[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...cb849772067.txt

Boyd talks summer, IHSAA

City’s boys basketball coach presides over his team during last year’s hoop season at Lake Central High School in St. John, Indiana. N-D file photo by Robb Quinn.
MCHS Boys Basketball
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, August 4, 2010 5:11 PM CDT
In this era of amateur sports, there’s really no such thing as an offseason, even at the high school level.

Coaches at nearly every school work with players year-round — within the guidelines set by the state’s governing body, of course — making a commitment to a sport a pretty permanent endeavor.

With that in mind, The News-Dispatch caught up with Michigan City boys basketball coach John Boyd on Tuesday to talk about his program’s summer and other things.

In the following interview, Boyd talks about a strong freshman class, charter schools and a fear he has about the direction of athletics in Michigan City Area Schools.

N-D: People don’t tend to think about basketball during the summer, but this is an important time for your program isn’t it?

Boyd: Yeah, actually the summer offseason is the most important time for our basketball program because that’s when you can work on things that guys are not doing correctly. Especially in our situation with new guys, it gives them more time to learn the system. We also work extensively in the weight room so you see growth and maturity.

N-D: What’s the biggest goal you have for your teams during summer ball?

Boyd: To unify, to work on their weaknesses and to, more importantly, get stronger.

N-D: Do you think you succeeded in those categories?

Boyd: Oh, definitely. We’re a better ball club now than we were last year.

N-D: You’ve been very excited about your incoming class of freshmen. How’d they look this summer?

Boyd: Our freshmen went like 35-7 and played in a lot of different tournaments and leagues in Chicago and Merrillville. They even played in South Bend — they’ve traveled quite extensively. We’re really impressed by their commitment to Michigan City.

N-D: During the last few months there was a report that you had interviewed for the vacant job at Indianapolis Pike before withdrawing from the search. You’re obviously still the coach at City, care to clear the air about this?

Boyd: I’m here at Michigan City, this is my home, this is where I’m gonna make my mark and I’m pleased to be a part of the community.

N-D: Are you irritated that got out?

Boyd: Yeah, I’m really irritated because last time I went there to Pike, it was not a situation that was as professional. For it to get out wasn’t necessary because they were looking for a math or science teacher (Editor’s note: Boyd is an administrator at City but has taught English in the past). Because of that, a lot of people thought I was leaving.

But I will say it’s always positive when you can have a profound impact on kids and a lot of communities desire that and it’s really important for Michigan City. Some good people have left our community. We had two coaches (Craig Buzea and Sarah Hendricks) leave our community. You keep your superstars. You keep the people that make it great for kids and the community and I’m just happy that I didn’t have to leave.

N-D: It seems like Buzea’s departure hit a lot of people hard.

Boyd: No matter what community, you want to keep your talent. You don’t want people to take your talent from your community. At this time, there’s a lot of people positioning themselves and there’s competition out there ... If you’ve got a good one who can get kids into college, you want to keep them. We don’t give our athletic director the authority to say, ‘Let me talk to some people and make some kind of push to keep you here,’ and I think that’s unfortunate. I hope that doesn’t hurt us. I shouldn’t have to leave. We’re on the level of Pike or any other community, but we have to put forth the effort and support one another.

N-D: Also during the summer, it was revealed that incoming junior Carlos McCormick was transferring to Bowman Academy. How’d you feel about that?

Boyd: I’m a coach, I can’t really speak when a kid is desiring to go to another place. I support that. A family makes those types of decisions. I said what I needed to say to make the family feel comfortable, but it’s not my decision for a kid to stay.

N-D: Do you think Bowman Academy is good or bad for high school basketball?

Boyd: Based on the rules of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, I don’t think they’re ready for charter schools and don’t think they understand the magnitude of what’s going on. They wanted a new school added into our tournament and that’s unfortunate because that’s not what class basketball is all about.

You come in as a 1A school and your whole team is AAU, you’ll win state. It’s not the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s plan, but Bowman went about it the right way and if they win five in a row, that’s the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s fault. The Indiana High School Athletic Association decided you can open charter schools and not have boundaries and recruit from anywhere and they’ll support it. As a public school, we have to focus on what we can do. We wish (McCormick) the best of luck.

