'08 IN PG Stephen Albrecht

[nybuckeye]

'08 IN PG Stephen Albrecht



Crown Point, IN
Crown Point HS
Ht: 6'2"
Wt:
PPG: 12.0
RPG: 4.0
APG: 5.0
GPA:

Interest from Clemson, Penn State, Wright State, William and Mary, UConn.

scout.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=2653634

www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2006/11/24/sports/the_prep_zone_indiana/9e4b1cfca8d1d4118625722e0028f030.txt

Profile created 2-1-07

Credit to Big D for info in this profile and raiderscout for locating picture

[nybuckeye]

Crown Point’s Stephen Albrecht was on fire with 15 of his 22 points in the opening half

www.post-trib.com/sports/232835

Credit to raiderscout for this link

[nybuckeye]

Centier Bank Player of the Game
Date: 1/12/2007
Stephen Albrecht from Crown Point High School is our Centier Bank Player of the Game because he scored 21 points to help beat the Lake Central Indians 57-40. Albrecht scored 10 points in the 2nd quarter and 9 points in the 4th. He was also 4 for 8 in 3 pointers.
Name: Stephen Albrecht
School: Crown Point
Year: Junior
Sport: Basketball
Position: Guard
Stats: 21 Points

www.regionsports.com/player/

[raiderscout]

Bulldogs shock No. 1 Vikings
Albrecht erupts for 31 in upset win over Valparaiso

BOYS | CROWN POINT 59, NO. 1 VALPARAISO 55

CROWN POINT | At times, Crown Point junior guard Stephen Albrecht was speechless.

Albrecht had the game of his life, nailing all six of his 3-point attempts and scoring a game-high 31 points in a 59-55 upset win over Class 4A and Times No. 1 Valparaiso.

"It's kind of hard to put this into words," Albrecht said. "It was just awesome to have an opportunity like this against the No. 1 team in the state.

"This is really enjoyable."

The Bulldogs (7-7, 5-5 Duneland Athletic Conference) lost the last meeting 74-50, but this time Albrecht changed all of that.

He had 10 points at halftime, but he hadn't heated up yet. Albrecht's 3-pointer with 2:05 left in the third quarter gave the Bulldogs the lead for good at 30-27.

Then Purdue recruit and Valpo senior Scott Martin picked up three fouls in 50 seconds, one of which led to one of Valpo coach Bob Punter's two technicals.

Martin sat the bench, and Crown Point maintained the lead.

Due to the technicals, Punter will miss tonight's game at Times No. 3 Munster to serve a one-game suspension.

"He's a really talented player," Albrecht said of Martin, who had a team-high 26 points. "We knew we had to make a move."

Martin returned early in the fourth quarter, but it didn't seem to matter to Albrecht. He canned three 3-pointers, including one from NBA range, to continue to build Crown Point's cushion.

"Once I hit that deep 3, I felt like I was in a rhythm," he said. "Coach (Clint Swan) gave me the green light and I kept shooting."

Albrecht banged knees with a Valpo defender in the fourth quarter, but he just limped his way to the free-throw line.

"My knee buckled, and I was kind of freaked out," he said. "I just had to play through it."

In the first meeting, Swan said his team grew from the experience. Things just remained on the incline.

"It's a confidence thing, and we handled the pressure," Swan said. "Stephen played with a lot of guts tonight. He's a really tough kid, and I had all of the confidence in the world in him.

"My assistants were wanting Stephen to pull the ball out (in the fourth), but I was saying, 'Hit it, hit it.'"

Punter and the coaching staff at Valparaiso (14-2, 9-1) declined to comment after the game.

nwi.com/articles/2007/01/27/sports/top_sports/e77f2194e3d6348386257270001987b4.txt

[raiderscout]

Posted 12-6-06

Crown Point's early lead fades away as Morton finishes strong for 60-52 win over Bulldogs

CROWN POINT (52) Kyle Hanaway 2-0-4, Ben Derks 3-0-9, Zach Cecich 9-1-19, Stephen Albrecht 8-0-18, Mitch Robinson 1-0-2, Andy Krumwied 0-0-0, Aleks Alavanja 0-0-0, Derek Garletts 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23 (1-6) 52.

CROWN POINT, IN (12-5-2006) - Crown Point led by eight in the first quarter and the Bulldogs led by six in the third quarter. Trouble was, Morton led by eight at the end. The Bulldogs may still believe they are better than Morton, but the Governors have it on paper, a 60-52 road win in Crown Point on a cold Tuesday night.

