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City by the Lake.org, The Voice of Michigan City, Indiana _ City Sports _ 2009-10 MCHS boys basketball thread
Posted by: southsider2k9 Sep 25 2009, 01:31 PM
http://blogs.post-trib.com/lazerus/2009/09/can-boyd-pull-a-buzea.html
Can Boyd pull a Buzea?
By
Mark Lazerus
on September 25, 2009 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
I was talking over the phone with Michigan City athletic director Robert "Bear" Falls on Wednesday afternoon for this week's TimeOut Football cover story on the football team's turnaround when football coach Craig Buzea and boys basketball coach John Boyd walked into Falls' office, one after the other.
Can't be a much better feeling as an AD than that.
Michigan City went out and lured away two of the region's most successful coaches in Buzea (from Portage) and Boyd (from West Side). Both had perennial powers. Both reached the state title game. Boyd won a championship.
Well, it took Buzea a little more than two years to turn Michigan City from a perennial doormat into a conference title contender. The Wolves are disciplined, they're hard working and they're successful -- a far cry from the bad old days, which pretty much lasted from consolidation in 1995 to Buzea's arrival.
Can Boyd do the same? MC boys hoops has never won a sectional, has just one winning season in the last eight years, and is coming off a 3-18 campaign. Buzea, who has chatted with Boyd at length about the rebuilding process, has complete confidence in his newest colleague.
"He'll be just fine," Buzea said. "He's coming in here with a lot of the same ideas and goals I did, and he's got his own ideas and plans, too. He's a proven winner. People are excited, and I'm sure he'll be very successful."
Posted by: taxthedeer Sep 26 2009, 06:18 PM
Pin it
Posted by: southsider2k9 Sep 26 2009, 07:41 PM
Done and done.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 1 2009, 09:57 PM
John Boyd did an excellent interview on WIMS with Adam Parkhouse. The guy is already talking about winning a state title here. I was also really impressed he knew his MC history enough to know that 3 Mr Basketballs have played in MC.
Posted by: Tom Burns Nov 6 2009, 05:41 AM
All 17 games will be carried live on WEFM and streamed by both Michigancitylive.com and Regional Radio Sports. Again Indiana award-winning Paul Condry will be in charge of production.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 15 2009, 02:43 PM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=27071
Sports Briefs
Michigan City's boys basketball team will host a pair of scrimmages next week prior to its Nov. 25 season opener at home against Marquette.
At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Wolves will compete in an intra-squad scrimmage at the Wolves Den. Tickets are $2 in advance or $3 at the door. Coaches encourage fans to come out and support the team in coach John Boyd's first season with the squad.
At 7 p.m. Thursday, City will travel to Andrean for an inter-squad scrimmage. Tickets are $5.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 16 2009, 10:30 PM
Any going to go to the scrimmage? I think I might take the kids up there.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 18 2009, 07:39 PM
I did get out and take in the first half of the scrimmage with the kids and wife. I am a lot more optimistic about this season than I was by simply looking at who was coming back after watching the play last night.
First of all, looking at the players who are coming back this year for the Wolves, it really struck me that a lot of the kids put in a lot of work on their games over the summer. Looking specifically at Washington, McCormick, and Knight, their shooting and their size is a lot better this year. I think Carlos McCormick put on about three inches and 20 pounds over the last year. All three of them showed very nice three point shots during the scrimmage, which none of them had last year.
They did get a couple more football players out this year, including Rodney Washington and Phil Taylor. Washington played a solid contributing role, but Taylor literally jumped out of this group as a guy who has an impressive and VERY quick leap to his game. He is listed at 6'2", but he was taking down shots of players much bigger than him. He is off of the floor so fast, you have to get a shot up in the first motion, or he is taking it down.
Adam Harmon also showed off an improved outside game, to go along with his tenacious defense and strength at the basket. He looks like the same guy who really led this team last year.
Grady Byrnes seems to be getting a shot to play at C as far as I can tell. He is 6'7", but not very big, showing up at 215 on the statsheet. He did show a decent low post move though, off of the block.
Another thing I was impressed with was the seamless addition of transfers Reggie Clay and Alajowon Edwards to the team. These were two of the three kids that moved to Michigan City to stay working under Coach John Boyd. Both of them showed some pretty nice scoring ability, which is something that City had a lot of trouble doing consistently last year.
Three guys did not play last night, who are supposed to play key roles on the team this year, including 6'5" players Trevor Woolum and James Sanders, along with the other transfer, Taylor Lavery. Lavery is a sophomore who is supposed to be an incredible threat from the outside.
Going into last night I was really thinking this would be a 5-6 win team depending on how they grew up and if they could get any size into the program. After last night, I really saw some impressive athleticism and some hard working defenses. They are not afraid to get after is, including a spot where two players literally wrestled each other for a loose ball, and another where two guys both jumped to try to save a ball from out of bounds. If guys are willing to hustle that hard in an intra-squad game, it bodes well for the regular season. The biggest improvement I saw was the shooting of the team. Last years team had major problems from both outside and inside. Their biggest offense was getting Harmon going to the hole and seeing what could be created from that. This year the guards seem to be much better shooters and drivers. I'm still worried about the front line, but they might be able to overcome things. I don't know that I am ready to make a prediction yet, because three key players didn't play, and I want to see the team play together against an opponent, but I am very encouraged by what I saw.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 19 2009, 10:44 AM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=27110&TM=42187.95
Boys Basketball
Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor, The News-Dispatch
Sophomore Carlos McCormick applauded senior Adam Harmon, shouting, "That's team basketball!"
Harmon, in a bit of confusion to start the second quarter of Tuesday's intra-squad game at the Wolves Den, made a layup on the wrong side of the court, giving Blue and Carlos McCormick two points.
Surely, first-year City coach John Boyd is preaching team basketball to his new team, but this is ridiculous.
Harmon took some good-natured ribbing for the gaffe, then went on to score a game-high 21 points (23 if you count points scored for the other team) as fans got their first look at City's latest rebuilding effort.
The history is undeniable. Boyd becomes City's fourth head coach since current athletic director Bob "Bear" Falls resigned prior to the 2001-2002 seasons.
In the eight seasons that have followed, City has a paltry 53-118 record, for a winning percentage of .310. The Wolves have had just one winning record (11-10 in 07-08) after going six-for-six in .500-or-better seasons under Falls.
It doesn't get much better when you only look at Duneland Conference records. In those eight seasons, City's a combined 31-67 (.316) after going 26-17 (.605) under Falls.
That's the reclimation project facing Boyd and his coaching staff.
Those numbers, scary as they are, have left City fans scrambling for answers.
Boyd wonders, too. He wonders how a City that produced three Mr. Basketballs in just more than a decade could have fallen so far.
When you talk to Boyd about his plans for City, he uses words like "state" and "championship." Those aren't words often associated with the Wolves.
So Boyd unveiled his 2009-2010 Wolves to a sparse preseason crowd Tuesday. Five players on White, six players on Blue.
There were some new faces, too. There are three transfers from Gary West Side, and two played Tuesday. A third (Taylor Lavery) was out sick).
So what did we learn? If I'm being truthful, not much.
While I don't mind going to intra-squad games, you just don't get much out of them. These kids have been battling against one another for weeks, or even months, going back to the summer. Neither team surprises the other much with offensive or defensive sets.
Blue battled out a 58-49 win behind 19 points from junior Shereff Knight. Also scoring for Blue were Carlos McCormick (11), Sam Bellamy (10), Jabarr Washington (eight), Phil Taylor (six) and James Patrick (four).
After Harmon's 21, White also got scoring contributions from Alajowon Edwards (nine), Grady Byrnes (eight), Rodney Washington (six) and Reggie Clay (six).
Edwards and Clay are the two West Side transfers who played, and both are juniors.
The impression I was left with overall is that the team has a chance to be good for the next two years, but might have a better shot at a state tournament run in 2010-2011.
Besides the West Side kids, McCormick and Jabbar Washington are sophomores, as is Lavery, who Boyd called the best shooter in the area.
One thing was fairly clear Tuesday: This will not be a City team that features a dominant inside presence. Byrnes, a 6-7 senior, hasn't seen much varsity action, though he looked good at times on some nifty past moves.
But this team appears to be small and one that's going to try and push the tempo.
"We're looking for consistency and to see if they can control the tempo," Boyd said of what he looks for in an intra-squad game.
Boyd said he liked what he saw Tuesday in those departments. He also was pleased with the effort.
"I saw guys having fun and guys working hard," Boyd said. "As a coach, that's all I'll ever ask."
Hard work and fun are all well and good, but City fans are ready for wins.
I would argue it's hard to have one without the other.
So what did we learn Tuesday? City's willing to work hard and able to have fun playing basketball.
The rest will take care of itself.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 23 2009, 11:18 AM
http://www.post-trib.com/sports/1897191,tobkb-main1123.article
John Boyd, Michigan City
Boyd, the only active coach in Northwest Indiana with a state title to his credit, has traveled the most unlikely road to get to the top.
He played at West Side as a freshman -- and then quit after a season because he believed the coached showed favoritism.
Instead, he focused on baseball and wrestling.
Boyd returned to the Gary school district in 1992 after graduating from Indiana to coach at Beckman Middle School. His first break came when the principal at Beckman asked him to coach the seventh-grade team.
His first phone call was to Ray Allen, his fraternity brother, for help coaching strategy.
Boyd's first couple of classes at Beckman included marquee players such as Vincent Hart, Patrick Danley, Kenneth Lowe and Mario Harris. In his first season at Beckman, the team went undefeated.
Eventually, he was moved up to the junior varsity coach at West Side under Ike Brown.
Boyd took the job in 2000 under some tense circumstances. It took multiple school board meetings before then-West Side principal Clifton Gooden got Boyd hired.
In 2002, with Chris Hunter and Brandon Cameron leading the team, the Cougars, a defensive juggernaut, won the state title -- the first for Gary since 1991.
Ironically, Boyd had been told by the West Side principal before the season started that he would be fired at the end of the season for refusing to launch his top assistant. The state title saved his job.
Boyd calls Bobby Knight, Pete Newell and Heflin some of his coaching influences. He is proud of the fact that he has a long list of players -- more than 40 -- that he has helped get college scholarships.
At West Side, he grew restless with the lack of resources and the never-ending merry-go-round of coaching drama that engulfed the city every year.
