Kramer drives Lady Wildcats to 51-50 win over Kankakee Valley

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-01-2007

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - Non-conference game in Cedar Lake

KANKAKEE VALLEY (50)  Kelli Hamstra 2-1-5, Brittany Scott 4-0-8, Stevie Alexander 0-6-6, Kirah Fifield 0-2-2, Brandee Hudspeth 7-4-22, Ashley Vankley 1-0-2, Jacki Scheidt 1-0-2, Marissa Butler 1-1-3.  TOTALS:  16 (14-21) 50.

HANOVER CENTRAL (51)  Lindsay Martinez 5-0-11, Anna Turturillo 3-0-6, Jordan Kramer 4-1-9, Danielle Graham 2-1-5, Beth Flores 2-0-4, Chrissy Homolka 5-3-14, Megan Parks 0-2-2, Tori Dahlin 0-0-0, Anna Plassman 0-0-0, Brenda McQuade  0-0-0.  TOTALS:  21 (7-17) 51.

FREE THROWS:  KV (14-21, 66.7%) Hudspeth 4-8, Hamstra 1-1, Fifield 2-2, Alexander 6-8, Butler 1-2;    HC (7-17, 41.1%) Parks 2-2, Graham 1-2, Homolka 3-4, Dahlin 0-2, Turturillo 0-2, Flores 0-2, Kramer 1-3.

REBOUNDS:  KV (26) Alexander 8, Scott 6, Hudspeth 5, Fifield 3, Hamstra 2, Butler, Scheidt;  HC (29) Flores 10, Turturillo 5, Graham 4, Homolka 3, Dahlin 3, Kramer 2, McQuade, Parks.

ASSISTS:  KV (5) Hamstra 2, Alexander 2, Fifield;  HC (10) Kramer 6, Flores 2, Graham, Homolka.

TURNOVERS:  KV (12) HC (21).

3-GOALS:  KV (4) Brandee Hudspeth 4;  HC (2) Lindsey Martinez, Chrissy Homolka.

CEDAR LAKE (1-30-2007) - Everybody should be allowed to win their final home game.  It's an issue that ought to be addressed by the IHSAA.  We can work it out scheduling-wise.  For Hanover Central, things worked out on their own without any legislation.  Tuesday night in Cedar Lake, sophomore Jordan Kramer went the length of the floor and scored on a driving layup with two seconds left to give HC a come-from-behind victory over Kankakee Valley in the final Lady Cats' home game of the 2007 season.

For Hanover (8-10), who broke a three-game losing streak in the final home game for seniors Anna Turturillo and Samantha Plant, it was a boost they needed heading into the Class 2A Lake Station sectional.  And maybe it was sign that better days are ahead for a school that's been a little overmatched the last few years.  Kramer, the 5-foot-5 guard who scored 22 points Saturday in a 57-51 loss to Kouts (16-2), took the inbounds pass with nine seconds left after a Hanover time out following two missed free throws by KV freshman Brandee Hudspeth.

Kramer raced down the far sidelines and KV wasn't able to stop her dribble.  The HC guard was able to cross over on the dribble and slide into the lane with her short shot bouncing around the rim and going in with two seconds to go.  Kankakee Valley's Stevie Alexander got the inbounds pass at mid court, but she was called for traveling before she could launch a desperation shot.

"We needed this one," said coach Douglas Nelson.  "We played well against Kouts, but we needed to win.  It's good to win a close game."

It's truthfully the first last possession game Hanover has won this season and they won for two reasons.  1.) KV missed four of six free throws in the final minute and, 2.) Kramer and Chrissy Homolka drove to the basket for three key scores in the final 90 seconds.  But whether they won this game or not, the Lady Cats displayed an offense.  The girls set picks for each other continuously and, while they did turn the ball over 21 times, they created chances to score, something they couldn't do back in November.

The improvement isn't as much visible on Kramer, who is so obviously talented that opposing teams are beginning to 'mark' her, assigning her a solo defender independent of the rest of the defense, as KV did Tuesday.  But 5-foot-6 junior Chrissy Homolka led the Lady Cats (8-10) with 14 points, including nine of KV's 26 second half points.  Nelson is trying to teach his girls how to get shots inside an offense, a difficult concept for players who know the team isn't scoring many points per game.