N-D: Switching gears, it’s now been more than a year since you took over as City’s basketball coach. What are your impressions of the job and community now?

Boyd: I love my school and I adore coaching here. The kids have responded to me, the players know we’re a family and we’re trying to get more involved in the community and get some sponsorships going because I think we can do big things in Michigan City. We want to win a sectional, regional and state championship and we think that’s all within our reach. We’re trying to get everybody on the same page and root out some thinking that’s not conducive to winning.

N-D: What kind of season can fans look forward to in 2010-11?

Boyd: I don’t like to predict anything, I like to predict what I can predict and that is the maturity of our guys, how well they play the game and how well they represent the community. I think they’ll be very impressed with that.

Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...02944752459.txt

Boyd has things to say, I like to hear them

By Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor
Published: Thursday, August 5, 2010 5:22 PM CDT
Every sports writer has coaches, sources or players that they prefer to talk to over anyone else.

Invariably, those are the folks who stray most frequently away from the trite, cliché answers that bore both writers and readers alike into submission.

Without revealing who’s on my personal list, I feel comfortable saying Michigan City boys basketball coach John Boyd is becoming a must-talk, that is someone who I don’t miss an opportunity to interview.

Not necessarily with that in mind, I decided to catch up with Boyd on Tuesday night about his team’s summer and some other issues surrounding the team.

Of course I needed to ask about Carlos McCormick’s transfer to Bowman Academy and about his association with the vacant position at Indianapolis Pike.

The words that followed those interrogatives showed why reporters like to talk to Boyd: He has things to say.

After saying the thing with Pike never went too far, Boyd started to talk about how saddened he was by the departures of City coaches such as Craig Buzea (football) and Sarah Hendricks (volleyball) within the past year.

“You keep your superstars,” he said, referring to the coaches of the school’s biggest money-making sports.

Boyd went on to insinuate that perhaps the athletic administration at City didn’t have the authority to go the extra mile to keep someone like Buzea.

Boyd had little to say about McCormick’s transfer, saying his family had to do what was in his best interest. But he did have thoughts on Bowman, as many in this state do.

He said that it didn’t seem like the IHSAA was currently set up very well to handle charter schools like Bowman, which have no enrollment boundaries and can essentially legally recruit from just about anywhere. Bowman, a growing school which will likely be a Class 3A school in the next reclassification, rolled to the Class A state championship this past winter.

“... Bowman went about it the right way and if they win five in a row, that’s the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s fault,” Boyd said.

All valid points on both fronts. While his concerns about the system’s inability to retain good coaches have some weight, let’s face it, Michigan City Area Schools don’t exactly have money falling out of their pockets. The system is cash-strapped, and unpopular decisions have had to be made, presumably in the interest of preserving academic achievement.

Look, nobody wanted to see Buzea leave, but the man got a better offer and did what he had to do, point blank. Hendricks, on the other hand, is a different story.

The former City star was a counselor at MCHS and had her position eliminated with the latest round of budget cuts, meaning she also lost her volleyball job. In my opinion, something should have been done to retain Hendricks. She has deep roots in this community and wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That was a loss which could have been prevented.

But I think Boyd’s points on Bowman were spot-on. The IHSAA clearly hasn’t thought through this charter-school business very well. Ask anyone who’s ran into Muncie Burris in the Class 2A state volleyball championship match since the inception of class volleyball.

It’s clear these schools are operating on a different playing field from everyone else. Allow them to compete against state-sanctioned schools, but they should be stopped short of playing in the postseason. La Lumiere isn’t the same animal, but it’s close enough, and the Lakers have maintained their athletic independence while competing against IHSAA schools. They like it just fine.

So, the point here is, while you don’t have to like what Boyd has to say, respect the courage he has to say what most won’t say.

Just because it’s unpopular doesn’t mean it’s untrue.

Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.

[taxthedeer]

Coach Boyd is spot on about the teams maturity level. The underclassmen have really hit the weights and have developed quite a physique, I've known some of them since they were they were little boys, they don't have that gangling teenager look anymore, but more like a young college men.