"You've got to tip your cap to Morton," said CP coach Clint Swan. "They played extremely hard. They crashed the boards and did the right things at the right time."

Morton coach Russ Marcinek added, "I know how this sounds but we could beat any of the 20 teams on our schedule, and we could lose to any of the 20. We're right at that level. I think this game convinces our guys that's true."

Crown Point may soon need confidence that they can beat anybody. These first two home games were contests that CP hoped to win before the center of the schedule swirled into town. There's no point in being shy about it. With Lake Central, Valparaiso and Michigan City up next, the Bulldogs are going to have to step up their game to avoid an 0-5 start.

"We did not do a very good job of moving the ball in the second half," said Swan. "Our offense is out of sync right now and the bigger problem is our inability to get stops when we need them at the defensive end."

Leading 37-31, Morton got a trio of three long range baskets by 6-foot-3 senior Joe Elabed, sparking an 18-7 run to create a 49-44 lead with 5:45 left in the game.

CP appeared to wait to be trapped in the 1-3-1 half court set which featured some quick players.

"We put Damone Howard at the top of that press," said Marcinek, the former Bishop Noll star. "It wasn't something we just did against CP. We play that defense a lot. Damone is about 6-3 and he gets his hands on a lot of passes. We have some guys who are about 6-3 and they're long. That defense really got us going tonight."

Crown Point got 18 points (12 in the first half) from 6-2 Stephen Albrecht and another strong inside game from 6-3 Zach Cecich, who scored 19. Junior guard Ben Derks sank three three-point shots and Kyle Hanaway had seven assists but that was about it. In the fourth quarter, no one could hit an outside shot while offensive rebounding by Howard, 6-3 Shevin Williams and 6-6 John Littig was pushing Morton to the victory.

Crown Point scored only four baskets in the fourth quarter and two of them were giveaways after Morton had built a 10-point lead in the late going. Morton took some bad shots in the late going but when they got the ball to lead guard Michael Pinkins, things settled down. Pinkins was the reason that Morton committed just 10 turnovers against an active CP defense. He handled the ball like a senior floor leader should and gave his team a chance to rally.

Crown Point has problems. Against one of the few non-4A schools on the Crown Point schedule, the Bulldogs had rebounding problems and couldn't make second half shots drop while Morton gained confidence as the game went along. Morton went away feeling good, but they came in with losses to Lew Wallace and Bishop Noll. CP has to be seriously concerned about losing to a 3A school when they've got five games against the Merrillvilles, the Valparaisos and the East Chicagos left to play. Viewed only through the prism of the first two games, you suddenly don't see a lot of wins on the CP schedule.

"We are nowhere near where we want or need to be," said Swan, "especially with the schedule we have coming. We need to try to get our own house in order and not worry about the other teams later."

BULLDOG NOTES: The Tuesday night crowd was understandably small, maybe 200-250 fans. CP's next home game is Dec. 15 against Michigan City. The rescheduled game against Griffith is Dec 19. After allowing eight three-point goals against LaPorte, CP gave up three to Morton.

"How many did Elabed have?" asked CP coach Clint Swan afterwards. "He was the guy I was worried about. Except for a period where we lost him defensively, I thought we did a good job on him."

Junior lead guard Kyle Hanaway has done an excellent job through two games bringing the ball into the front court. At 6-foot-1 and 183 pounds, the CP junior appears physically able to take the contact he will receive at the lead guard slot.

There was talk Tuesday night that Angel Garcia, the 6-foot-10 junior who has been ruled ineligible to play at East Chicago by the IHSAA, may be able to play by the time CP faces East Chicago on Jan. 20. There was talk of a court injunction against the IHSAA that would allow Garcia, a former player on the Spanish national team, to join the Cardinals.

www.usa-365.com/CP_Boys52_Morton60_12-06-06.htm

[Retired Coach]

Crown Point 69, Chesterton 64
By TR HARLAN
1/8/2007

The Chesterton boys basketball team got big offensive night’s from Zach Novak and Jack Houpt, but it wasn’t enough.

Crown Point outscored the Trojans 8-3 in overtime and picked up a 69-64 Duneland Athletic Conference win Friday night.