He left last spring after e-mailing Bob "Bear" Falls, the Michigan City athletic director, about his interest in the position if it were to come open. Michigan City hired him after Bob Buscher resigned. A year earlier, Boyd had been a finalist for the Pike job.
"I'm excited about the new challenge," he said. "This is an interesting and great community that I enjoy. I'm not happy with being placed in a box. I thought I was in a box in Gary and I was unable to grow."
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 23 2009, 11:20 AM
http://nwitimes.com/sports/high-school/indiana/article_7405d369-c328-56e4-8d9e-214ed1a86f96.html
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Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009 1:20 am | No Comments Posted
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Michigan City Wolves
Last season: 3-18 (1-13 DAC), lost in sectional opener to Hobart.
Inside the Wolves
Leading returning scorer: Adam Harmon, 12.8 ppg.
Leading returning rebounder: Harmon, 3.3 ppg.
Go-to player: Adam Harmon, Sr., G. A varsity player since he was a freshman, Harmon is about the only stable presence in the M.C. program in recent years. "Adam Harmon is one of the best players in the Duneland Conference -- period," coach John Boyd said. "There's a tremendous amount of responsibility on him. He needs to be a leader, an example to the younger kids. We hope he understands the expectations."
He's got next: James Sanders, Jr., F. The 6-foot-4 left-hander started last season on the team, but didn't end it that way. "He's a tremendous talent," Boyd said. "He's a kid who should've been playing."
Circled on the calendar: Jan. 1, vs. West Side at Valparaiso. With Boyd having left the Cougars and three players following him to Michigan City, this Region Roundball Rumble matchup is a no-brainer.
The Times' breakdown
Boyd's the new sheriff in town, taking over a program that's been pretty bad since 2001. "In order to win, we've got to teach them how to win," Boyd said. His roster includes three former West Side players, several holdovers from last season and a few former players returning to basketball. "It doesn't matter where they're from or where they started," Boyd said. "They all play for the Michigan City community now. They're Wolves." Harmon is the only returning starter, although Alajuwon Edwards and Reggie Clay, occasional starters last season at West Side, should both be in the first five. The talent seems to be there. Can Boyd do something his predecessors have not been able to do and bring it together? "I'm not going to make any predictions," Boyd said. "Our expectations are to be competitive, to go into every game like it's our last game, learn from our mistakes and continue to get better."
-- Jim Peters
Why do you love basketball?
Roster
Probable starters
Name Ht. Yr. Pos.
Adam Harmon 5-9 Sr. G
Alajuwon Edwards 6-2 Jr. G/F
Reggie Clay 5-9 Jr. G
James Sanders 6-4 Jr. F
Grady Byrnes 6-7 Sr. C
In reserve
Name Ht. Yr. Pos.
Rodney Washington 6-3 Sr. F
James Patrick 5-10 Sr. G
Phil Taylor 6-2 Sr. F
Samuel Bellamy 5-8 Jr. G
Shereff Knight 6-2 Jr. G
Taylor Lavery 6-0 So. G
Jabbar Washington 6-2 So. G
Head coach: John Boyd, first year at school, 147-69 in 10th year overall.
Assistant coaches: Mike Lavery, Murray Richards, Raymond Allen, Phillip Rucker.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 25 2009, 10:23 PM
Wolves go to 1-0 on the season with a 61-44 win over Marquette at the Wolves Den. Wolves are led by Olajuwon Edwards with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Blazers are led by 16 points from Tucker Miller. Wolves play their entire roster of 13 players, with Reggie Clay sitting out due to injury.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 26 2009, 10:45 AM
Varcom preview picks Wolves http://www.varcomsports.com/benke.html
Posted by: southsider2k9 Nov 26 2009, 01:13 PM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=27287
Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor, The News-Dispatch
MICHIGAN CITY - For significant portions of Wednesday's season opener, Marquette looked primed to spoil Michigan City coach John Boyd's debut.
The Blazers went on a big run before halftime to cut the Wolves big lead down to just eight. But City's upset-minded opponent from the other side of town couldn't get much closer and City got a 61-44 win at the Wolves Den, snapping a 17-game losing streak going back to last season.
"If you watched us play, you saw we're a much more patient bunch," Boyd said. "We make the extra pass and those are things we've been working on."
During the second quarter, City looked as though it was about to blow the game wide open. The Wolves beat the Blazers 74-38 a year ago in the season opener, and this one appeared headed to the same fate.
But Marquette's Tucker Miller (game-high 18 points) knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers and then a couple free throws to complete a 10-0 run and make the halftime score a manageable 31-23.
"We were excited, but what hurt us is we turned the ball over right away (in the second half)," Marquette coach Jason Hawkins said. "We were encouraged ... but we have to be consistent.
"When you're a small school you've gotta do things right all the time."
With 1:50 left in the third quarter, Miller drained another trey to make the score 41-34.
But throughout the game, Marquette lived at the 3-point line. Of their 44 shot attempts, 26 were 3-pointers. The Blazers made nine from downtown.
However, City went on a quick 6-0 run to close out the third quarter and was able to extend the lead late by making 8-of-12 attempts from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
"We're out here trying to learn our system," Boyd said. "Give all the credit to coach Hawkins, he's got a senior ball club and they hung in there."
All 12 Wolves who dressed played by halftime and nine of them scored.
"That builds confidence," Boyd said. "It's a long season and those guys are gonna be needed."
Hawkins was pleased with his team's effort in hanging tough with the faster, deeper Wolves.
"There were good signs and bad signs. I'm encouraged, actually," Hawkins said. "There were moments we looked great and moments we looked really bad.
"With all our seniors, we shouldn't have those lapses."
One of three Gary West Side transfers, Alajowon Edwards, led City with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Taylor Lavery started and scored five points and the third, Reggie Clay, didn't play due to injury.
"I was just out there playing and having fun," Edwards said. "I love it here (at City). I like the environment and I like the crowd."
Boyd admitted that the team is still coming together, but said by the end of the season it will be different story.
"I always say, get us early," Boyd said. "Because after January, we should have our identity."
Notes: City won the junior varsity game 35-15. ... City outrebounded Marquette 43-20 and six different Wolves had at least five boards. ... Of Marquette's 18 first-half shots, 14 were from behind the 3-point line. ... City didn't have its first turnover until the 5:41 mark of the second quarter when Edwards was whistled for a traveling violation. The Wolves finished with 17 turnovers.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 2 2009, 09:54 PM
http://heraldargus.com/articles/2009/12/01/sports/doc4b1540ad1ebdd344353413.txt
Now that its extended losing streak is over, Michigan City’s boys basketball team can now focus on continuing to get better. It starts on Friday night at Portage, when the Wolves start the Duneland Conference portion of their schedule.
City began the coach John Boyd era by defeating Marquette 61-44 last Wednesday night, ending a 17-game losing skid that dated back to Dec. 13, 2008. Against the Blazers, the Wolves pulled away in the second half after just leading 31-23 at the break.
One of three Gary West Side transfers, Alajowon Edwards, paced City with 15 points and 11 rebounds versus Marquette. Shereff Knight had 14 points.
A season ago, the Wolves split two games against Portage, prevailing 64-61 at home, but losing 70-63 on the road.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 3 2009, 08:20 AM
http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20091203/SPORTS11/912039980/1001/Sports
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 4 2009, 10:28 PM
A great overtime win by the Wolves tonight 58-56 at Portage. The Wolves led most of the game, but did trail late in regulation, and rallied to tie. They led almost all of overtime, and held on despite a late flurry from the Indians. They go to 2-0 overall, and 1-0 in the Duneland conference.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 7 2009, 09:41 AM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=27468
Michigan City 58, Portage 56, OT
Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
PORTAGE, Ind. - If you take a glance at the Duneland Conference standings, you'll notice categories for wins, losses and probably even games behind first place.
What you won't see is "style points."
And that's a good thing for Michigan City fans, as the Wolves did little to impress the judges with Friday's 58-56 overtime victory over Portage, but moved to 2-0 to start the season and opened DAC play with a victory.
"You can call it nasty or whatever you wanna call it," City coach John Boyd said. "Just call it a win."
Portage (1-4, 0-1 DAC) made just 6-of-30 shots in the first half and both teams combined to shoot a terrible 26-of-53 from the free-throw line. But in the end, City got the win based on a solid overtime effort.
Early in the third quarter, City (2-0, 1-0 DAC) opened up a 25-14 lead after a low-scoring first half. Portage made just 1-of-16 shots in the second quarter and scored only three points.
Up by 11, City was primed to blow this thing wide open. But Steve Perry followed up a Lawrence Jones three-point play with a 3-pointer of his own to cut the lead down to five with 5:30 left in the third. The next 17:30 would be back and forth and full of nervous moments.
Portage eventually cut the lead to 25-23 to complete a 9-0 run, which came on the heels of City's 8-0 run.
In the fourth, the score was tied 37-37 before Damonte Lowery made a 3-pointer to give Portage a three-point lead, its biggest of the game. Later, Lowery split a pair of free throws to give Portage a 46-44 lead with 25.2 seconds to play in regulation.
On City's next possession, junior Shereff Knight knifed into the lane and hit a floating runner to tie the game. Lowery's 30-footer at the buzzer was just off, forcing the extra session.
City senior Adam Harmon and Lowery each opened overtime with a 3-pointer, But City took a three-point lead later on a basket at 1:53 from Alajowon Edwards, who turned in another nice game with 18 points and nine rebounds. He had a double-double in the season opener against Marquette.
Then, at 1:09, Edwards made good on a couple free throws to give City a 55-51, two-possession lead. City's lead grew as large as five.
With 14.7 seconds left, Harmon missed two free throws to keep City's lead at 58-56. Portage reinserted senior sharp-shooter Perry for the final play, who had missed a significant portion of the second half with an ankle injury.
As Perry came onto the court, players and coaches on City's bench pointed in Perry's direction, to make sure he wasn't able to make a fourth 3-pointer on the night to break City's heart.
But as the play developed, somehow Perry became wide open in that very corner. He got a clean look at the potentially heartbreaking shot, but it missed. Jones got the offensive rebound, though, but couldn't get a desperation effort to go down and City escaped with the win.
"This is a very tough environment," Boyd said. "The Duneland's tough and you've gotta come in here prepared. (The Indians) played gutsy."
Boyd admitted it wasn't the prettiest of wins.