[Southsider2k12]

Bet on it. Take my word, this is going to be a very good team.

http://www.post-trib.com/sports/2814466,hutton-1019.article

Book it. John Boyd of Michigan City guarantees me that the Wolves will be one of the top 10 teams in Northwest Indiana this year. Boyd loves his guards: Shereff Knight , a 6-1 senior who averaged nine points and six assists per game, Reggie Clay , a 5-9 senior who averaged six points and four assists per game and Alajuwon Edwards , a 6-3 guard/forward who averaged 13 points and seven rebounds per game.

[taxthedeer]

Here's the schedule:

http://indianahsbasketball.homestead.com/f...boyslogs212.htm

[Southsider2k12]

Don't forget, there are two scrimmages next week at the Wolves Den. The Boys have their intrasquad game on Tuesday, and Andrean on Thursday. If you get there by 5pm on Tuesday, you can get on the floor for pictures.

[Southsider2k12]

No basketball broadcasting for me this year. WIMS has dropped Wolves basketball in favor of two Catholic HSs who were willing to pay for play. I'm not even sure if the other station is doing games this year, as they didn't do any football this year. It is a real possibility that there will be a complete radio blackout for the Wolves this year. How depressing.

[taxthedeer]

No basketball broadcasting for me this year. WIMS has dropped Wolves basketball in favor of two Catholic HSs who were willing to pay for play. I'm not even sure if the other station is doing games this year, as they didn't do any football this year. It is a real possibility that there will be a complete radio blackout for the Wolves this year. How depressing.

I'm sure the Regional Radio Sports Network will be carrying quite a few games this season as coach Boyd has quite a large following of fans across Northwest Indiana.

[Southsider2k12]

The Wolves looked very good in their scrimmage tonight, especially on their first squad. The starting 5 this year is going to be Shereff Knight, Reggie Clay, Alajuwon Edwards, Lawrence Davis, and James Sanders.

You could really see the benefit of the kids playing together all summer in AAU ball, which had never happened before in City. They went 32-7 over the summer, beating a ton of area teams. It showed on the floor as the spacing on the floor was much better, as was the anticipation of where their teammates were going to be on the floor. It is hard to take too much away from a scrimmage against a JV, but Davis is very much improved, and both of the Jenkins boys (Brian and Darius) are going to contribute this year as Sophomores.

The Varsity beat the JV 60-16, with a rolling clock.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...75009366568.txt

Early look

City’s James Sanders skies for a slam dunk during the Wolves’ intrasquad scrimmage Tuesday at the Wolves Den. Photo by Scott Allen
Michigan City Intra-Squad Scrimmage
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 5:12 PM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — Preseason scrimmages are all about putting a team in a competitive situation, as much like a real game as possible, and seeing how the players handle themselves.

While coach John Boyd’s Michigan City varsity team easily bested the junior varsity, 60-16, in Tuesday’s intra-squad game at the Wolves Den, the second-year skipper saw room for improvement.

“I’d like to see the guys stay in the system more,” Boyd said. “We have a system we run and some of our guys are system guys. When you take them out of the system, they don’t look as good because they’re system guys.”

That aside, there were plenty of positives. The starting five of Shereff Knight, Reggie Clay, Alajowon Edwards, Laurence Davis and James Sanders played well together, combining for 30 of the team’s points in a well-balanced effort.

*
Sanders led the way with 11 on 5-of-9 shooting while Davis was a perfect 4-for-4 and had nine.

One of a couple surprises was sophomore guard Darius Jenkins, who actually led the varsity in rebounding with six and nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.

“He’s very active,” Boyd said. “Our future is bright. Our present and our future is extremely bright.”

Davis’ performance was also big for the Wolves, who are in need of some kind of inside presence.

“We’ve been missing someone to be a magnet for the ball and who goes after it,” Boyd said. “I think he’ll help out in that area.”

Boyd said that this team, because it’s been together now for a while under Boyd, will be ready to force the issue and run a bit more than last year’s edition.

“This team is extremely fast and athletic,” Boyd said. “This team is going to be reckoned with.

“They are not gonna quit. They’re fighters.”

Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.

[Southsider2k12]

I'm sure the Regional Radio Sports Network will be carrying quite a few games this season as coach Boyd has quite a large following of fans across Northwest Indiana.