“They are a very improved team,” Chesterton coach Tom Peller said. “It was one of those games where they made some plays at crucial times and we didn’t. One possession here or there was the difference.”

The Trojans built a 58-54 lead on a Novak 3-pointer with 3:40 to play, but the Bulldogs answered with a 7-0 run. Novak hit another triple with 46 seconds to play to tie the game at 61.

Crown Point’s Zach Cecich missed a pair of free throws with 36.9 seconds, but triples from Novak and Jordan Lewis didn’t fall, forcing overtime.

“We were never in a good flow offensively,” Peller said. “We probably relied on Zack a little too much.”

Novak finished with a game-high 28 points.

The Bulldogs got the overtime’s first basket when Cecich scored in the post with 1:47 to play.

“I didn’t think our defense, especially inside, was good enough tonight,” Peller said. “They got too much inside. They have two inside scorers in Cecich and Alavanja that were very impressive tonight.”

Alavanja finished with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Cecich had 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

“This is a little setback, but it’s a long season and we’ll come back from this,” Peller said. “It’s just one loss.”

Stephen Albrecht hit a pair of free throws for a 65-61 lead for the Bulldogs. Novak scored and Hutnick hit 1-of-2 free throws with 22.8 second left to pull Chesterton within 65-64.

Ben Derks sandwiched a pair of free throws around a missed 3-pointer by Novak to set the final score.

“They’re kids and sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t,” Peller said. “We just have to get better and improve for the next time we’re in a game like this.”

The Trojans fell behind 11-6 early, but 3-pointers by Hutnick and Tommy Peller tied the game at 14 after one period.

Five points to start the second quarter for the Bulldogs were answered by Houpt and Novak baskets. A 7-0 run to end the quarter put the Trojans on top 29-25 at the break.

“We got a big night out of Jack (Houpt),” Peller said. “He was aggressive offensively and did a nice job on the boards.”

Following Houpt’s second triple of the third quarter, Chesterton had a 46-41 lead with 1:40 to play, but two inside baskets by Alavanja and a 3-pointer by CJ Mantel put Crown Point on top 48-46.

“We have to be ready each night because anybody can beat you any night,” Peller said. “Sometimes you need a kick in the butt, or a loss, to humble you and get you going again.”


Crown Point (14-11-23-13-8)

Stephen Albrecht 4 4-4 14, Ben Derks 2 4-4 9, Kyle Hanaway 4 0-0 8, Aleks Alavanja 9 2-2 20, Zach Cecich 6 2-5 14, Billy Cox 0 0-0 0, Andrew Krumwied 0 0-0 0, Derrick Garletts 0 0-0 0, CJ Mantel 1 1-1 4. Totals 26 13-16 69.


Chesterton (14-15-17-15-3)

Adam Hutnick 3 1-2 8, Austin Bower 2 0-0 5, Zack Novak 11 3-7 28, Jordan Lewis 0 0-0 0, Jack Houpt 8 0-0 18, Tommy Peller 1 0-0 3, Alex Beierwalter 0 0-0 0, Chase Saylor 1 0-0 2, Alex Mannen 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 4-9 64.


3-point field goals: Albrecht 2, Derks 1, Mantel 1 (CP); Hutnick 1, Bower 1, Novak 3, Houpt 2, Peller 1 (C). Rebound leaders: Alavanja 9 (CP); Houpt 9 (C). Assist leaders: Hanaway 3 (CP); Lewis 8 (C). Steal leaders: Cecich 2 (CP); Houpt 4 (C).

[Retired Coach]

WHS rumbles in Valpo
January 02, 2007
By Mike Myers, Sports Writer


VALPARAISO — The long trek to Valparaiso University’s Athletics-Recreation Center to face the Crown Point Bulldogs proved to be worth the trip as the Washington Hatchets claimed a 54-47 win in the Region Roundball Rumble on Monday.


As usual, the Hatchets (6-2) were led by their twin towers, 6-10 senior forward Bryan Bouchie and 6-11 junior center Tyler Zeller, who both reached double figures with 12 and 24 points, respectively. But the duo had help from the Washington bench in downing Class 4A Crown Point (4-5).

Bouchie and Zeller both found themselves in first half foul trouble, and Zeller was whistled for his third foul in the opening minute of the third quarter and his fourth infraction early in the fourth period.