"We got out of it," Boyd said. "We got a little raggedy, taking quick shots and not being patient.
"But this is the kind of game we have to win. You've gotta believe and you've gotta fight. You've gotta grind it out and execute down the stretch."
City did just that, making 9-of-14 shots from the field in the fourth quarter and overtime. Meanwhile, City's defense held Portage to 30.6 percent shooting for the night.
"Defense creates offense," Boyd said. "We wanna be a defensive team first. Just scrap and keep working."
Notes: City won the junior varsity game 42-30. ... Edwards had 17 of his 18 points in the first, fourth and overtime periods. He was 0-for-2 from the field and 1-2 from the free throw line in the middle two quarters.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 7 2009, 09:42 AM
http://www.post-trib.com/sports/highschools/1922375,bkb-mc-portage-1205.highschool
December 5, 2009BY NEAL BOYER, POST-TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT
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PORTAGE -- If most Duneland Conference games are as nerve-wracking as his first, Michigan City coach John Boyd will turn gray sooner rather than later.
Boyd's Wolves needed overtime to escape stubborn Portage 58-56 Friday night in the conference opener for both.
Portage's Steve Perry, who hit three treys, missed one from the corner in the final seconds of overtime and teammate Lawrence Jones' layup rolled off the rim at the buzzer.
"It's good to get the win but we have lots of work to do," Boyd said. "Our guys pulled it out."
The Wolves (2-0, 1-0) outscored the Indians 12-10 in the extra four minutes but missed 4-of-9 foul shots to finish 13-of-26. Portage was worse at 13-of-29.
Portage (1-4, 0-1) used a 9-0 run to tie it at 30-30 after three quarters. Perry, one of five senior starters, scored seven of his team-high 14 points in the third to spark the rally.
Shereff Knight's drive put MC up for good at 51-49 in overtime. Two free throws by Alajowon Edwards, one of three Cougars who transferred from West Side to remain with Boyd, made it 55-51 and two more by Knight upped it to 57-52.
The Indians got a rebound bucket by Jones who was fouled but missed the free throw. After a Wolves free throw, Portage's Donte Nelson hit a jumper for the final points with 16 ticks left. MC senior Adam Harmon (nine points) could have iced it but missed two foul shots with 14.7 seconds left.
Harmon hit a trey to start the game and another to open OT. Edwards dominated early and late inside with seven points in the first period and 10 of his 18 in the fourth and OT. Knight, also a junior, got 10 of his 12 then, also.
The visitors committed eight (of 22) turnovers in the third quarter to help Portage rally.
"This is only our second game and first on the road," Boyd said. "Portage had lots of energy in this gym."
Michigan City led 14-11 at the first stop. Both sides were ice cold in the second with three points each until the final 1:20 when two Wolves got steals and layins for a 21-14 halftime lead. Portage missed 15-of-16 shots in the second.
Portage's Jones got 10 of his 13 points in the last period and OT when Damonte Lowery notched 11 of his 13. Both subs took charge late. Two Indian starters combined for just two points.
Coach Rick Snodgrass was unavailable for comment. Said Boyd: "we definitely need to work on free throws."
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 8 2009, 10:31 AM
For those who want to tune in, Adam and myself will be making the trip to Chesterton to call the game for AM 1420 WIMS, and THE John Landecker and myself will be at New Prairie on Saturday night.
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=27513&TM=41334.84
Boys Basketball: The Week Ahead
Adam Parkhouse and Zack Eldridge
Michigan City's boys basketball team has two wins to start its season, the seventh time that's happened since the consolidation.
However, only twice have the Wolves gotten out to a 3-0 start. That will be the mission when City travels to Chesterton on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. varsity tipoff.
City's recent history with Chesterton isn't good for the Wolves. The Trojans currently own a nine-game winning streak against their Duneland Conference counterparts, with the Wolves' last win in the series coming Jan. 14, 2005.
After starting the season with a victory over Westville, the Cougars have dropped three straight, although they put up a good fight against La Porte in an 81-59 loss last Saturday night.
New Prairie will attempt to get back on track when it hosts Michigan City (2-0) on Saturday night as part of a girls/boys doubleheader with the Wolves in New Carlisle.
The Cougars beat Westville 62-48 to start the campaign, then lost to South Bend St. Joseph's, 62-50, to Mishawaka Marian, 87-60, and the aforementioned setback to La Porte.
Caleb Johnson paces the Cougars, netting 13.3 points per contest, and George Stainko is averaging 10.75 points a game. Johnson is coming off a 27-point outburst against the Slicers.
A season ago, New Prairie fell 74-63 at Michigan City.
The Cougars have dropped the last six games in the series in the last six years.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 8 2009, 10:33 AM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=27483&TM=41334.84
Home Cookin'
Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor, The News-Dispatch
Two games into the season, Michigan City's boys basketball is 2-0. Good times.
So, what have we learned so far? Well, not much, actually.
With respect to Marquette and Portage, I wouldn't label either of these first two opponents as world-beaters. Marquette is a good Class A team, and Portage is very possibly headed for a last-place finish in the Duneland Conference.
While Friday's win was one on the road in the DAC and therefore a good win, I think some problems were evident. First, City was outrebounded by a team that doesn't have a player on its roster taller than 6-2.
It's very early in the season, but that's a bit distressing.
Also, the free throw shooting was not good, as City was just 13-of-26 from the charity stripe, the kind of thing that usually does you in during a close game. Of course, Portage was 13-of-27, so that helped.
Lastly, City's half-court offense looks a tad inconsistent. At times, when the ball is moving crisply around the perimeter, the Wolves look good in half-court sets. But sometimes things get bogged down a bit and turnovers happen.
Again, it's early. None of this is panic-worthy, just a few observations.
But something did happen after the game that's particularly noteworthy. It occurred during my postgame interview with coach John Boyd.
We talked about how City had started to blow the game open in the third quarter before Portage rallied to make the game tight the rest of the way.
"That was my fault," Boyd immediately quipped. He went on to admit that he's looking for the right combinations of players and even doing some on-court chemistry experiments.
There's a positive spin to his comments which I'll get to in a moment. But it speaks to what I believe is the biggest issue with this team as it is currently constructed. Through a couple preseason scrimmages and now two regular season games, I honestly can't tell you who are City's best five players.
Who's in the group that you want to see on the floor in the fourth quarter of a tight game? Which five are gonna be responsible for closing out games?
Prior to the season, I thought City's depth was a good thing. And, while it's a good problem to have, the Wolves have a solid 10 players that could all make claims to being on the court at crucial times.
I think having that many cooks in the kitchen isn't always a good thing, but again, there are worse problems to have.
If pressed, I'd say you should expect to see Alajowon Edwards, Adam Harmon and Shereff Knight on the court when it counts most.
Past that, it's probably a hot-hand deal -- Whoever's playing the best that night, gets on the floor.
But I liked to hear Boyd take some accountability by admitting Portage's comeback might have been his fault. Now, he's not the one that left Portage players open for 3-point attempts and Boyd didn't miss a single shot during the stretch.
But he's the coach, and ultimately he believes that whatever happens - good or bad - rests largely at his feet.
A coach who's accountable for what goes on with his team? Well, that's not such a bad problem to have, either.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 10 2009, 09:21 AM
I will say this now, I would be shocked if City scores 70 on Friday night.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20091210/SPORTS11/912109980/1001/Sports
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 11 2009, 10:10 PM
Wolves lose their first game of the year 60-47 in Chesterton. City gave a good effort, but didn't have an answer for Mitch MCGary, who is going to be a big time college player at least. The kid put up 27 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks for the Trojans. Wolves got down early, but stuck around and tried to make a game of it at the end. Adam Harmon had his best of the year with 22 points, including 4 three pointers.
Tune in tomorrow night to hear myself and John Landecker call the game from Rolling Prairie against the Cougars.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 14 2009, 10:39 AM
http://heraldargus.com/articles/2009/12/13/sports/doc4b25bf2051ff2655484618.txt
By Ken Peterson
For The Herald-Argus
Published: Sunday, December 13, 2009 10:31 PM CST
NEW CARLISLE — The feeling of how Saturday night’s New Prairie-Michigan City boys basketball game went depended on what bench you were sitting on.
One coach thought his team played excellent defense while the other thought easy missed shots led to his team’s downfall.
Michigan City (3-1) held New Prairie (1-4) to 12-of-33 shooting from the field and took advantage of its scoring opportunites in a 52-38 win Saturday night in the nightcap of a boys-girls doubleheader at Cougar Gym.
Adam Harmon scored 14 points and Taylor Lavery added 12 for coach John Boyd’s Wolves, who bounced back from Friday night’s Duneland Conference loss to Chesterton to pick up a road win against a county rival.
“Our schedule is a tough schedule because of the environments that we play in,” Boyd said. “A lot of noise, a lot of crowd. Our guys are a young team. We’re learning. Some of these wins are very ugly. Taylor Lavery has been abysmal shooting it but he opened it up for us. And we thought he could open some space between us and other teams if he got on.”
It was his team’s defense that left Boyd the most pleased.
“It’s a great win,” he said. “As a coach, it was a great win. At no time were we in any trouble of losing this game. That’s a well-coached team and their coach had them do exactly what he wanted them to do. That’s a game we’re supposed to win and you don’t want to have any miscues.”
It was the defense, which Boyd described as a “freaky” zone defense that got the job done.
“It changes and it can look like a lot of different things,” he said. “Hopefully, we can keep that in our trick bag and we will be able to build on it.”
New Prairie coach Chad Cripe had a much different view of his team’s shooting woes.
“Honestly, I think we got all of the looks that we wanted,” Cripe said. “We were 3-for-13 (from the field) with 13 shots inside the post in the first half. Two-footers, three-footers. I don’t think it was their defense and that is no disrespect to Michigan City. They played hard and they did a great job. I think we got the looks that we wanted to get.”
Throw in a 9-of-25 showing from the free-throw line and it added up to a very frustrating night for the third-year head coach.
“We haven’t shot the ball well from the free-throw line all season,” Cripe said.
The opening quarter was a battle of wills as both teams opened up with zone defenses. Harmon was the Wolves answer in the opening quarter as he accounted for all 10 of their first-quarter points.
The Cougars struggled to establish offense against the Wolves and didn’t score their first bucket until Kyle Brammer hammered one in with 2:10 left in the first quarter.