I got the official word, WEFM will be covering 16 of the 20 games this year. If last year is any kind of an example, they usually didn't cover the road games, as opposed to the home ones. I'd bet games like at SB Adams that don't get done.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.citybythelake.org/forums/index....;sort_key=click

How I see the DAC

City basketball coach John Boyd speaks to the team during a practice session last week at the Wolves Den. Photo by Bob Wellinski
By Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor
Published: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 5:13 PM CST
With the football season having just wrapped up locally, it’s almost impossible to believe basketball season is here already.

But, indeed, when the Thursday edition of The News-Dispatch hits your doorstep, it will contain the 2010 News-Dispatch Boys Basketball Preview section.

With that in mind, I thought I’d give area fans a little primer on what I think is going to be a great season in the Duneland Conference. Life in the DAC is almost always fun and 2010-11 won’t be any different.

I see a cluster of five really good teams and three that will be the victim of an otherwise tough conference, thanks in large part to losses from graduation. Before I break down the teams’ predicted order of finish, according to me, I’m naming Merrillville guard Jeremiah Jones as the preseason Player of the Year.

*
Jones will have some competition, namely from Lake Central forward Glenn Robinson Jr. — yes, he’s the son of THAT Glenn Robinson — but Jones is the top returning player on what is expected to be the league’s best team.

With that in mind, here’s one man’s opinion of how this thing will shake out:

1 — Merrillville. Coach: Jim East, 501-203 in 31st year at school, 632-333 in 43rd year overall. Last year: 20-4 overall. Predicted DAC record: 12-2.

Analysis: The Pirates always seem to be in the mix, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see them up here. But this is East’s final season with the school after an illustrious career, and I feel like he’ll go out with a bang. The team also returns its top six players, with Jones leading the way.

2 — Lake Central. Coach: Dave Milausnic, 68-57 in 7th year at school. Last year: 13-8 overall. Predicted DAC record: 10-4.

Analysis: Led by up-and-coming junior Robinson, the Indians ought to be one of the surprise teams in the DAC. With a strong, developing supporting cast around one of the area’s most hotly-recruited player, look for the Indians to make some serious noise.

3 — Michigan City. Coach: John Boyd, 11-10 in 2nd year at school, 158-79 in 11th year overall. Last year: 11-10 overall. Predicted DAC record: 9-5.

Analysis: Coach Boyd has one of the best returning groups of any team in the Duneland and should improve by leaps and bounds after an eight-win turnaround last season. No superstar here, but keep an eye on seniors Alajowon Edwards and James Sanders.

4 — Valparaiso. Coach: Joe Otis, 19-4 in 2nd year at school, 315-193 in 24th year overall. Last year: 19-4 overall. Predicted DAC record: 8-6.

Analysis: The Vikings are always tough, and there’s no reason to think this year will be any different, despite the loss of several key pieces from last season’s squad. However, the return of seniors Jerrick Suiter, Adam Butterfield and John Clymer should be more than enough to keep the Vikings in the thick of things.

5 — Crown Point. Coach: Clint Swan, 52-37 in 5th year at school, 190-109 in 14th year overall. Last year: 8-13. Predicted DAC record: 7-7.

Analysis: Swan is probably the most underrated coach in the DAC. His Bulldogs almost always bring a great battle to the gym, and with senior guard Michael Albrecht and big man Jared Smoot, the pieces are there for Swan’s squad to leave opponents frustrated night in and night out.

6 — La Porte. Coach: Tom Wells, 96-83 in 9th year at school, 252-245 in 24th year overall. Last year: 14-8. Predicted DAC record: 4-10.

Analysis: This is more a reflection of the strength of the league as a whole rather than Wells’ program. The Slicers have one of the best coaches anywhere, and he’ll have the team ready to go come tournament time. But for a while, the losses of Dustin DeMuth, Rich Leslie, Pat Spence and Evan Jurjevic will be a lot to overcome. The Slicers will be much better in the second half of the season than in the first.

7 — Portage. Coach: Rick Snodgrass, 17-48 in 4th year at school, 279-288 in 27th year overall. Last year: 4-19. Predicted DAC record: 3-11.

Analysis: The Indians lost quite a bit from a struggling team, and Snodgrass will look to start fresh with this group. One thing about Portage of late, even when things haven’t gone well, the Indians always seem to win a game or two most people would say they had no business winning. A tougher-than-expected team that will find wins hard to come by in a very good league.