In their place, Tanner Wildridge, a 6-3 senior forward, saw 21 minutes of action off the Hatchet bench, scoring six points to go with seven rebounds. Senior reserve forward Ross Wade added two key assists in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs, who trailed 38-30 after three quarters, were mounting a comeback. Hatchet coach Gene Miiller thought the play of Wildridge and Wade, as well as reserves Seth Coy and Cody Lee, were a major difference in the win.

“It was a good win. I thought we got great play out of all of our players. I thought the kids off the bench gave us some really good minutes throughout the ballgame,” said Miiller. “With Bouchie and Zeller in foul trouble, we needed those kids to come in and play well, and they came in and played very well for us.”

With several Division I college coaches in attendance, Zeller notched a double-double with 12 rebounds to go along with his 24 points, despite once again facing a team whose physical tactics in defending him were something more akin to a sport where players wear helmets and shoulder pads rather than tank tops and sneakers. Zeller finished the contest 7-10 from the field and 10-12 from the stripe, including 6-6 from the stripe in the final :17 of the fourth quarter.

Bouchie sat for most of the first half with foul trouble but returned after halftime to be a force in the middle in the final 16 minutes, finishing with five rebounds and three blocked shots, including two monstrous blocks on one Crown Point possession in the third quarter.

The game was a homecoming-to-be for Bouchie, who will continue his career on the same floor next year for coach Homer Drew’s Valparaiso University Crusaders.

“I wanted to come up here and play in front of these fans and really prove myself, play hard and get a win,” said Bouchie. “It’s a good atmosphere here. I know the fans here really get into it. They really like the school and are really good fans.”

Junior guard Stephen Albrecht led Crown Point with 17 points, followed by 12 points from junior guard Ben Derks. Junior forward Kyle Price, senior guard Jon Sturgeon, and senior guard Andrew Obaseki each added four points for the Hatchets.

www.washtimesherald.com/sports/local_story_002120328.html

[raiderscout]

www.strempkagallery.com/Boys%20Basketball%202007/Valpo%20CP/index.htm

[raiderscout]

www.strempkagallery.com/Boys%20Basketball%202007/CP%20Chesterton/index.htm

[Big D]

C.P.'s Albrecht in father's and brother's shadows
February 2, 2007
BY STEVE HANLON

CROWN POINT | Stephen Albrecht was having an incredible game many years ago. The then-fourth-grader was in an AAU tournament, being played at the historic Chrysler Fieldhouse in New Castle. It happens to be the largest high school gym in the world.

Albrecht had nailed five 3-pointers in the first half, as a team from Crown Point upset an all-star squad from Indianapolis. A coach from Indy was amazed and asked the C.P. coach, Dave Hanaway, a simple question.

"Man, that kid can shoot," the coach said. "Can he do anything else?"

"No," was the quick response, because it was the truth.

This season, some might've been saying that on Jan. 20, when Albrecht shot 4-of-19 from the field against E.C. Central, in an ugly 75-48 loss for the Bulldogs.

Unfettered, the 6-foot-2 junior guard shrugged off the awful night and came back a week later, scoring a career-high 31 points in the Bulldogs 59-55 upset of Class 4A No. 1 Valparaiso.

"It was pretty frustrating because we knew we were much better than we showed," Albrecht said of the E.C. game. "But being able to come back and beat Valpo, that was amazing to us."

Albrecht is eighth in the area in scoring at 19.3 ppg and has nailed 44 3-pointers.

His father, Chuck, was a star at Lew Wallace, where he graduated in 1979. Different from Stephen, Chuck was a point guard who made a name for himself driving into the lane against Gary's best.

Stephen's older brother, Chachi -- a 2005 C.P. grad -- was also more than a shooter. And younger brother Spike -- a standout for the eighth-grade team -- is a clone of Chuck's. Stephen quietly just tries to improve his game and his place at the family dinner table.

According to Bulldogs coach Clint Swan, Penn State, Illinois State, Oakland, Western Michigan and Wright State have been recruiting Albrecht.

"He showed a lot of character in the Valpo game," Swan said. "Steve's always been a business as usual type of kid, with a strong workman-like attitude. He knows he didn't play well against E.C. None of us did. He does a great job not letting things bother him."

Not even the stories of yesteryear from his father.

Stephen said Chuck averages three stories a day about how good he was at Wallace. And with Spike having the same kind of jawing ability, Stephen has had to raise his game, on and off the court.

