MERRILLVILLE | After going 2-19 his sophomore season two years ago at Andrean, it seems to reason that the basketball future of 6-foot-7 post player Pete Nicksic was dim.

In fact, the thought of Nicksic leading his team to its first sectional title in four years also is unlikely, especially considering he didn't take basketball seriously at St. Paul's in Valparaiso until his eighth-grade year.

"I couldn't run. I couldn't jump. I couldn't do anything," Nicksic said of his early hoops days. "I was real awkward."

But last Saturday night, Nicksic had 14 points and 14 rebounds in the 59ers' 69-53 win over Griffith in the Class 3A Knox Sectional championship game. Andrean (13-9) will play West Lafayette (14-9) in this Saturday's Chesterton Regional semifinals.

Basketball isn't Nicksic's only passion.

Nicksic, who is of Croatian and Irish ancestry, also the bagpipes, and he loves Celtic music. After his hoop playing days are over, he wouldn't mind playing the "pipes" as an oldtimer in a Fourth of July parade.

"They are real loud, so I don't play them around the house too much," Nicksic said. "But I do break the 'Big Guns' out and play them. It's more like a release when I do."

Andrean coach Carson Cunningham has enjoyed the maturation of his big man over the last two years. Nicksic is a scholar athlete who is getting noticed by such colleges as Navy, Army, Air Force and the University of Chicago.

"I'm very happy for all the guys, but especially for Pete because he's our senior leader," Cunningham said. "He's a model student-athlete who has some of the finest institutions in the country vying for his services. He's a joy to coach. He's from an awesome family. I am very happy that we were able to win a title before he graduated from here."

West Lafayette and Andrean had one common opponent: Rensselaer. The 59ers beat the Bombers 49-45 on Jan. 9, and, a week later, West Lafayette defeated Rensselaer 51-36.

Cunningham, Nicksic and the rest of the 59ers are trying to rebuild the image of their program, and winning a sectional is a start. But if they could get to Saturday's regional championship game, where they would have a chance to play Lew Wallace, it would give Andrean another shot at redemption.

After all, the Hornets embarrassed the 59ers 58-22 on Dec. 5.

"Oh yeah, we'd love to have a chance to rectify how people viewed that game," Nicksic said. "We're a better team than what we showed that night."

BOYS BASKETBALL

CLASS 3A Chesterton Regional

Saturday

Lew Wallace (16-4) vs. Plymouth (15-8), 10 a.m.

West Lafayette (14-9) vs. Andrean (13-9), noon

Championship, 7:30 p.m.

Vote online

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