8 — Chesterton. Coach: Tom Peller, 104-69 in 9th year at school. Last year: 7-14. Predicted DAC record: 1-13.

Analysis: The DAC is brutal, and if you’re struggling, it will be exploited. The Trojans lost a lot to both graduation and transfer. The biggest hit came when big man Mitch McGary transferred to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. With McGary, it was gonna be a grind for the Trojans. Without him, a tough DAC schedule will show little mercy. But leave it to Peller to produce some wins nobody sees coming.

Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.

[Southsider2k12]

City loses a tough one in their opener 64-56 to East Chicago Central. EC rallied from down 15 (28-13) in the second quarter in MC. Anthony Williams got hot in the 3rd quarter knocking down 4 3pointers, and finishing with 21 points to lead Central back. The Wolves were led by James Sanders 13 points, 10 of which were in the first half. City had their chances in the 4th quarter, but missed eight shots at the basket.

[Southsider2k12]

http://heraldargus.com/articles/2010/11/25...fa034733918.txt

Wolves fizzle after sizzle at start

Michigan City’s Alajowon Edwards falls as he puts up a shot against East Chicago on Wednesday at the Wolves Den. Photo by Bob Wellinski
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
1-866-362-2167, Ext. 13869
sports@heraldargus.com
Published: Thursday, November 25, 2010 8:53 PM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — Michigan City’s boys basketball team got the 2010-11 season off to a red-hot start.

For one quarter, at least.

After exploding for 24 points in the opening stanza Wednesday against East Chicago at the Wolves Den, City mostly struggled offensively and lost a 13-point lead on its way to a 64-56 defeat.

“We had ‘em and we let ‘em escape,” second-year City coach John Boyd said.

*
The Wolves (0-1) came out of the gate on fire in the first eight minutes, shooting a red-hot 6-of-7 from the 3-point line and building a 24-13 lead heading into the second quarter.

But City’s offense sputtered for the next quarters, making just 5-of-17 shots and scoring only 15 points with 11 turnovers as East Chicago got back into the game and even took a lead into the fourth quarter.

“Michigan City shot the ball well in the first quarter,” East Chicago coach Abe Brown said. “That and we weren’t doing the proper closeouts.”

Senior James Sanders, who had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, scored 10 of his points in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, East Chicago’s Anthony Williams got off to a terrible start. He made 2-of-6 shots in the first half, but missed all of his 3-point attempts.

But in the third quarter, Williams caught fire. He made four treys in the third quarter, his only four makes from beyond the arc in the game, on his way to a game-high 21 points.

At the 2:30 mark of the third, Williams’ third trifecta gave his team a 41-37 lead. Late in the second quarter, City held a 30-17 advantage.

Just moments later, the East Chicago lead swelled to 10 when Anfernee Brown converted a three-point play to start putting nails in City’s coffin.

Howver, the Wolves had scrap left in them, clawing back to within four in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t come all the way back and the Cardinals took the opener.

“There are lots of positive things we can take from this game,” Boyd said. “This is the type of game you have to play to do something in the season or the postseason.”

The culprit for City on Wednesday was inside scoring as the Wolves got close looks at the basket but had trouble finishing.

“We had every opportunity in the world to get this one,” Boyd said. “We had the ball at the basket and it wouldn’t fall in.”

Boyd also lamented his team shooting 11-of-18 from the foul line.

“You can’t have the lead and miss free throws because the momentum swings,” Boyd said. “Good teams will take advantage of that.”

NOTES: East Chicago won the junior varsity game 48-39. ... A total of 12 Wolves saw the floor in the opener and eight different players scored. ... Sanders went 3-for-6 fromt the floor, making each of his three 3-point attempts and missing each of his three two-point attempts.

EAST CHICAGO 64, MICHIGAN CITY 56

EAST CHICAGO (1-0)

Ware 6-10 2-2 14, Lloyd 0-0 0-0 0, Hill 1-2 1-1 3, Ochoa 0-0 0-0 0, Harris 1-2 1-1 4, ABrown 5-10 1-3 12, Williams 8-17 1-2 21, Sells 0-1 0-0 0, DBrown 3-5 3-6 10. Totals 24-47 9-15 64.