City began to slowly pull away in the second quarter, holding New Prairie without a field goal for 6:22 of the period until Kyle Albertson scored. By then, the Woves held a 21-6 lead.
The Wolves lead reached 23 early in the third quarter, but the Cougars slowly chipped away and at one point in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 10. But that’s as close as the Cougars would get.
Still, Boyd saw room for improvement.
“We had unforced turnovers and that can’t happen,” he said. “I am going to be a critic of that and it’s good to have a win after a tough loss and I am pleased with them.”
Caleb Johnson had 10 points and Albertson nine to lead New Prairie.
Cripe was proud of his team’s effort and knows things won’t get easier when Triton pays a visit this Friday.
“We cut it to 10 and with the ball,” he said. “But we just can’t get over that hump. The two easiest ways to lose a basketball game are to miss your free throws and miss your layups. When you look at the stats, you’d have to think that these guys lost by 40. We didn’t. But at the same time we’ve got to make plays down the stretch and execute. Costly turnovers have hurt. We’ll go back and we’re going to coach harder and the kids are ready to work hard. Those are the type of kids that they are and we’ll keep hitting it.”
MICHIGAN CITY 52, NEW PRAIRIE 38
MICHIGAN CITY (3-1)
Bellamy 0-0 0-0 0, Byrnes 0-0 0-0 0, Clay 0-0 5-6 5, Edwards 1-1 2-4 4, Harmon 4-9 3-4 14, Knight 0-2 3-5 3, Lavery 4-5 1-2 12, Patrick 0-0 0-0 0, Sanders 1-1 2-2 4, Taylor 1-1 0-0 2, J. Washington 3-3 0-0 6, R. Washington 0-0 0-0 0, McCormick 0-3 2-2 2. Totals 14-25 18-25 52.
NEW PRAIRIE (1-4)
Johnson 3-12 2-4 10, Jacobs 0-1 0-2 0, Albertson 3-5 2-3 9, Swain 1-2 0-0 2, Wagner 2-4 2-2 7, Stainko 1-2 2-10 4, Ruiz 0-1 0-0 0, Klein 0-0 0-0 0, Brammer 1-3 0-0 2, Rehlander 1-3 1-4 4. Totals 12-33 9-25 38.
Michigan City 10 13 12 17 — 52
New Prairie 3 6 8 21 — 38
3-point shooting: Michigan City 6-12 (Harmon 3-6, Lavery 3-4, McCormick 0-1, Sanders 0-1), New Prairie 5-13 (Johnson 2-5, Rehlander 1-2, Wagner 1-2, Albertson 1-2, Ruiz 0-1, Swain 0-1). Total fouls — New Prairie 16, Michigan City 20.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 14 2009, 10:43 AM
A big loss for Chesteron. The kid was tough enough to keep playing through the injury.
http://nwitimes.com/sports/high-school/indiana/article_aea16df4-3ec9-59f4-9b17-2ce0c1331aa8.html
Highly recruited center out with broken bone in right foot
* Story
* Discussion
By Jim Peters - jim.peters@nwi.com, (219) 548-4363 | Posted: Sunday, December 13, 2009 12:00 am | No Comments Posted
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Chesterton junior Mitch McGary broke the fourth metatarsal in his right foot late in Friday's game against Michigan City and will be out a minimum of four weeks.
"Nobody ran into it. He just came down awkwardly on a rebound," Trojans coach Tom Peller said Saturday. "He turned it and said he felt something pop."
The 6-foot-10 center came to Saturday morning practice in a boot after an X-ray confirmed the injury.
"We talked to the trainer, and we're looking at the middle or end of January, best-case scenario," Peller said. "Obviously, we've got to let this heal and not damage anything."
McGary scored a career-high 27 points Friday and has had double-doubles in all four games for Chesterton (2-2).
"He's the heart and soul," Peller said. "We're not going to whine and feel sorry for ourselves. This is an opportunity for some other guys to show what they can do and we'll be a better team when Mitch gets back."
Zach Rochowiak will move into the starting lineup for Chesterton with Alec Houpt shifting over to center. Chesterton will get junior forward Jon Watson back for Friday's game against Portage. Watson has been out with a concussion, which, coincidentally, he sustained during a practice collision with McGary.
The Trojans are at Lake Central on Tuesday, a game Purdue coach Matt Painter was expected to attend. Purdue offered a scholarship to McGary, ranked 134th nationally among juniors by Rivals.com, last season.
"Mitch is OK," Peller said. "He knows he'll be back. He just feels bad for the team."
BOYS BASKETBALL
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 14 2009, 10:49 AM
http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20091214/SPORTS11/912149986/1001/Sports
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 16 2009, 10:28 AM
The Wolves gave the Merrillville Pirates all they could handle last night from the Pirates Cove. The Pirates won 63-55, but the Wolves had gotten to within 2 in the late 4th quarter. The Wolves were plagued with foul trouble, and led by Carlos McCormick's 17 points. I honestly think it was their best game of the season against an undefeated team who has already beaten Chesterton on the road, and beaten LaPorte after trailing by as many as 18 points.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 16 2009, 02:09 PM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=27680
Merrillville 63, Michigan City 55
By Drew White
For The News-Dispatch
MERRILLVILLE - In many ways, Michigan City head coach John Boyd's philosophy of aggressive basketball kept Michigan City in Friday night's game at Merrillville.
But when that aggressiveness results in foul trouble, something's gotta give and Michigan City lost on the road to the Pirates, 63-55.
Halfway through the second quarter, the Wolves saw two main components, guard Adam Harmon and center Grady Byrnes crippled by three fouls apiece, forcing Boyd to keep two main weapons on the bench for a majority of the second quarter.
"It makes you play the game differently," said Boyd of Michigan City's foul trouble. "We have a lot of weapons but when you get into that kind of trouble, it can hurt."
The Wolves' brightest spot was the emergence of Carlos McCormick's perimeter game as the sophomore connected on six three-pointers and led the Wolves with a game-high 20 points. McCormick's defensive pressure also led to several Merrillville forced shots.
"Where did (McCormick) come from?" asked Merrillville head coach Jim East. "I watched tapes of Michigan City and I didn't see him.
"To hit six three-pointers, for some of our guys, that's a career."
After trailing by seven at the end of three quarters, Michigan City clamped down on defense and made their free throws down the stretch, allowing them to claw their way to within two points with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
"We learned that we are players in the Duneland Conference, We never lost faith," said Boyd of his team's tenacity. "We want to grow and we're growing.
Wolves' center Byrnes continued to show improvement in his game, developing a low post presence and dealing with Merrillville's 6-8 Edward Seay and 6-4 Tokumbo Fashawe.
"Grady is going to be a tremendous player for us," said Boyd. "Come tournament time, he is going to be a big part of our attack."
After dropping their past two games on the road, Michigan City (3-2, 1-2 DAC) will return home to face Crown Point on Friday. The Wolves managed to win only one of their three straight Duneland Conference road games. Wins over Portage and non-DAC New Prairie gave the Wolves a 2-3 "road-trip" but Boyd says he is excited to return home to the Wolves Den.
"Tonight, we were a young team going up against a Duneland Conference juggernaut on the road," said Boyd. "The environments make it tough."
With the win Merrillville improves to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Duneland Conference. They will travel to Lake Central on Friday night.
"We're fortunate to be 5-0," said Merrillville's East. "Tonight was a typical Duneland Conference game. Michigan City played a physical game and our kids have to realize that is how this conference plays."
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 16 2009, 02:11 PM
http://www.post-trib.com/sports/highschools/1942200,bkb-mc-mer-1216.article
First, Jeremiah Jones threw down a dunk to complete the alley-oop.
RELATED STORIES
Photos: Merrillville vs. Michigan City
Next, Christian Matthews did the honors, also drawing oohs and aahs.
Those two were among the more aesthetically pleasing plays in an otherwise rugged game on Tuesday night, a 63-55 victory for Merrillville over Michigan City.
"Not pretty, not pretty," Pirates coach Jim East said. "But I didn't expect the game to be pretty. I think the philosophy of Michigan City is to play as aggressive as they can, put a lot of pressure on the ball, make body contact, there's only so many fouls you're going to call. It certainly disrupted us."
Still, Merrillville (5-0, 3-0 Duneland Conference) had enough to withstand Michigan City (3-2, 1-2).
After the Pirates led by 10 points late in the third quarter and still by eight early in the fourth, the Wolves used an 8-2 run to draw to 49-47 with 4:12 left in the game. But Merrillville pulled away, leading by as many as 13 points in the final minutes.
"We're a young team, we're still growing, you're going up against a Duneland juggernaut and that's Merrillville," Michigan City coach John Boyd said.
"You want to judge yourself, and I think we can play with them. We're never out of a game. Basketball's a game of runs. Michigan City's never going to quit."
The Pirates closed out the game with Clark on the bench, as he sat out the final 6:11 apparently with a cut on his arm. LaQuon Clark did well running the point in his absence, handling the Wolves' pressure, also going 6-of-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Jones scored nine of his team-high 18 points in the fourth.
Michigan City dealt with foul trouble to starters Alajowon Edwards, Reggie Clay and Adam Harmon, with the latter two eventually fouling out.
"Major impact," Boyd said. "It makes you play the game differently. ... But all credit out to Merrillville. They have athletes."
Carlos McCormick was on fire off the bench for the Wolves, hitting six 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 20 points.
East said Michigan City on tape struggled shooting from the perimeter, but the Pirates had issues containing the Wolves drive-and-kick offense on Tuesday.
"Twenty-one (McCormick) -- where's he been?" East said.
Tokumbo Fashawe had a strong game inside for Merrillville with 13 points. Matthews added 11.
The Pirates missed their first six shots of the game, as the Wolves led 4-0 and 6-2, before Merrillville took a lead it would not relinquish at 7-6 on Jones' 3-pointer.
The Pirates went on an 11-3 run, capped by Jones' nifty pull-up jumper, to take a 38-28 lead with 3:29 left in the third quarter. But on two occasions in the fourth, the Wolves closed to two points, before succumbing.
"Typical DAC," East said. "They've done a nice job rallying around him (Boyd). Next time, our kids have to understand how to be better mentally prepared to play a game against an aggressive team. Normally we've been the aggressor; tonight, give them credit, because they were the more aggressive team."
