Boys
Boone Grove (15-4)
The Wolves extended their winning streak to seven games with victories over Hebron, 71-47, and Lake Station, 69-47. The win over Hebron earned them the outright Porter County Conference round-robin title with a 7-0 record. It's Boone's first outright title since 2006. Senior Mike Eleftheri totaled 33 points in the two games to move past 1957 grad Jim Kistler, 1977 grad Russ Handwork and 1991 grad Cole Casbon into eighth place on the Boone scoring list. Eleftheri is just 32 points shy of the 1,000 mark. Senior Wayland Roach scored 34 points in the two games to move over the 700 mark to 713. Roach ranks 26th on the Boone scoring list. Senior Jacob Wright, with 14 points in two games, moved over the 200 mark to 209.
Chesterton (7-11)
Minus center Mitch McGary (mono), the Trojans saw their losing streak swell to five games with losses to Munster, 47-33, and LaPorte, 55-51. Junior Scott Homner scored a personal-best 18 points against the Slicers. Senior Fred Price added 11 points to move over the 300 mark to 305.
Hanover Central (16-3)
The Wildcats rolled over Whiting, 78-44, and edged Kouts, 77-73, to run its winning streak to four games. They have won five straight from the Oilers and lead that series 22-17. Junior forward Derek De St. Jean, who has averaged 19.2 in his last five games, equaled his personal best with 21 points against Whiting. Senior Billy McQuade netted a career-high 10 points against the Oilers.
Hebron (9-9)
The Hawks dropped to .500 with losses to Boone and South Central, 62-57. Hebron and Boone have met 193 times over the years, with the Hawks leading the series 108-85. Sophomore Cody Artuso scored 31 points in the two games to move over the 200 mark to 217. Sophomore guard Damon Wallace recorded a career high with 17 points against the Satellites.
Kouts (5-11)
The Mustangs suffered their third straight, four-point loss when they were bested by Hanover. Junior Andy Lovall scored 20 points against the Wildcats to move over the 300 mark to 313. The Mustangs still hold a 32-24 advantage in the series.
LaCrosse (4-13)
The Tigers' losing streak reached seven with defeats at the hands of M.C. Marquette, 68-63 in overtime, Washington, 60-54, and Westville, 72-50. Junior Ryan Pahl scored 20 points in the three games to move over the 300 mark to 307. Sophomore Jimmy Rippe netted a personal-best 15 points against Marquette.
Morgan Twp. (12-5)
The Cherokees were 84-59 winners over Westville before being upset by Whiting 73-67 in overtime. They were without the services of senior Joel Reinhertz against the Oilers. Junior Brandon Grubl, who has scored 90 points over his last three games, poured in a career-high 38 against Whiting, the most by a Morgan player since Aaron Rosenfeld had 45 in 2001. Only five players in Cherokee history have scored more points in a game. Grubl, Porter County's scoring leader, is averaging 21.4 per game.
Portage (3-17)
Portage's 52-47 double-overtime loss to Crown Point probably ended their hopes of getting a Duneland Athletic Conference win this season. The Indians, 0-13 in the DAC, host 16-3 Merrillville in their final game Friday.
South Central (14-6)
Senior Jake Kitchell continued to make headlines with a career-high 40 points in a five-point win over Hebron. He is only the third player in Satellite history to score at least 40 points in a game. His effort is the most since Brett Wescher tallied a school-record 43 in 1986. The other 40-point scorer was Steve Mixis with 41 in a game in 1975. Junior Greg Girard netted a personal-best 14 points in a 58-47 win over Culver.
Valparaiso (17-2)
The Vikings' 64-59 overtime loss to Merrillville ended their winning streak at nine games and was their first loss in DAC play. The Vikes host Michigan City on Friday and need a victory over the Wolves to ensure an outright title. Valpo is 12-1 in league play, with Merrillville a game behind at 11-2. Senior Andy Martin tallied 12 points against the Pirates to move over the 400 mark to 406.
Washington Twp. (5-13)
The Senators had losses to Oregon-Davis, 53-35, and River Forest, 45-35, sandwiched around a 60-54 win over LaCrosse. They had lost to the Tigers by three points in the Mid-Winter Classic. Senior Ben Dunn scored 40 points in the three games to move over the 400 mark to 426. He also recorded a career high with 20 points against LaCrosse.
Westville (5-14)
The Blackhawks snapped a six-game losing streak with a 72-50 win over rival LaCrosse. Senior Nick Sevigny scored a personal-best 18 points.