MICHIGAN CITY (0-1)

Bellamy 3-10 0-0 9, Sanders 3-6 4-5 13, DJenkins 0-1 0-0 0, Knight 3-8 2-3 8, Davis 1-2 0-0 2, Clay 1-3 4-8 6, Lavery 2-6 0-0 5, Washington 2-6 0-0 5, Edwards 3-5 1-2 8, Yarbrough 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, BJenkins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 11-18 56.

East Chicago 13 15 21 15 — 64

Michigan City 24 8 7 17 — 56

3-point shooting — East Chicago 7-17 (Williams 4-11, Harris 1-1, ABrown 1-1, DBrown 1-1, Ware 0-2, Sells 0-1), Michigan City 9-17 (Bellamy 3-8, Sanders 3-3, Lavery 1-3, Washington 1-2, Edwards 1-1). Rebounds — East Chicago 20 (ABrown, Williams, DBrown 5), Michigan City 23 (Sanders 10). Total fouls — East Chicago 16, Michigan City 19. Fouled out — Edwards. Turnovers — East Chicago 14, Michigan City 14.

[taxthedeer]

Nice comeback win for the Wolves tonight in their DAC opener against an evenly matched Portage team. City gave the Indians a 10 point head start going into the locker room at halftime and slowly chipped away at the Portage lead in the third quarter to finally pull out a 65-64 overtime victory.

[Southsider2k12]

The boys Wolves team wins in a blow out over Chesterton 60-32 at the Wolves Den to improve to 2-1 overall, and 2-0 in the DAC. Chesterton falls to 0-4Tonight was all about the defense as City only gave up more than 10 points in a single quarter, with a line score of 6-14-8-4 for the Trojans. City generated at least 15 steals unofficially through the first 3 quarters, and somewhere around 18 for the game. Of the 12 players that dressed tonight only one did not score, as Coach Boyd rolled out all of his players for a lot of minutes for the back ups. The Wolves were led in scoring by Brian Jenkins with 14 points, to go along with a couple of steals. Also in double figures was senior James Sanders who had a double-double. Junior Lawrence Davis followed up his big game against Portage with nine points. Another player worth mentioning was Jabbar Washington whose defense was huge, as he generated at least four steals tonight.

[Southsider2k12]

Michigan City's 28 point victory over Chesterton was their biggest margin against a 4A school since December 4, 2002 when they beat Hammond Gavit by at 73-38 margin.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.post-trib.com/sports/highschool...mc-1212.article

Boyd's Wolves hang on to beat his old school
December 12, 2010BY TOM WYATT, POST-TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT
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MICHIGAN CITY -- John Boyd's home is Michigan City now. And West Side was his guest Saturday.

And the Cougars made their former coach sweat after Boyd's Wolves blew a 15-point third-quarter lead before hanging on for a 64-58 overtime victory.

It was Boyd's second matchup as Michigan City coach against his former team.

"It was weird last year," Boyd said. "Now Michigan City is my home. This is the place that hired me to do a job, and it's a job I'm loving."

Michigan City (3-1) led 39-26 at the half and stretched that to 43-28 with 5:24 to go in the third quarter. But the Wolves were held scoreless the rest of the period, while West Side (2-3) rattled off a 15-0 run to knot the score at 43-43 going into the fourth quarter.

"I almost blew that game," Boyd said. "We've got a young team, and we're still learning the system. Coaching 101 says when a team goes on a 6-0 run on you, you call timeout. I didn't.

"We allowed them to get back in it. And from there, we had to fight."

The game was tied at 51-51 when Alajowon Edwards completed a three-point play to give Michigan City a three-point cushion with 38.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Wolves led 59-56 after a pair of Edwards free throws with 9.6 ticks on the clock.

But West Side's Jonathan Black, a 6-foot-5 post player and perhaps the least likely 3-point shooter on the court, rimmed in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

In the extra session, Michigan City took control early, with free throws by Jabbar Washington and a basket by Shereff Knight putting the Wolves up by four with 1:28 left in the overtime.

Michigan City trailed 17-13 after one quarter but used a 9-0 run and a 10-0 run to regain the lead and build a double-digit halftime cushion.