"I get a kick out of it, I can talk a little trash to him now," Stephen said of Chuck. "I idolize him. I've tried to learn everything he's given me. It's awesome. He's a player and he knows the high school game."

For Chuck, he's singing the same song he did when his middle son was in elementary school.

"Steve's a better shooter than the rest of us," Chuck said. "He's made himself into a pretty good high school player. But he needs to get better in the other areas of the game, and he's shown great improvement there over the last year."

www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2007/02/02/sports/indiana_prep_sports/doc232c19da44e23704862572750068c766.txt

[Retired Coach]

Ernest doesn't start but leads Crown Point win
February 3, 2007
BY TONY ZEZOVSKI Post-Tribune

The last time Crown Point played Merrillville, Matt Ernest watched from the bleachers in street clothes.

On Friday, he watched from the bench in uniform for the first few minutes of the first quarter and then made his presence known as soon as he entered the game by going 6-of-7 from the field and a perfect night from the charity line (5-for-5) as the Crown Point Bulldogs defeated Merrillville 60-42 to sweep the season series.

Ernest finished the night with 18 points, while pulling down five rebounds seemingly with ease. But the senior all purpose player cautions that he is still trying to get back in basketball shape.

"I'm pretty tired right now,"he said. "I got a lot of minutes tonight and it felt good to get in the groove of stuff. We played pretty good tonight and all that matters is that we got the win."

It was Crown Point's first victory on Merrillville's home court since the 1998 Sectional championship game.

Merrillville for years, if not decades has been the measuring point for many teams in the area to see where they are at, and where they need to stride to for.

On Friday, it was Crown Point striding past the Pirates at will.

"We have all the respect in the world for Merrillville and we have all the respect for coach Jim East also," Crown Point head coach Clint Swan said. "This was a very meaningful victory for us because of that.

"This is a good win and there are a lot of happy young men in that locker room right now and they should be very happy for what they have accomplished."

Crown Point (10-6, 6-4 DAC) broke a 10 all tie on Stephen Albrecht's 3-pointer with 2:34 in the first quarter and never really looked back. They extended the lead to 19-12 at the end of the quarter and only led 24-21 at the break.

But in the second half, Swan let the Dogs out and after a 11-0 run in the third quarter Crown Point behind the inside ñ outside game by Zach Cecich and Ernest blew the game wide open.

Cecich, a man amongst boys in the middle dominated the game with team high 19 points and 7 rebounds. He was an impressive 8-of-10 shooting and 3-of-3 from the line. Albrecht drained 3 from behind the arc and balanced out the double-digit output with 13.

"We haven't beat them (Merrillville) forever," Cecich said. "This was huge for us. Coach brought that fact up that we haven't beat them at Merrillville this week at practice and that really got us fired up."

Merrillville shot a dismal 18-of-45 and at times looked confused on the floor. The Pirates after a strong six minute after in the first quarter, reverted back to the style of play that's brought them back down to the .500 mark.

Merrilllville coach Jim East was unavailable for comment after the game.

"The kids are just trying to find their way and put four quarters together and we just haven't done that," assistant coach Lori Dust said.

"The kids after half time just came out and lost their confidence after we kept with Crown Point for the most part in the first half."

Josh White has now put together solid back-to-back games since coming back from his injury. He scored a game high 21 points. No other Pirate reached double-figures.

www.post-trib.com/sports/241594,cp.article

[Retired Coach]

Bulldogs charge back against Slicers
Friday, February 9, 2007
BY BILL PAIGE
Times Correspondent

LAPORTE | Holes can swallow a team up pretty quickly on the road.

Times No. 6 Crown Point was able to withstand a second-quarter surge as the Bulldogs found themselves down 12 points and went on to get a Duneland Athletic Conference road win against LaPorte 67-61.

It was the fourth straight win for C.P. (10-7, 8-4).

"That was a great character win for us," Crown Point coach Clint Swan said. "Being down 12 against a good team like that at their place and coming back speaks volumes about our kids."

LaPorte's Austen Kesling came out firing in the second quarter, hitting four straight 3-pointers to help the Slicers to a dozen-point lead. Kesling had 17 of his game-high 22 points in the first half. He missed the last three games with an ankle injury.

"He turned our scouting upside down," Swan said. "We didn't think he would be playing. But, once we put Matt Ernest on him, he pretty much shut him down after that.