Pirates' East says it was 'not pretty' in tough DAC victory
over Wolves
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 17 2009, 12:22 PM
http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20091217/SPORTS11/912179980/1001/Sports
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 18 2009, 10:01 PM
The Wolves win again! They improved to 4-2 on the season with a 53-47 victory over Crown Point. They also evened their mark in the conference to 2-2. They were led tonight by Olajuwon Edwards who had 21 points and 11 rebounds in a very solid effort. Again the defense of the Wolves was the key as they created a lot of turnover, and didn't give up many easy shots for the Bulldogs. The Wolves also had a much better night at the free throw line, which ended up keeping them in the lead late in the game. Tuesday the Wolves travel to LaPorte who got blown out at home in the second half by the Joe Otis led Valpo team, who is really making a big statement to be considered the favorites in the Duneland at this point.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Dec 23 2009, 08:37 AM
Unfortunately for the Wolves, they had a rough night last night. The first half wasn't too bad, they had missed chances, and trailed by 8. After that the foul situation and the free throw line ended up being the Wolves ultimate enemy. In a tough, physical contest, the Wolves were whistled for 32 fouls, which led to 37 LaPorte free throw attempts, of which they hit 30. In the pivotal 3rd quarter, nothing would fall for City as they were 2-18 from the floor. Taylor Lavery was one of the bright spots, netting 15 points as his three point shot came to life. Final score was 74-57.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 1 2010, 11:18 PM
Wolves win their prime time match up against Gary West Side 52-49 played at the Valpo University campus. The Wolves were the finale game of the 11th annual Region Roundball Rumble, and they did not disappoint. After getting off to as big as an 11 point lead in the first quarter, the Cougars rallied in the second quarter behind some deadly three point shooting. The rest of the game ended up being a back and forth affair which the Wolves closed out with some solid free throw shooting down the stretch. Alajowon Edwards led the way early with 11 first half points, plus two big free throws in the last minute of the game. Reggie Clay also had a big night getting to the rim seemingly at will against the West Side defenders. He finished with 12 points, almost all in the second half. Carlos McCormick continued his improved outside shooting with 3 three pointers, and a total of 10 points. The Wolves improve to 5-3 on the season, while the Cougars fell to 4-4.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 2 2010, 10:03 AM
http://www.post-trib.com/sports/highschools/1969683,bkb-ws-mc-0102.highschool
January 2, 2010BY AARON PINEDA, POST-TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT
VALPARAISO -- The most highly anticipated matchup of the season pitting Michigan City (5-3) and coach John Boyd against his former team West Side (4-4) was everything it was expected to be and more.
The contest came down to one last desperation shot from Cougars' guard Marquis Wells, but instead of stunning his former coach with a game-winner, the ball skimmed off the edge of the rim giving Boyd and the Wolves a 52-49 victory.
Wells finished with a trio of 3-pointers for nine points against his former coach.
The Wolves jumped out to a 17-7 first quarter lead behind former Cougar Alajowon Edwards' nine first quarter points; Edwards would finish with a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds. They shot a sizzling 7 of 13 from the field while holding the Cougars to just 2 of 11 shooting.
After falling back by 10, the Cougars came roaring back as Jovon Pullen got hot. The junior forward scored nine of his game-high 14 points in that quarter which saw them grab a 29-28 lead heading into halftime.
Both teams struggled out of the half, with the Cougars outscoring the Wolves 8-6 in the third quarter on 3-11 shooting while the Wolves were 2-13 from the field.
The fourth quarter would be a different scenario, as another former Cougar took over and closed it out.
Reggie Clay, who finished with 12 points, five rebounds and three steals, shined against his former teammates with eight big points in the fourth quarter.
Carlos McCormick was the only other Wolves player in double figures with 10 points.
Evory Seals had 10 points and three rebounds for the Cougars, while Michael Fabiyi chipped in six points and five rebounds.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 2 2010, 12:56 PM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=27986
Boys Basketball: Michigan City 52, Gary West Side 49
Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
VALPARAISO, Ind. - John Boyd admitted it wasn't easy to face his former school, the one he guided to a Class 4A State Championship.
In the end, a couple of his former Gary West Side players helped make the end result easier to swallow.
Alajowon Edwards had 13 points and seven rebounds and Reggie Clay scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth to help their current beat their former team 52-49 in the nightcap of Friday's The Times Region Roundball Rumble at
Valparaiso University's Athletics-Recreation Center.
"It was a difference of emotions," Boyd said. "I've obviously never been through anything like that."
Boyd said the reactions to him being on the Wolves sideline varied on the Cougars bench.
"A couple of them said, 'Good job, coach,' and a couple others didn't want to look at me," Boyd said. "A couple might have even had some animosity, but I'm not upset with them."
City (5-3) got off to a great start. West Side had a 6-5 lead before a Carlos McCormick 3-pointer from the corner started a 12-0 City run, which included seven points from Edwards.
The Wolves took a 17-7 lead into the second quarter, but the Cougars (4-4) started getting points in bunches. Jovon Pullen had two three-point plays and even knocked down a traditional 3-pointer, one of four West Side treys in the quarter. By halftime, West Side had erased what was once an 11-point deficit and actually led by one, 29-28.
After an ugly third quarter that saw both teams combine to shoot 5-of-23 from the field, West Side carried a three-point lead into the final eight minutes of play.
McCormick made two 3-pointers in a 45-second span to push City's lead out to 44-39. However, the Cougars clawed back to make it 44-44, before Clay made good on back-to-back layups to give the Wolves a 48-44 advantage.
Again, West Side was able to tie the game, but the former West Side players made sure the "W" stayed on City's side of the court.
Clay made two free throws with 1:06 left and Edwards made a pair to seal City's win.
West Side did have an opportunity to tie it late, but an out-of-whack offensive sequence saw Marquis Wells' long 3-pointer at the buzzer fall harmlessly to the ground, giving City yet another close victory.
"We're still trying to find an identity and a solid lineup, but the kids fought," Boyd said. "Especially when you have so many young kids, building pride and confidence is important."
Despite having many friends on the other bench, Edwards said he treated this game like any other.
"It was just another game to us," Edwards said of the players' perspective on the game. "It was like playing on the playground."
Boyd thought Edwards' state of mind about the reunion was appropriate.
"A lot of people made a big deal about it, but that's an opponent," Boyd said of West Side. "Anybody not wearing the blue and gray, you have to treat them like they're an opponent.
"I was watching (West Side) warm up and I got a little soft because I've been a father figure to a lot of those kids. Now I have a new family, and I love them."
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 4 2010, 10:08 AM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=27992
Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor, The News-Dispatch
In its first "toss-up" game of the season, Michigan City's boys basketball team made a nice statement.
In what was heavily billed as a game between coach John Boyd's new team and his former one, City gutted out a gritty, 52-49 win over Gary West Side on Friday in The Times Region Roundball Rumble at Valparaiso University's Athletics-Recreation Center.
All the stuff with Boyd facing his alma mater and team that he guided to a state championship was a worthy storyline. But ultimately, that story died when the final buzzer sounded.
What will live on, though, is City winning a game it wasn't necessarily supposed to win. Not to say the Wolves would have been big underdogs, but in the team's previous seven games, there was a clear favorite and underdog.
City beat Marquette and Crown Point at the Wolves Den and won at Portage and at New Prairie. Those are games City would have been expected to win based on where the game was played, records, common opponents and overall talent level.
However, City lost at Chesterton, at Merrillville and at La Porte, three opponents that were favorites and went on to win by an average of 12.7 points per game.
But Friday was an opportunity for City to make a statement, and the Wolves did it in the fasion that has become their custon to this point in the season: tough defense and just enough offense when needed.
I don't think it's a stretch to say City isn't a good offensive team right now. Boyd basically has said as much, but also intimates that by sectional the team will have a more obvious offensive identity.
In the meantime, City's defense appears good enough to win games. In the Wolves' five wins, they're allowing just 46.8 points per game and have only allowed more than 50 once, an overtime win at Portage.
City might not be the biggest team around, but Boyd and his staff have found a way to make that work to the team's advantage. Pesky, quick guards with hands that are as bothersome as a swarm of mosquitoes in a Florida swamp have given opposing teams fits.
On defense, the team creates a lot of loose ball situations and hustles to get to it before anyone else.
While the Wolves continue to improve offensively, the defense is keeping City's record respectable.
But at some point, the Wolves are gonna have to score. In eight games, they've landed in the 50s six times and made one appearance each in the 40s and 60s.
City's season high in points is 61. Three teams in the Duneland Conference average more points than that and no DAC squad has a lower season high.
To me, though, the best part of the 5-3 start has been the wins ove rPortage, Crown Point and Gary West Side. The Wolves won those game by an average of 3.7 points per game, and believe me, winning games like that is absolutely crucial to postseason success.
Teams that advance in the postseason frequently talk about being battle tested. Well, this is how you get to say that, by winning the close games and the "tossup" games against tough opponents.
Of course, in the DAC things never get any easier. This upcoming week is probably's City's toughest of the season with home games against Lake Central (4-3, 3-2 DAC) on Tuesday and Class 4A No. 4 Valparaiso (8-0, 5-0 DAC) on Friday. After that, it's a third consecutive home date Jan. 15 with Chesterton (3-4, 2-3 DAC).
It's what we call a season-defining stretch of games. Based on what we've seen so far, I think Boyd's boys are equipped to handle it.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 6 2010, 07:23 AM
Last night the Wolves dropped a close one 54-50 at the Wolves Den. City trailed by 10 points with about 1:45 to go in the third when the defense took over and go them back into the game. Senior Adam Harmon tied the game with a three pointer in the final seconds of regulation to tie the game at 47-47. The overtime period saw the Lake Central Indians do a good job of hitting their free throws, and then won the OT 7-3 to take this ball game. Turnovers and shot selection ended up being the biggest enemies of City in this one. The Wolves fall to 5-4 on the season and 2-4 in the Duneland. Lake Central improved to 5-3, 4-2 in the Duneland. City plays #3 state rated Valpo Friday night at the Wolves Den. Be there.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 6 2010, 02:26 PM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=28029
Lake Central 54, Michigan City 50, OT
Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
MICHIGAN CITY - John Boyd wanted this one.
And despite not leading for almost the entire game, he almost got it.
But the mistakes piled up and Michigan City simply couldn't overcome them in a 54-50 overtime loss to Lake Central on Tuesday at the Wolves Den.