"We're telling them," said Nelson, "that if they're standing, they're not doing anything.  It's working right now.  Homolka's getting patient with her shots.  I think she can shoot, but kids have to understand, you don't just shoot because you're open.  It's in the flow of what we do.  If it's not there, reverse it, but the skills have to get better.  We know that."

Junior Beth Flores kept HC in the game in the first half with four points and nine rebounds, staving off a barrage by KV freshman guard Brandee Hudspeth, who scored 13 of her game-high 22 points in the first half.  The Kougars (10-10), who ended their regular season with this loss, forged a 34-28 lead early in the third quarter.  But 5-foot-3 sophomore guard Lindsay Martinez started throwing in driving scoop shots to rally the home team.  Martinez scored nine of her 11 points in the third quarter.

"I don't know how she makes some of the shots she does," said Nelson.  "She's not very big at all.  But they go in."

KV led 44-38 with 5:50 to go before senior Anna Turturillo, playing in her final home game, scored a pair of baskets around two free throws by Tori Dahlin that tied the game 44-44 with 4:16 left.  Nelson has changed his offense somewhat to get Turturillo and 5-foot-9 forward Anna Plassman more points.

"We're not big enough to go back to the basket," said Nelson.  "We've pulled our posts away from the basket.  If we catch the ball down low we're just going to get it blocked.  Anna (Turturillo) has a good move to the basket.  She's got a very good first step.  We want the posts in a position where they can catch it and go at them.  We're not big enough to get down low."

Kramer scored a driving lay up, but missed a free throw that left the score at 48-47 with 1:41 left.  KV's Brittany Scott took an ill-advised three-point shot to give HC a chance, but a turnover gave it back.  Hudspeth split two foul shots to give KV a 49-47 lead with 42 seconds to play and after Scott blocked Turturillo's game-tying shot, Hudspeth again split two foul shots to make it 50-47 with 25 seconds to play.  But Homolka drove down the lane and sank an off-balance shot to cut the lead to 50-49 and Hudspeth, who played a very strong game, missed two foul shots with 13 seconds to go to allow HC to launch the game-winning play.

LADY CAT NOTES:  Senior Hanover guard Samantha Plant made only a token appearance at the start of HC's final home game.  Plant has been frequently ill the last couple of weeks and will have her tonsils removed Tuesday, causing her to miss the post-season.  She wanted to play the final week and the playoffs but was overruled by coach Doug Nelson.

"She is not well," he said.  "She just doesn't look good.  I know she wants to play, but I just can't put her out there when she's not well."

Plant, who missed all of last season after knee surgery, hopes to be ready for the start of the softball season in March.

"I know it was really a tough year for her," Nelson said.

Turturillo, who looks as healthy as she has been all year, is weighing a couple of college offers including Franklin College, a Division III liberal arts schools in Franklin, Indiana, in Johnson County, just south of the Indianapolis metro area.  Rose-Hulman (18-2) and Manchester (14-6) are in the same league with Franklin (12-6).  DePauw (18-2), with Crown Point graduate Cassie Pruzin starting at guard, is eighth-ranked nationally in Division III.  Both Plant and Turturillo were honored in ceremonies before the game.

The close win by HC over KV is nothing new.  Hanover defeated Kankakee Valley 53-52 last season and 49-48 in 2004.  Former Hebron coach Kelly York is coaching Hanover's eighth grade girls team.  She is the wife of Chris York, the former Hanover coach, who reportedly has been doing some scouting for new coach Doug Nelson this season.

Hanover Central wasn't thrilled about drawing Porter County Conference (PCC) champion Boone Grove in the semifinals of next week's Class 2A Lake Station sectional, but there was a realization that in a five-team sectional with Boone (17-3) and Wheeler (16-3), there was no avoiding one of the heavy hitters.

The Wolves beat Hanover 51-36 on Jan. 25 and HC gained confidence from that game.  HC's last major victory was the upset of Boone Grove in the 2004 PCC tournament, a game that will be recalled by some in the days before the sectional semifinals on Feb. 2.

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Revised: February 03, 2007 .