Lady Bulldogs slow down Wolves, but fall 44-30 at home

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
01-21-2007

Friday, January 19, 2007 - Duneland Athletic Conference game at Crown Point

MICHIGAN CITY (44)  Katie Knoll 4-0-10, TaKenya Nixon 4-3-12, Bianca McGee 6-0-12, Melissa Johnson 2-0-4, Emma Tucker 3-0-6, Natalie Studtman 0-0-0, Ramona Alex 0-0-0, Leandra Cash 0-0-0. TOTALS: 19 (3-7) 44.

CROWN POINT (30)  Amanda Moore 2-1-5, Anjellica Rospond 4-1-9, Kristi Quigley 2-0-4, Daniela Tarailo 2-0-5, Jessica Martinez 1-0-2, Meagan Maloney 1-0-2, Kristen Moransan 1-1-3, Nicci Brown 0-0-0, Brittany Clements 0-0-0, Andjalina Obradovic 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 13 (3-9) 30.

FREE THROWS:  MC (3-7, 42.8%) Nixon 3-4, Knoll 0-2, McGee 0-1;  CP (3-9, 33%) Rospond 1-2, Morasan 1-3, Moore 1-2, Tarailo 0-2.

REBOUNDS:  MC (21) Tucker 10, Nixon 5, McGee 3, Johnson, Alex, Studtman; CP  (29) Tarailo 8, Rospond 8, Morason 5, Moore 3, Martinez 2, Quigley 2, Clements.

ASSISTS:  MC (8) Nixon 4, McGee 2, Tucker, Alex;   CP (7) Rospond 4, Clements, Martinez, Morason

3-GOALS: MC (3) Katie Knoll 2, TaKenya Nixon;  CP (1) Daniela Tarailo.

CROWN POINT, IN (01-19-2007) -  It's time for Crown Point to show some improvement heading into the post-season and the Lady Bulldogs did Friday night, leading at the half of a 44-30 loss to first place Michigan City.  Leading a game at halftime is no big deal, except that Michigan City (17-1, 11-0 DAC) has such an experience, height and quickness edge on the Lady Bulldog that just playing a competitive game against them had to be a big lift.

Crown Point slowed the pace of the game and held leads of 10-5 and 17-9 before an 8-0 Michigan City run tied the game.  CP's last lead was 22-19 with 6:55 left in the third quarter on a basket by Anjellica Rospond.  But as has occurred several times this year, CP suffered a long scoring drought, this one lasting almost eight minutes.  When Rospond scored again with 7:10 left in he game, Michigan City led 29-24.  The Wolves then scored the next 11 points as CP went scoreless for another 5:05.

"Tom (May) had his players prepared for us," said Michigan City coach Gary Collins.  "He runs that slowdown, patient offensive tempo and we were rushing everything.  We told them at halftime that you were playing into their hands.  Do you want to play the worst half of your life and get back on the bus and say Tom May's team kicked our butts?  They didn't want to hear that."

"They had another gear and we weren't able to go there" said Tom May.  "But we knew we had to withstand the first four or five minutes of the second half and we just were not able to do that.  I thought this was one of our best games of the year."

Crown Point covered up Michigan City's 6-foot-3 center Emma Tucker and encouraged MC, which has lost only to 4A No. 2 South Bend Washington (18-1), to shoot from outside.  The Wolves shot poorly, while Rospond's four assists kept the Lady Bulldogs ahead.  Michigan City's switch to a 1-3-1 zone defense in the third quarter locked up what offense CP had at one end, while a modification to the full court press caused 10 second half CP turnovers.  May recognized that guards TaKenya Nixon and Bianca McGee were factors, but he didn't think they decided the game.

"We had to double down on (Emma) Tucker," he explained, "and that put Nixon and McGee in one on one situations and we don't have anybody who can handle them one on one.  But what really hurts is that their fourth and fifth options are hitting shots.  That throws a wrench into everything we try to do."

"When our guards starting picking them up full court," said Collins, "that was the turning point.  Then we went to that diamond press with Emma on the ball and their girl could not see over her.  They executed their game plan very well.  But we were able to shut them down."

Crown Point is going through some changes.  Sophomore guard Sydnee Reeves has left the team and injured senior center Courtney Perry probably won't play until February.  May moved Daniela Tarailo to point guard and inserted little used Kristen Morason at center.  Shuttling 10 players in and out, CP stayed with Michigan City until they got timid and began to pass up open shots in the second half.

"I'm not pleased losing by 14," said May.  "But if we had been playing like this, we'd have won some of the other games we have lost."

CPLB NOTES:  CP coach Tom May says that you don't need a dominant lead guard to win.

"Both guards have to handle the ball," he said.  "Look at Michigan City. (Bianca) McGee and (TaKenya) Nixon.  When Nixon's out, McGee steps right in and handles the ball.  We have to have two guards who can both handle the ball."

Daniela Tarailo started the first 15 games as the '2' guard, but May thought she was good in her lead guard debut.

"I thought Tarailo did fine," he said.  "Nobody's going to be this quick against her except Merrillvile.  And she can put the ball over her head against them.  Michigan City comes at you with speed and size.  She (Tarailo) can penetrate and she can score."

With the loss, Crown Point is at .500 for the last two seasons.  They were 11-11 last season.  Crown Point's next opponent, LaPorte (9-8), was upset by Valparaiso 50-40 Friday night.  The Lady Bulldogs host LaPorte Tuesday night.  Crown Point's rescheduled game with Hebron will be played on Tuesday, Jan. 30.

Michigan City brought 6-foot-1 senior forward Ramona Alex off the bench in the second half to team with 6-foot-3 Emma Tucker, who was held to six points, but did grab 10 rebounds.

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Revised: January 21, 2007 .