended a 15-game winning streak and a great season. The Wolves posted their best record in school history at 22-2. The 22 wins were matched only one other time (2003). Senior Kelly Dobson scored 11 points against Winamac to move over the 1,000-point mark for her career. She finished with 1,007. Sophomore Emily Bobrowski tallied 27 points in the three games to move over the 200 mark to 216.
Chesterton (7-14)
Junior Claire Holba scored 15 points in a 46-34 loss to Valpo and wrapped up the Porter County scoring title with an average of 18 per game.
Hanover Central (13-9)
The Wildcats defeated Bishop Noll, 49-32, River Forest, 56-51, and Wheeler, 44-36, to capture their own sectional title. It was the third straight crown for Hanover and the school's fifth overall. The win over River Forest reversed a 12-point loss to the Ingots in the season opener. Freshman guard Blayr Poston led the way with 56 points in the three games and moved over the 300 mark to 318. Senior Sam Huffnagle netted 25 points in the three games and moved over the 200 mark to 206.
Hebron (7-14)
Sophomore Julie Hogg scored 12 points in a loss to Boone to move over the 200 mark to 206.
Kouts (19-3)
The Fillies recorded wins over Whiting, 37-27, Washington Twp., 50-23, and Bowman Academy, 69-62, to capture the Bowman Sectional. It was Kouts' fourth consecutive sectional title and the school's 13th overall. The Fillies, on a seven-game winning streak, will face Fort Wayne Canterbury for the fourth straight year in the Caston Regional. Sophomore Jenna Jessen matched her career high with 12 points against Washington and then broke loose for 25 in the championship against Bowman. Senior Annmarie Keller, the school's sixth all-time leading scorer, led the way with 40 points in the three games. She needs just one more point to reach the 900 mark. Senior Courtney Bennett had 19 points in the three games to move over the 600 mark to 613.
Portage (12-10)
The Indians topped LaPorte 39-28 but were eliminated from the sectional by host Valpo 51-38. Junior Tori Bliss accounted for 39 of her team's 77 points in the sectional.
South Central (11-12)
The Satellites defeated Argos, 40-31, but fell to Westville, 36-31, in the Oregon-Davis Sectional. It was a complete reversal of what happened during the regular season. South Central had lost to Argos earlier and had beaten Westville.
Valparaiso (13-10)
The Vikings, after knocking off Chesterton, 46-34, and Portage, 51-38, fell to Merrillville 60-55 in the championship of their own sectional. The Vikes haven't won a sectional since 2005. Senior Stefanie Lang accounted for 58 points in the three games to move over the 900 mark to 939. She is the ninth player in Valpo history to reach 900. Senior Ashleigh Clinkenbeard notched a personal-best 10 points against the Pirates.
Westville (11-11)
Coach John Marshall's Blackhawks lost to Oregon-Davis 63-34 in the Oregon-Davis Sectional championship. Senior Brandy Bogart equaled her career high with 11 points in a 36-31 semifinal win over South Central. Westville's .500 finish marks only the fourth time in history that the Blackhawks have finished at .500 or above. It's the first time since the 1990-91 team finished 16-3.
PREP BASKETBALL | LOCAL NOTES
Scoring Leaders
(Through Monday's games)
BOYS
Name, School G Pts Avg.
Jake Kitchell, South Central 18 408 22.7
Brandon Grubl, Morgan 15 313 20.9
Mitch McGary, Chesterton 9 173 19.2
Zach Rush, Hanover Central 16 276 17.3
Nick Bollenbacher, Hanover Central 17 286 16.8
Mike Eleftheri, Boone Grove 17 277 16.3
Ryan Reynolds, Boone Grove 17 265 15.6
Andrew Rudakas, Wheeler 18 280 15.6
Eric Baum, South Central 17 255 15.0
Seth Culver, LaCrosse 14 207 14.8
Joel Reinhertz, Morgan 15 220 14.7
David Ortiz, Hebron 16 230 14.4
Jaron Coleman, Morgan 15 215 14.3
Brad Karp, Valparaiso 18 250 13.9
Andy Lovall, Kouts 15 203 13.5
Ryan Pahl, LaCrosse 14 186 13.3
Fred Price, Chesterton 16 211 13.2
Petar Todorovic, Wheeler 18 233 12.9
Matt Bradley, Kouts 9 115 12.8
Jesse Mills, Westville 17 213 12.5
Najee Bailey, Wheeler 18 224 12.4
Reilly Wilson, Westville 17 198 11.6
Dominique Walton, Portage 19 219 11.5
Derek De St. Jean, Hanover Central 17 195 11.5
Jerrick Suiter, Valparaiso 13 139 10.7
Cody Artuso, Hebron 16 170 10.6
Wayland Roach, Boone Grove 17 175 10.3
GIRLS
Name, School G Pts Avg.
Claire Holba, Chesterton 21 377 18.0
Stefanie Lang, Valparaiso 23 395 17.2
Abbey Walters, Washington 20 312 15.6
Tori Bliss, Portage 22 336 15.3
Annmarie Keller, Kouts 20 301 15.1
Blayr Poston, Hanover Central 22 318 14.5
Rachel Pfledderer, Westville 22 298 13.5
Megan Kaczmarski, Washington 20 269 13.5
Kelly Dobson, Boone Grove 24 320 13.3
Shelbi Westerhouse, Morgan 20 257 12.9
Stephanie Balon, South Central 23 282 12.3
Courtney Bennett, Kouts 22 260 11.8
Bri Wischman, Portage 22 255 11.6
Abby Schweitzer, Hanover Central 19 220 11.6
Marcy Medina, Wheeler 22 250 10.9
Kelsie Ostojic, Valparaiso 23 244 10.6
Katie Bekavac, South Central 22 221 10.0
Tara Ellis, Portage 19 178 9.4
Julie Hogg, Hebron 21 192 9.1
Emily Strilich, Boone Grove 24 212 8.8
Brittany Shaffer, Boone Grove 24 210 8.8
Emily Bobrowski, Boone Grove 24 209 8.7
Ariana Paul, Valparaiso 23 194 8.4
Keith Nuest's statistics cover all eight Porter County Conference schools, along with Chesterton, Portage, Valparaiso, Westville and Wheeler.