"Too many mental mistakes," Boyd said. "We're still just a young team trying to find an identity."
City (5-4, 2-4 Duneland) trailed early and throughout almost the entire game. In fact, City trailed 35-25 with 1:49 to go in the third quarter before starting its comeback.
A three-point play from junior Alajowon Edwards (20 points, 10 rebounds) cut the lead to one and then senior Adam Harmon (16 points) turned a steal into an uncontested layup and City had its first lead of the game at 37-36 with 5:35 to play.
That lead was short-lived however, as Lake Central (5-3, 4-2 DAC) quickly got the lead back, though it stayed nip and tuck the rest of the way.
But with 11.9 seconds left in regulation, the Indians' Leith Hobbs made good on a pair of free throws to push his team's lead out to 47-44.
City got the ball to halfcourt and called a timeout, drawing up a play from a 3-pointer. Harmon took the inbound, walked to the top of the key and - with a defender in his face - drained the miracle trey with just seconds remaining. Loai Issa's desperation heave for Lake Central was too strong, and the game went to overtime.
With 1:18 to play in OT, City got it's second lead of the game when Edwards - who was 8-for-8 from the charity stripe for the game - made a pair of freebies for a 49-48 City lead.
But that lead was again short-lived as Hobbs converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Indians a 51-49 lead.
Trailing 52-50, City did get a chance at the tie or win, but Harmon's 3-pointer from the wing was off the mark. Hobbs got the rebound and made both free throws to seal the victory.
"At the end of the game, it just comes down to situational basketball," Boyd said, "like Adam taking that 3(-pointer) when we only needed two."
The loss puts City in a precarious position as the first half of the DAC season wraps up Friday against Class 4A No. 3 Valparaiso, a 61-58 winner over Merrillville on Tuesday in an early-season showdown for conference supremacy.
"This is a tough loss with Valpo and Chesterton coming up," Boyd said.
"But it was good to see them fight and continue to believe."
Notes: City won the junior varsity game 31-28 after closing the game on a 15-0 run. ... Lake Central's Glenn Robinson Jr., the son of former Purdue and Milwaukee Bucks star Glenn Robinson, finished with seven points on 0-for-6 shooting and 7-of-10 at the foul line. ... Freshman A'seante Clark saw his first action of the season after playing all year with the freshman team. He banked in a 3-pointer in the third quarter for his only three points of the night.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 7 2010, 08:09 AM
A quick note on the Valpo vs Michigan City basketball game Friday night, if school gets canceled on Friday, the basketball game is automatically canceled as well.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 8 2010, 09:37 AM
All sporting events for today have been canceled, including City Vs Valpo in basketball tonight.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 12 2010, 01:45 PM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=28180
H.S. Basketball Preview
Zack Eldridge
Staff Writer
Michigan City (5-4, 2-4 Duneland): vs. Valparaiso, 6 tonight; vs. Chesterton, 6 p.m. Friday
Sitting one game over the .500 mark, Michigan City's boys basketball team will see exactly where it stands when it hosts Class 4A No. 3 Valparaiso tonight in a rescheduled game from last Friday night.
The Wolves have already won two more games than they did all of last season when they finished 3-18. In fact, it only took City six games to eclipse last season's win total. The Wolves have alternated wins and losses since a Dec. 11 setback at Chesterton. City dropped its last contest, a 54-50 overtime home loss to Lake Central last Friday night.
A season ago, the Wolves fell in both games to the Vikings, losing 64-26 on the road, and 67-44 at home.
Alajowon Edwards paces City, averaging 12.5 points per game, while Adam Harmon tallies 10.3 points an outing.
Valparaiso enters this contest 9-1, with its lone loss coming to then-Class 4A No. 8 Carmel, 65-62, in the Super Hoops New Year Classic at Mackey Arena on Jan. 2.
The Vikings edged Merrillville 61-58 in their last game last Tuesday night. Valparaiso sits atop the DAC with a 6-0 conference mark, a half a game ahead of the Pirates.
On Friday night, City faces Chesterton in the Wolves Den.
Last season, the Wolves dropped both meetings against the Trojans, losing 54-36 at home and 72-49 on the road.
City has lost nine straight against Chesterton, with the last four coming by double digits.
The Trojans begin this week 4-5 and 3-4 in the DAC. They fell in their last outing, a 57-49 setback at Crown Point.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 12 2010, 01:49 PM
http://www.regionsports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2780&Itemid=365
Alajowon Edwards – Michigan City Wolves
Making the move to Michigan City to continue playing for John Boyd was a good move for both the team and Alajowon Edwards. Though the Wolves lost an overtime thriller to Lake Central on Tuesday night 54-50, the play of Edwards continues to please the “City” fans. In the loss, the 6’2” junior scored a game high 20 points, but it would have much sweeter with a “W”.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 12 2010, 01:57 PM
Lucky City, huh? We get the full game of when he is hurt, and his first game back. 
http://www.post-trib.com/sports/highschools/1982920,bkb-chs-cp-0110.highschool
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 13 2010, 08:37 AM
Well the Wolves played about 3 1/2 quarters of great basketball against the #3 rated team in the state of Indiana, unfortunately it wasn't enough as Valpo put together a 15-4 run to end the game and win it 45-32 at the Wolves Den.
Senior Adam Harmon had a great night, trying to will City to victory all by himself, as he led all scores with 20 points last night. Harmon shot a great three point shot, and played tough defense, but it just was not enough. Alajowon Edwards also chipped in 9 points, and once you added Shereff Knight's 3 points, that was all of the scoring for the Wolves.
The Wolves had many opportunities, and were as close as 30-28 early in the 4th quarter, but they just couldn't change the composure of the game late. Clutch shooting for the Vikings ended up pushing them to 10-1 on the season and 7-0 in the Duneland. The Wolves fell to 5-5 and 2-5 in conference play.
Friday night will see the Wolves take on Chesterton at the Den.
Posted by: southsider2k9 Jan 13 2010, 09:06 AM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=96&ArticleID=28189
Drew White
Sports Writer
MICHIGAN CITY - John Boyd isn't usually one that will take solace in moral victories, but he was more than happy with the effort his Michigan City boys basketball team showed Tuesday night.
The Wolves used solid defense to hang with Class 4A No. 3 Valparaiso until the final minutes of the contest before the Vikings pulled away for a 45-32 win at the Wolves Den.
"I was proud of my guys tonight," said City's Boyd. "I tell people, 'We never lose, we learn.' I think we learned a lot tonight about our confidence and what we're capable of doing."
The 13-point margin of victory is in no way indicative of how close the Wolves were on the heels of the Vikings. As late as the midway point of the fourth quarter, the Wolves trailed by only three points at 33-30.
Soon thereafter, Valparaiso used a barrage of 3-pointers to extend the lead and ultimately pull away for the win.
"They were breathing down our necks," said Vikings head coach Joe Otis. "Pushing it to six created a little anxiety for them and then they hurried a shot. The next thing you know, it's 11."
Michigan City was led by a game-high 20 points from senior Adam Harmon. Harmon did his best to orchestrate the Wolves to the upset, but his performance was highly lauded by Otis.
"Harmon, on those broad shoulders of his, really carries that ballclub," said Otis. "He's a warrior. I'd love to coach that kid. He's fearless. He's done a great job of leading this team."
Boyd said after the game that it is essential to see consistency in the type of play that Harmon demonstrated Tuesday night.
"It is very important for us to have Adam remain consistent," said Boyd. "It's been an up and down season for Adam. We need that from him and Alajowon (Edwards), and we need to find that third scorer."
Defense defined the game for both teams, as the Vikings held City to an average of eight points per quarter, and the Wolves held Valparaiso to 45 points, which is nearly 24 points lower than the Valparaiso average of 68.9 points per game heading in.
"I think our defense was solid. We slowed them down and kept them from doing some things," said Boyd. "That's a good Valpo team. They know where their options are, they shoot the ball with confidence."
Otis knew his team was in for trouble when, despite holding the Wolves to such a low offensive output, City stood with a chance to win late.
"I was really disappointed with how we played offense for three-and-a-half quarters," said Otis. "We hold someone to eight points a quarter, that's pretty darn good defensively, especially in this league. They are a great defensive team.
"They really get out and disrupt things. You can't run regular patterns against them."
The game marked Otis' first against City's Boyd and Otis was very complimentary to the Wolves' first year coach.
"John was a great addition to the Duneland. We finally got someone who has won a state championship," said Otis. "He's a great coach, he's a disciplinarian. You don't have that kind of success without demanding a lot out of his kids. He had his kids ready to play.
"They caused us a lot of problems."
Valparaiso (10-1, 7-0 DAC) was led in scoring by Adam Butterfield with 14 points, followed by 10 from Andy Martin.
Other than Harmon, the only other Wolves able to dent the scoreboard were Alajowon Edwards with nine points and Shereff Knight with three. City fell to 5-5 overall and 2-5 in the DAC.
Despite the loss, Boyd is optimistic that the Wolves are progressing nicely.
"I'm very impressed with our team because they're beginning to buy in to what we are trying to do here," said Boyd. "I think people will be impressed with us as we move on.
"As this season progresses, the Wolves are getting better."
Contact Sports Writer Drew White at dwhite@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 447.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 15 2010, 10:04 AM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/01/15/news/opinion/anvil_chorus/doc4b4f93c50191a606160592.txt
Erica Iacovetti, Parent
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 15 2010, 09:42 PM
Michigan City wins a big Duneland Conference game against Chesterton, avenging their early season loss against the Trojans. The Wolves used an 11-0 run in the first quarter, which was keyed by 3 big three point field goals by James Sanders. The Wolves led by as many as 18 points in this one, but Chesterton clawed back in it, using pressure defense and their top rated center Mitch McGary as their big weapons. McGary didn't have nearly as good of a night as he had the first time against City, getting held to 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks, after getting the Wolves for 27-20 and 6 the first time around. Michigan City was led by James Sanders 19 big points on the night, but got great free throw shooting down the stretch to hold on and win this one. Michigan City improves to 6-5 on the season, and ties the Trojans for 5th in the Duneland at a mark of 3-5. The Wolves travel to Kanakee Valley tomorrow to take on the 2-8 Kougars.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 15 2010, 09:49 PM
In the category of FWIW, this was City's first win over Chesterton since Jan 14, 2005.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 16 2010, 08:05 AM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/01/16/sports/doc4b51539a35afc762114547.txt
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, January 16, 2010 4:15 AM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — Prior to Friday, Michigan City junior James Sanders was a little used reserve for coach John Boyd.