Wheeler (18-1)
The Bearcats pummeled a short-handed Kankakee Valley squad 88-33 for their 14th consecutive win. They matched the 14-gamer by the 2003 team as the second-longest streak in Bearcat history. A victory over Lowell would tie the school record of 15 by the 1935 squad that finished 20-2. Senior Andrew Rudakas scored 19 points against the Kougars to move into 18th place on the all-time Porter County scoring list, passing none other than his coach, Mike Jones. Jones scored 1,340 career points at Valpo and is the Vikings' fifth all-time scorer. Senior Petar Todorovic still has a chance to reach the 1,000 mark, depending on how far the Bearcats advance in the state tournament. He led the way with 21 points against KV and moved over the 900 mark to 918. He ranks 12th at Wheeler. Junior Najee Bailey added 16 points to move over the 300 mark to 308.
Girls
Hanover Central (13-10)
The Wildcats had their season ended by Westview, 44-36, in the Class 2A Culver Regional. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Senior Abby Schweitzer accounted for half her team's total with 18 points. Schweitzer finished her career with 455 points which ranks 24th on the Hanover scoring list.
Kouts (19-4)
The Fillies once again were sidelined by two-time defending state champ Fort Wayne Canterbury 55-33 in the Class A Caston Regional. It was the fourth consecutive year in which Kouts has lost to the Cavaliers. Senior Annmarie Keller scored eight points before suffering a concussion in the third period, allowing her to move over the 900 mark to 907. She finished sixth on the Kouts scoring list and is 44th on the county scoring list, behind 1988 Wheeler grad Neilly Carpenter. Senior Courtney Bennett finished her career with 620 points, which ranks 18th on the Kouts scoring list. Junior Easten McNeill also reached the 300-point milestone.
PREP BASKETBALL | LOCAL NOTES
Scoring Leaders
(Through Monday's games)
BOYS
Name, School G Pts Avg.
Jake Kitchell, South Central 20 464 23.2
Brandon Grubl, Morgan 17 374 21.4
Mitch McGary, Chesterton 9 173 19.2
Nick Bollenbacher, Hanover Central 19 324 17.1
Zach Rush, Hanover Central 18 302 16.8
Mike Eleftheri, Boone Grove 19 310 16.3
Andrew Rudakas, Wheeler 19 299 15.7
Ryan Reynolds, Boone Grove 19 291 15.3
Joel Reinhertz, Morgan 16 239 14.9
David Ortiz, Hebron 18 267 14.8
Jaron Coleman, Morgan 17 245 14.4
Seth Culver, LaCrosse 17 241 14.2
Eric Baum, South Central 19 267 14.1
Brad Karp, Valparaiso 19 267 14.1
Andy Lovall, Kouts 16 223 13.9
Petar Todorovic, Wheeler 19 254 13.4
Matt Bradley, Kouts 10 130 13.0
Fred Price, Chesterton 18 230 12.8
Najee Bailey, Wheeler 19 240 12.6
Jesse Mills, Westville 19 235 12.4
Derek De St. Jean, Hanover Central 19 234 12.3
Ryan Pahl, LaCrosse 17 206 12.1
Dominique Walton, Portage 20 238 11.9
Reilly Wilson, Westville 19 225 11.8
Cody Artuso, Hebron 18 201 11.2
Jerrick Suiter, Valparaiso 14 156 11.1
Wayland Roach, Boone Grove 19 209 11.0
Keith Nuest's statistics cover all eight Porter County Conference schools, along with Chesterton, Portage, Valparaiso, Westville and Wheeler.
Girls Final Scoring Averages
(Team Records In Parentheses)
Boone Grove (22-2) | Kelly Dobson 13.2, Emily Strilich 8.8, Brittany Shaffer 8.8, Emily Bobrowski 8.7, Brittney Dewell 7.1, Claudia Cooper 3.0, Jordan Chester 2.8, Caitlyn Wilcox 2.7, Mary Kieffer 1.1, Kallie Fuller 1.0, Sam Pratt 0.4.
Chesterton (7-14) | Claire Holba 17.8, Brooke Gardner 9.3, Lindsay Gorman 7.4, Alyssa White 6.6, Riley Taubert 6.1, Ryan Bozak 4.9, Annette Frank 1.1, Maddie Houpt 0.9, Sydney Kutz 0.9, Reva Key 0.8.