"His effort made the difference. We didn't have to give him any help on defense, which allowed us to control the glass."

Ernest was also a major contributor on offense, driving to the basket at will and scoring 14 points.

"I took whatever they would give me," Ernest said. "If I could take it all the way to the basket I would; if not, I looked for an open player."

Ernest's driving ability created opportunities for his teammates.

"There are few sports where Matt isn't the quickest one out there," Swan said. "He created mismatches all over the court where they had to rotate defensively, allowing us to get offensive rebounds on missed shots."

Stephen Albrecht led Crown Point with 18 points despite sitting out much of the second quarter with foul trouble. Zach Cecich had 13 points.

Crown Point's size gave LaPorte (8-10, 4-8) problems leading to a free-throw discrepancy. The Bulldogs hit 16 of 20 freebies where LaPorte only attempted six, hitting three.

"We got beat at the free-throw line," LaPorte coach Tom Wells said. "Their physicalness had a lot to do with that."

Matt Dunfee had 14 points, and Tim Knickerbocker contributed 12 for the Slicers.

www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2007/02/09/sports/indiana_prep_sports/docd441225cb5b006528625727d001e3dba.txt

[Retired Coach]

Portage stuns Crown Point at the buzzer
February 17, 2007
BY STEVE T. GORCHES Post-Tribune
It's bound to happen. A team in the midst of a dismal season comes out with a ton of energy on its senior night.

The banners say "We love our seniors" with poster-size photos of them and triangular pennants that students were signing for each senior.

That was Portage on Friday against a Crown Point squad thinking ahead to sectionals.

And those seniors (Eric Speer, Reece Mussman, Andrew Farmer, Andrew Coban and Mike Disney) came out with a ton of energy in the first quarter.

But it was a pair of juniors that brought the Indians all the way back from a 17-point deficit on their way to a shocking 71-69 victory over the Bulldogs.

The biggest play of them all by those juniors -- Chris Moss and Albert Evans -- came at the end after it looked like Crown Point (10-8, 8-5 DAC) was going to squeak into overtime and gain a reprieve.

Following a layup by the Bulldogs' Matt Ernest with less than eight seconds left, Moss took the inbounds pass, bobbled it for a second, then drove down the near sideline. When he saw a small opening, he drove into the lane and flipped up a shot that bounced off the rim and fell through at the buzzer.

"Yeah, I was finishing that play," Moss said when asked if there was ever a thought of passing the ball. "One of my strongest points is driving to the basket."

No timeouts remained, though coach Steve Bartos admitted he wouldn't have called one anyway.

"I like that chaos," he said. "We had a hard time creating tempo, but (Moss and Evans) gave us some energy, especially defensively."

Moss' shot capped a quarter in which Portage (4-15, 2-11) scored 33 points in similar fashion to its only other Duneland victory on Jan. 26.

"It was a mirror image of their game against LaPorte that they scored 34 points in the fourth quarter," CP coach Clint Swan said. "It came down to free throws and turnovers."

The Bulldogs had eight turnovers and missed nine free throws in the fourth period.

On the other hand, Moss and Evans combined for 20 points in the final eight minutes with both returning after long absences. Moss had missed 10 games due to a code-of-conduct infraction while Evans had a fractured wrist. Moss led the Indians with 14 points. Evans and senior Andrew Coban added 13 each.

Zach Cecich led CP with 18 while Ernest had 10 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

Contact Steve Gorches at 648-3141 or [e-mail]

Portage 71, Crown Point 69

Crown Point -- Stephen Albrecht 4 2-2 13, Ben Derks 0 4-4 4, Kyle Hanaway 0 5-10 5, Aleks Alavanja 7 1-3 15, Zach Cecich 7 4-6 18, Matt Ernest 4 2-6 10, Andrew Krumwied 0 0-0 0, Mitchell Robinson 2 0-0 4, Billy Cox 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 18-31 69.

Portage -- Eric Speer 3 0-0 9, Reece Mussman 4 3-6 14, Andrew Farmer 0 0-0 0, Andrew Coban 4 3-7 13, Mike Disney 0 0-2 0, Albert Evans 5 3-4 13, Aaron Ciesielski 1 1-2 3, Luke Wheeler 0 0-0 0, Chris Moss 6 0-2 14, DJ Anderson 2 0-0 5, Josh Pradziad 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 10-23 71.

www.post-trib.com/sports/261231,portcp.article

[Retired Coach]

C.P. guard Hanaway drops 17 assists on Chesterton in win
From Saturday, February 24, 2007
BY JIM PETERS

CROWN POINT | Few players in the Region can impact a game without taking a shot as much as Kyle Hanaway.