After observing Sanders working hard in practice, Boyd inserted him into the starting lineup for the first time against Chesterton.
Sanders made his coach look like a genius.
Despite not making a 3-pointer all season, Sanders made four in the first quarter to help put Chesterton in a hole it would never get out of as City went on to a 60-55 win at the Wolves to snap a two-game home losing streak.
“The kid didn’t even play a lot last year, but we thought it was time to let him loose,” Boyd said of Sanders.
In the first quarter, the left-handed Sanders made trey after trey, his four makes helping give the Wolves a 19-8 lead after the first quarter. He’d finish with a career-high 19 points, adding he thought his previous career high was only two or three points.
“After I got that first one my team saw I was hot and kept giving it to me,” Sanders said. “Coach told me to just play with confidence.”
Chesterton coach Tom Peller was stunned at Sanders’ outbreak.
“Hey, the guy made them and that’s part of high school basketball,” Peller said. “City really shot the 3 well, and that’s not typical of what they do. But they got out to a big lead and we couldn’t quite overcome it.”
City (6-5, 3-5 Duneland) made 7-of-14 from 3-point territory for the game, but five of those makes came in the first quarter.
By halftime City had a 32-17 lead and had held Chesterton junior Mitch McGary to just seven points and one rebound. McGary made his return to the lineup after missing six games with a broken foot. The last game he played in was a 60-47 win over City in which he had 27 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots before injuring his foot late in the game.
“We were a little out of sync with Mitch,” Peller said. “We were a little stagnant and we didn’t run our offense well.”
McGary came alive in the second half and helped spark a run that got the Trojans (5-6, 3-5 DAC) back in the game.
With 1:04 to play in the third, City’s Carlos McCormick hit a 3-pointer to give City its biggest lead of the game at 44-27. Remy Lewis made a trey for Chesterton and then McGary converted a three-point play to start a 10-0 Chesterton run.
While the Trojans cut into the deficit, they never trailed by less than six points again until a pair of free throws from Fred Price cut the advantage to five at 54-49.
After a City bucket, Price then nailed a triple on the other end to make it a four-point City lead with 37.6 seconds to play.
City’s Adam Harmon and Chesterton’s Alec Houpt each made two free throws on successive possessions but City’s Reggie Clay missed the front end of a one-and-bonus with 18.8 seconds left to open the door for the Trojans.
Price split two free throws with 12.2 seconds to play, but missed the second on purpose to try and get the ball back. However, he was called for a lane violation on the play, giving the ball to City.
Alajowon Edwards made the game-clinching free throws for City to put the win on ice, even if Boyd wasn’t pleased with how the first quarter played out.
“It seemed like we wanted to give it away,” Boyd said. “Those things we have to stop, like the mental errors and we have to do a lot better job controlling the tempo.”
McGary finished with 18 points, seven boards and five blocked shots.
“It’s always nice to have him out there, but we’ve gotta get him in game shape,” Peller said.
As for Sanders, he’s hopeful his breakout performance was good enough to stay in the lineup for a while.
“I really wasn’t expecting this,” Sanders said. “But coach knows I play hard and he knows how to make good decisions (with the lineup).”
Boyd was happy Sanders got his moment to shine.
“That kid has done a complete turn as far as being a member of our community,” Boyd said. “I couldn’t be more delighted that a guy like James Sanders helped Michigan City win a game against Chesterton.
“It couldn’t happen to a better guy.”
Notes: Once again, City’s junior varsity team used a late run to get a win. The Wolves went on a 14-0 run to end the game and win 27-24. ... The win snapped City’s 10-game losing streak to the Trojans. The last win came on Jan. 14, 2005, a 67-63 win at Chesterton in Zack Novak’s freshman year with the Trojans. Novak is now a starter at the University of Michigan. ... At the half Friday, City led 32-17 despite its two leading scorers — Harmon and Edwards — combining to score just four points on 2-for-11 shooting.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 16 2010, 10:37 PM
Michigan City suffers a huge scare down at 3A Kanakee Valley, but they come out with a thrilling finish for a 57-55 victory over the Kougars. City started out hot, building leads of 12-3 and 29-28 but KV rallied with a 12-2 run to close out the second quarter and make a close game of things. Taylor Lavery and Alajuwon Edwards led the way in the first half offensively. They finished the game with 11 and 12 points respectively. The second half was a nip and tuck game with neither team taking a lead larger than 4 points. The end of the game proved to be worth the price if admission if you were there. In a wild sequence at the end, Adam Harmon was the victim of a terrible charge call as he was trying to hit the game winning shot in a tie game at 55. The turnover left the Kougars 5.2 second to work the full length of the court, but Harmon stripped Zach Overby at half court and ran back and hit a layup a fraction of a second before the end of the game to win it for Michigan City. Adam led the Wolves with 15 points, including 13 in the second half. Michigan City improved to 7-5 on the season, while Kankakee Valley falls to 2-9.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 19 2010, 12:31 PM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/01/17/sports/high_school/wolves/doc4b52950ed0e64874733293.txt
Home Cookin'
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, January 17, 2010 4:16 AM CST
To tell you the truth, I liked Friday’s second quarter much better than the first.
Sure, the first quarter in Michigan City’s game with Chesterton on Friday was a crowd pleaser. Junior James Sanders made four 3-pointers and sophomore Carlos McCormick added a fifth and the Wolves led 19-8 after eight minutes of play.
But that was a fluke in many ways. Sanders hadn’t made a trey all season and the Wolves have been an overall inconsistent team from the 3-point line all season.
Now, that second quarter. That’s what it’s all about for 2009-10 City basketball.
Yes, I know. The Wolves only outscored the Trojans 13-9 in that stanza, but I’m referring more to the way in which it happened.
City had good defensive pressure and turned the opportunities that pressure created into offense on the other end.
Folks, that’s City’s best formula for success. You want to know what their offensive identity is? Defense!
The reverse of the old adage holds true here: The best offense is a good defense.
All season, coach John Boyd has talked about his team establishing an offensive identity. The problem is, one hasn’t really developed.
Sure, it was a lot of fun to watch all those 3-pointers go down Friday night. But you can’t count on making five 3-pointers every quarter. Most games it’s tough to make five.
But what you can count on is defense. Any coach worth his salt tells his or her players that’s the one constant.
See, you can have an off shooting night. That happens all the time. Some games, you just don’t have it.
But what you can always do is play defense. That’s heart, determination and effort.
City can play defense, I assure you. The Wolves have done it all season. They allow just 53.2 points per game, third best in the Duneland Conference behind only Valparaiso and Lake Central. Offensively, the Wolves score just 52.5 points per game. Only DAC bottom feeder Portage is lower.
So why not embrace that identity? Rally behind it. In the postseason, the teams that defend the best tend to do the best.
And to be honest, I see reason to be excited for the postseason here.
Just look at City’s schedule. At 6-5, the Wolves have a of couple notable near-misses. In two losses to the top two teams in the DAC — Valparaiso and Merrillville — City easily could have converted those into two wins. Against Valpo, the Wolves trailed by one possession with the ball midway through the fourth quarter. They also played the Pirates tight throughout, but foul trouble helped seal the Wolves’ fate there.
City took a 13-point loss to Chesterton, but looked good in avenging that Friday. The four-point loss to Lake Central remains a blemish nobody in the locker room is happy with. Only the 17-point loss to La Porte was truly out of reach.
Of course, the results against fellow DAC schools is significant because the eight-team sectional is the DAC minus Lake Central with Hobart rounding out the field.
So maybe City’s offensive identity has been staring us in the face all season. Maybe it is just as simple as cranking up defensive pressure and converting opportunities created into points on the other end.
Boyd has been saying all season that his Wolves will be tougher to beat in the second half of the season once players and coaches figure everything out.
It appears to me we are about to reach that point.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 19 2010, 01:05 PM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/01/19/sports/high_school/doc4b5544f61b048947607534.txt
Scott Allen/For The News-Dispatch City’s Alajowon Edwards goes one-on-one against Chesterton’s Mitch McGary during second-half action Saturday at the Wolves Den.
High School Basketball Week Preview
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:16 AM CST
After three games in one week, Michigan City’s boys basketball team now gets all the time it needs to focus on just one opponent.
City went 2-1 last week with wins over Chesterton and a buzzer-beating victory at Class 3A Kankakee Valley. But this week, the Wolves get to focus solely on sweeping the season series with Crown Point, where City travels Friday for a 6 p.m. junior varsity tip.
On Dec. 18, City beat Crown Point 53-47 at the Wolves Den behind 21 points from junior Alajowon Edwards, who will come into this game averaging a team-best 12 points per game.
A win would give City (7-5, 3-5 Duneland) its longest win streak of the season at three and potentially put City into a tie for fourth place in the Duneland Conference, pending La Porte’s result with Valparaiso on Friday.
Crown Point (5-6, 2-6 DAC) comes into this game after a loss to Lake Central, but won its two previous games against Portage and Chesterton.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 22 2010, 10:13 PM
The Wolves travel out to Crown Point and go down to defeat 49-39. The Wolves for the first time on the season had no one in double figures, and were led in scoring by James Sanders for the second time in the last three games, this time with nine points. The Wolves were out-rebounded 25-14 in this one, as 6'10" Jared Smoot had 10 points and 13 rebounds, including 7 offensive, giving the Bulldogs many second chances. City did a great job on the DAC's leading scorer Michael Albrecht, keeping him scoreless in the first half, and to half of his season average, by only allowing him 11 points. Adam Harmon, Shereff Knight, Jabbar Washington, and Carlos McCormick all put in lots of time against Albrecht who was face-guarded even without the ball for the entire game.
The Wolves had a chance late, as a couple of free throws from Alajuwon Edwards brought MC as close as 41-39, but CP closed it out with an 8-0 run, 6 points of which came from the free throw line. Michigan City falls to 7-6 on the season and 3-6 in Duneland play, Crown Point gets back to .500 at 6-6 and 3-6 in the DAC.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 26 2010, 11:09 AM
http://heraldargus.com/articles/2010/01/26/sports/doc4b5eaa6f23a1a583802874.txt
The Pirates (10-2, 7-2 Duneland) beat the Wolves (7-6, 3-6 DAC) just 63-55 that night at Merrillville, and City was in the game every step of the way behind a big night from sophomore guard Carlos McCormick.