Knight led Michigan City with 17 points, while Edwards added 10 points. James Sanders scored nine and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Marquis Wells and Jovan Pullen each scored 16 to lead the Cougars. Pullen, who played with early foul trouble, scored eight in the third to lead the West Side rally. Black added 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.

[Southsider2k12]

http://heraldargus.com/articles/2010/12/18...8b317067870.txt

Despite a second-quarter advantage, City boys crumble in first road contest

Taylor Lavery
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer 1-866-362-2167, Ext. 13869 sports@heraldargus.com
Published: Saturday, December 18, 2010 5:07 PM CST
CROWN POINT, Ind. — Michigan City’s first road trip of the season was an eventful one.

Unfortunately, it’s also one the Wolves would like to forget.

Crown Point, led by a tremendous effort from senior Spike Albrecht, thoroughly dominated nearly every facet of the game and outscored City by 24 after a tight first quarter, rolling to a 77-50 win that could be remembered long-term for two incidents than it will be for the final score.

“It was not our best effort,” said City coach John Boyd, whose team had been allowing just 54.2 points per game defensively. “We’re trying to put together four quarters, it’s just tough right now.”

In a scary moment before the game began, Crown Point junior guard Zak Bostian collapsed with an apparent seizure during warmups. He was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance, and an announcement was made before the game Bostian was “alert and responsive” on his way out of the gym.

“We were just thankful to hear he was OK,” Boyd said.

Perhaps inspired by Bostian, Crown Point roared out of the gates with an 8-0 run to start the game on a pair of 3-pointers from Tom Bardeson, both assisted by Albrecht, who finished with a game-high 29 points.

Not moments later, the advantage was 15-3 after Sean Crary’s lay-in, forcing Boyd to call an early timeout.

City responded, as it has done several times so far this season. The Wolves made four 3-pointers in the quarter, including two from Alajowon Edwards, and the fourth — from Taylor Lavery — put City down just three heading into the second.

The Wolves remained hot to start the second. Edwards’ third trey tied the score at 20-20 and Lavery’s second triple moments later gave the Wolves a 23-22 lead.

From that point on, it was all Bulldogs. They went on an 11-0 run to close the quarter and led by 13 at the half.

By the 2:05 mark of the third quarter, the lead had swelled to nearly 20 and the Wolves were out of it.

“We stopped finding the guys who were hot and there was a lot of individual play,” Boyd said. “We got out of our system and did not execute our gameplan.”

The end of the game was marred by a controversy that saw four technical fouls get called.

Crown Point’s Sean Crary had the ball in the backcourt and was tied up by City’s Edwards. After a fight for the ball, Crary shoved Edwards away and City sophomore Darius Jenkins came in to shove Crary.

After a long conversation, referees hit all three players with a technical, much to the chagrin of Boyd who didn’t feel Edwards had earned one.

“We thought there was a jump ball and their kid pushed one of our kids,” Boyd said. “(The referees) said (Edwards) punched (Crary). They said he took a punch.”

Boyd didn’t agree with that version of events and he was hit with a technical. The game was out of hand with the Bulldogs leading big and two minutes left to play. Both coaches made the decision to let the final seconds tick off the clock with Crown Point holding the ball and City in a zone defense to avoid any further confrontation.

Notes: Crown Point won the junior-varsity game 53-40. ... Alajowon Edwards led the Wolves with 13 points, marking the first time this season a different Wolves player hadn’t led the team in scoring. Taylor Lavery, who had 11, missed a 3-pointer late that would have made him the sixth different leading scorer on the young season. ... For the second straight game, City shot only eight free throws.

[Southsider2k12]

The Wolves sweep the weekend with blowout wins over Chesterton and Kankakee Valley. The Wolves gave up a school record low 14 points to KV. To demonstrate how dominant the City basketball squad was in this game, they had a stretch where they didn't allow a single field goal from the last minute of the first quarter, ......all of the way until the 3:53 to go in the game. City only allowed 4 points over the last 3 quarters of the game. If you include the Chesterton game from Friday nights game, City gave up one, or zero, field goals in a quarter four times out of the eight quarters of basketball they played. They gave up 43 points total adding up both games (29 for Chesterton and 14 for KV).

City now stands at 6-5 on the season, 4-4 in the DAC.