The Crown Point junior didn't hoist a single field goal attempt, but dropped a school-record 17 assists on his appreciative teammates in Friday's 70-65 Duneland Athletic Conference victory over Times No. 5 Chesterton.

"I'm almost tired of talking about him. I feel like a broken record," C.P. coach Clint Swan said. "What he's doing assist-wise is just remarkable. Even going against teams who just don't guard him, he finds ways to control the game every time out. He was absolutely tremendous, particularly in the first half."

The No. 10 Bulldogs (12-8, 9-5) got to it right out of the gate, beating Chesterton down the floor in transition. Zach Cecich and Aleks Alvanja went 7-for-7 in the first quarter, thanks in large part to drops inside from Hanaway, as C.P. jumped in front 22-12.

"I know my role on the team," Hanaway said. "Coach always said, 'if you run for your teammates, someone will find you open.'"

Chesterton coach Tom Peller was disappointed to see so many Bulldogs running free in the open court.

"Just not hustling and getting back, that bothers me," he said. "They executed really well in their transition game. We played behind the 8-ball the whole game after that."

Stephen Albrecht added eight of his 23 points in the opening eight minutes for Crown Point, which led all the way after the early surge.

"We talked about coming out and setting the tone early, not just for tonight but for Tuesday," Swan said, referring to the sectional opener between the C.P. and Chesterton.

Down 11 in the third quarter, the Trojans made a game of it with Zack Novak stashing 21 of his 30 points after the break. His fourth 3-pointer drew Chesterton (14-6, 9-5) within three with 19.7 seconds left, but Albrecht's free throws ensured the outcome for the Bulldogs, who made 11-of-16 free throws in the fourth quarter.

Cecich posted 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Alvanja added 15.

"Zach probably ought to buy Kyle a steak dinner after the season," Swan said.

www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2007/02/24/sports/indiana_prep_sports/doc826f4566c0e0ed698625728c001ca80a.txt

[Retired Coach]

Chesterton overcomes 11-point fourth quarter deficit to top C.P. in OT
February 28, 2007
BY JIM PETERS

CROWN POINT | Down 50-39 to Crown Point going to the fourth quarter, Chesterton coach Tom Peller emphasized one point.

"Don't panic," he said. "We've got eight minutes left. There's plenty of time."

The Trojans needed less than six minutes to overcame the 11-point deficit, ultimately going to overtime, where they downed the Bulldogs, 70-65, in the opening game of the Class 4A Crown Point Sectional.

"We were patient on offense and our (2-2-1) press gave us some energy," Peller said. "We were able to slow things down a little bit and get in a halfcourt game instead of running with them."

Crown Point trailed almost all of the first half before going on a 19-3 run in the third quarter sparked by Matt Ernest to seemingly take control. But the Bulldogs (12-9) turned the ball over seven times and managed just five free throws in the fourth quarter, even though Trojan guard Adam Hutnick fouled out early in the period.

"We had it right where we wanted to be," C.P. coach Clint Swan said. "We let their pressure bother us. They were doing it at the beginning of the game and we were getting layups. We lost our attack mentality once we crossed halfcourt.

"You can't have those kind of lapses."

Chesterton (15-6) never trailed in overtime after a huge 3 from an unexpected source, Jordan Lewis, who also had six assists and keyed the defensive surge.

C.P.'s field goal drought extended three minutes into the extra period before Stephen Albrecht hit a deep ball. His sixth 3-pointer of the game brought the Bulldogs within 67-65, but a 25-footer under pressure for a potential tie on the next possession came up short. Lewis then sealed it at the line.

"I've played against (Albrecht) since fourth grade and I've seen him hit 10 in a row," Novak said. "Some of those you just can't do anything about. He had a little period where he didn't get any good looks, and that's a credit to Austin (Bower) and everybody who was guarding him."

Novak and Albrecht each finished with 28 points. Jack Houpt added 16 for Chesterton.

"The difference was their supporting cast," Swan said.

www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2007/02/28/sports/top_sports/docef1bfa70bf032c58862572900017d040.txt