Hanover Central (13-10) | Blayr Poston 14.1, Abby Schweitzer 11.9, Sam Huffnagle 7.0, Kayla Higginbotham 5.7, Becky Fortner 4.9, Tiphani Ward 3.0, Courtney Pattison 2.3, Kim McKeague 1.4, Rachel Orsini 1.4, Kayla Garthus 1.3, Megan Kirn 1.0, Emily Blue 0.9, Katie Dominguez 0.6.
Hebron (7-14) | Julie Hogg 9.1, Alyssa Sheets 7.5, Lynn Tokarski 6.5, Paige Hickenbottom 6.4, Julie Huettner 6.2, Kara Cunningham 3.7, Christy Reick 3.4, Rachelle Cook 2.7, Kaylie Asher 1.8, Alix Shircliff 0.8.
Kouts (19-4) | Annmarie Keller 14.7, Courtney Bennett 11.6, Jenna Jessen 6.5, Easten McNeill 5.7, Lexi Sippel 4.9, Shelby Jones 4.2, Paige Tribble 3.2, Katie Parks 2.8, Chelsea Parkinson 1.4, Keren Kandel 1.0, Allie Zimmerle 1.0, Sabrina Theis 0.5, Courtney Stewart 0.2.
LaCrosse (2-18) | Meagan Elliott 7.7, Lauren Turner 7.5, Christine Malecki 5.6, Jessica McDowell 2.9, Quinn Fox 2.5, Gabbie Sievers 2.2, Bri Rhodes 1.8, Shelby Rushnok 1.6, Taylor Guse 1.4, Tia White 0.7.
Morgan Twp. (4-16) | Shelbi Westerhouse 12.9, Amy Koziorowski 6.5, Sara Watts 5.5, Jasmine Turner 4.4, Sammy Meschede 4.3, Jana Prochaska 2.7, Courtney Osby 0.9, Kellie Marine 0.6, Ashley Kuder 0.2.
Portage (12-10) | Tori Bliss 15.2, Bri Wischman 11.7, Tara Ellis 9.5, Nicki Monahan 6.3, Jawanza Woods 3.8, Angela Buchanan 3.0, Alyssa Tampier 2.6, JaBria Ezell 1.6, Carly Bermes 0.9, Hannah Glos 0.9, Brittnie Warren 0.5.
South Central (11-12) | Stephanie Balon 12.2, Katie Bekavac 10.0, Shelby Worthen 7.2, Hayley Pahl 3.4, Melana Iseminger 3.2, Sydney Satoski 3.0, Samantha Jackson 2.0, Vanessa Lewis 2.0, Brittany Wright 1.4, Kayla Prichard 1.1, Leah White 1.0, Cali Young 0.8, Dallas Ludlow 0.4.
Valparaiso (13-10) | Stefanie Lang 17.3, Kelsie Ostojic 10.6, Ariana Paul 8.4, Ann Sarkisian 4.0, Casey Crozier 3.6, Sarah Wallace 2.6, Ashleigh Clinkenbeard 2.3, Clarisse Fletcher 1.9, Katherine Berning 1.7, Despina Diveris 1.6, Michelle Rosenbaum 1.3.
Washington Twp. (5-15) | Abbey Walters 15.5, Megan Kaczmarski 13.6, Melanie Pugh 3.8, Jessica Johnson 3.7, Laney Martin 3.5, Samantha Allen 1.7, Kacie Corley 1.4, Liz Lustgarten 1.2, Jamie Proudfoot 0.9, Kelbie Titus 0.5, Kayla Nelson 0.4.
Westville (11-11) | Rachel Pfledderer 13.5, Caitlyn Fennell 6.8, Brandy Bogart 6.1, Shelly Cunningham 3.7, Ashley Haack 3.5, Ashley Henrich 3.5, Amber Haack 2.0, Sarah Dineen 0.7, Jenny Mark 0.6, Stephanie Miller 0.4, Kristyn Swanson 0.3.
Wheeler (11-12) | Marcy Medina 11.0, Lanay Parks 6.7, Emma Farlow 6.7, Brittany Stelter 3.9, Lauren Johnson 3.4, Tijana Raketic 3.3, Christina Gandy 2.4, Sarah Becker 2.4, Brooke Hutchins 2.0, Samantha Stern 1.7, McKenzie Smith 1.7, Robin White 1.4, MacKenzie Ness 1.2, Olivia Ingram 1.2.