Friday at the Wolves Den, City will look to even up the season series against Merrillville as the Wolves start a four-game homestand, their last home games of the season.
City’s coming off a tough loss at Crown Point. Despite holding the Bulldogs to just 27 points through three quarters and limiting the DAC’s leading scorer Michael Albrecht to just two points through the same time period, City took a 49-39 defeat.
Merrillville’s coming off just its second loss of the season, a 74-71 overtime setback to Lake Central.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Jan 28 2010, 10:30 AM
http://heraldargus.com/articles/2010/01/28/sports/doc4b61161a57b19953812566.txt
Jake Kitchell (23) and South Central played an instant-classic with Hanover Central last week in the finals of the Porter County Conference Tournament. (Robb Quinn)
Published: Thursday, January 28, 2010 7:53 AM CST
Adam Parkhouse
Usually around this time of year I have thoughts about how much I dislike the double round robin for basketball in the Duneland Conference.
I think having 14 of your 20 games set aside for conference action is a bit excessive. Plus, as most coaches also believe, it’s neat to be able to play as many different teams as possible.
But today, my friends, instead of just rambling about the inadequacies of a silly scheduling system I come to you with a solution.
I’m sure I’m not the first to have this idea, but it came to me last week when I was covering the Porter County Conference Tournament.
I arrived about an hour early for South Central’s opening round game against Kouts, and was shocked at what I found when I arrived. Host-school Hebron’s ample parking lot was already filled (there was a game before South Central’s). Only parking at the adjacent elementary school was available. I would have been better off parking at the H-A and hoofing it.
When I walked into the gym I saw the enthusiasm of the crowd, both adults and from the student section. They love this tournament, which has now completed its 87th year.
Then it hit me: The Duneland Conference should absolutely be doing this. There shouldn’t even be a debate. Kill the double round robin, which most coaches loathe anyway, and in place of the second trip through the league start a conference tournament.
Doesn’t that seem like a nice, middle-of-the-road solution?
“I don’t know if I can speak for all the coaches, but based on our end-of-year meetings over the last seven years,” La Porte coach Tom Wells said, “all of us would vote to do something different.”
Wells noted that the votes among the coaches to toss the double round robin out the door has always been either 8-0 or 7-1. When he was coach at Prairie Heights in the Northeast Corner Conference, he was part of an electric conference touranment atmosphere.
“When I was in the NECC, that was a fun week,” Wells said.
Wells even wondered if there might be a way to do some kind of conference shootout with a league like the Northern Indiana Conference, a la college basketball’s Big Ten-ACC Shootout.
That could certainly be an exciting addition to the local scene, too. But a conference tournament is probably the most viable in terms of getting everyone on the same page.
You can rotate it from one school to the next with each school getting a chance to host if they so choose. Run the tournament on three days: Quarterfinals on one day, semifinals two days later followed by a Saturday night championship game.
The girls can get in on this, too. Play all quarterfinals and semifinals at a separate location from the boys and have both finals at the boys’ host school on the same night.
Is there anyone who wouldn’t be behind this idea? Everybody loves a tournament. Well, except for the half-wits in charge of NCAA Division I football.
Just do a random draw or even have the previous year’s standings determine the seeding for the next year.
Now, I suspect any athletic directors reading this are thinking something along the lines of how the money gets divided up.
That’s a worthwhile question and I’m sure something could be worked out. Make each school responsible for selling advance tickets to the tournament and they get to keep whatever they sell and the host school gets to keep concession revenue. I don’t know, I’ll let them work that part out.
Another potential problem that Wells pointed out is teams in the westernmost reaches of the DAC (Lake Central, Crown Point, Merrillville) might object based on having a hard time filling their schedules. The theory goes that schools like Michigan City and La Porte can more easily travel to Elkhart, Goshen, etc., to pick up games.
That’s a fair objection, but to be honest, these schools got by just fine before the double round robin. There’s no reason to expect they couldn’t be just fine after it.
But in my opinion, this should happen. Each team can be guaranteed two games (the quarterfinal losers can play each other in consolation games). That would free up an additional five games per year that teams can use to play other county rivals they don’t get to play under the current double round robin system or even possible sectional and regional opponents who coaches want to get good tapes from.
Unless I’m missing something, I don’t see a real downside here. Coaches don’t really like the double round robin and AD’s want more conference games on the schedule.
This seems like a happy medium to me.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 2 2010, 08:28 AM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/02/02/sports/high_school/doc4b67b5d963658709969732.txt
City's Adam Harmon drives over Merrillville's Brandon Smith on Friday at the Wolves Den. Scott Allen/For The News-Dispatch
H.S. Basketball Week Preview
Published: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 4:16 AM CST
Adam Parkhouse and Zack Eldridge
Staff Writers
Michigan City’s boys basketball team hasn’t won or lost more than two games in a row all season, perhaps the very definition of mediocrity at 7-7 (3-7 Duneland) on the season.
That run is in serious jeopardy this week when the Wolves host their arch-rival La Porte Slicers in the second game of a girls-boys doubleheader Friday starting at 6 p.m.
City’s only lost two straight one other time this season, but followed that up with a win at home over Chesterton to snap the string.
La Porte (9-6, 5-5 DAC) presents a similar challenge in terms of difficulty, but very different in terms of style. The Slicers are as dependent on the 3-pointer as any team in the DAC, but can be near impossible to beat on a hot night.
Meanwhile, offense has really been a problem for City lately. During this two-game losing streak, the Wolves scored just 81 combined points (40.5 per game). During a particularly-ugly stretch in the 56-42 loss to Merrillville, City made just 3-of-21 shots.
One of the problems for City is not having a third consistent scorer. Alajowon Edwards (12 ppg) and Adam Harmon (10.6 ppg) have led the way all season, but a third option hasn’t come up. Shereff Knight (6.4 ppg) and James Sanders (4.3 ppg) have had good individual games, but haven’t been in or near double figures consistently.
La Porte, on the other hand, is led by a very good senior class, three of whom average double digits in points. Dustin DeMuth (17 ppg), Rich Leslie (16.4 ppg) and Pat Spence (14 ppg) have been solid all year long and can beat opponents in a number of different ways.
The Slicers are coming off a 71-52 victory over Portage last Friday night, scoring 30 points in the third quarter.
La Porte also travels to South Central on Saturday night.
With four conference games left, the Slicers currently sit in fourth place in the DAC with a 5-5 mark, two games back of third-place Lake Central.
Saturday, after two weeks with just one game, City takes on South Bend Adams in the first back-to-back games since wins over Chesterton and Kankakee Valley Jan. 15 and 16.
Adams (5-9) also has three players averaging at least 10 points per game: T.J. Farrell (10.7 ppg), Trevon Love (10.6 ppg) and Roosevelt Green (10.5 ppg). The Wolves and Eagles have no common opponents this season, but Adams has won five of the last six meetings between the schools.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 5 2010, 10:17 PM
The Wolves played the very definition of a team game tonight, having different players step up at different key moments of the game to give the Wolves a dramatic 52-51 win over rival LaPorte. Carlos McCormick led the way for the Wolves with 18 points and a bunch of big three point shots. The Wolves got down 34-24 just into the third quarter, and just when you thought the Slicers were going to open things up like they did in LaPorte last time, Alajuwon Edwards scored six quick points, including a three pointer, and a three point play to cut the lead back down. After that Shereff Knight made some big baskets in the lane to keep the Wolves in a tight game with the Slicers. At the end senior leader Adam Harmon hit a big three pointer, and then put City into the lead for good hitting a baseline drive at the rim to put City up 52-51. Dustin DeMuth had a chance at the end to win it potentially for LaPorte put he couldn't get a shot to go down on a play with a lot of contact both ways, the shot rimmed out, and Knight ended up with the rebound. After a miss on the one and one, the games leading scorer Rich Leslie couldn't hit from about 35 feet away from the basket, and that ended the game. Leslie led the way with 19, including some big three pointers. Michigan City improved to 8-7 on the season, and 4-7 in Duneland Conference play. LaPorte falls to 9-7, 5-6 in DAC play.
Posted by: Ang Feb 6 2010, 10:23 AM
I was going to go to that game, but my parents were on the road from WY and I wasn't sure when they were getting in town, so I had to skip it. Glad MC won! GO WOLVES!!!
(side note: they arrived safe and secure! They're here for a funeral, which makes me sad-my uncle passed away Thursday morning-but I am happy to see them!)
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 6 2010, 10:35 AM
The next line of your post should be...
"But I listened to Mike and Adam's call on the radio and it felt like I was there!"
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 6 2010, 10:37 AM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/02/06/sports/doc4b6d020c6e839506766459.txt
City’s Carlos McCormick scores three of his team-leading 18 points in front of La Porte’s Jacob Craft (24) on Friday at the Wolves Den. (Scott Allen/For The News-Dispatch)
Boys: Michigan City 52, La Porte 51
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, February 6, 2010 4:15 AM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — In similar situations in the past, a Michigan City team might have folded up the tents and called it a night.
Instead, trailing by 10 early in the third quarter, City got back in the game.
The result was a 52-51 victory for City over arch-rival La Porte in a game with a thrilling conclusion.
“We just wanna play tough at home. This year is my first time being a part of the La Porte-Michigan City rivalry,” City coach John Boyd said. “The crowd came out and supported the team, and I was happy to see that.”
For La Porte coach Tom Wells, his team’s sloppiness was the main culprit.
“I didn’t think the game was lost in the closing minutes,” Wells said. “We had (13) turnovers and six or seven of those just were unforced, hurried turnovers. You put that together with 3-of-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter ... those are bad ingredients in close ball games.”
The first half was pretty tight throughout, but City (8-7, 4-7 Duneland) was kept in the game by a second-quarter hot streak from sophomore Carlos McCormick. He made 3-of-5 3-pointers in the stanza and scored 11 of his team-high 18 points to help City trail just 26-22 at the half. He had 13 of the Wolves’ points in the first two quarters.
“Actually in pregame I was missing,” said McCormick, who made 4-of-9 from downtown in the game.
“Coach Boyd always tells us once we shoot, never stop shooting.”
But in the third quarter, La Porte got hot, going on an 8-2 run to open the period and take a 34-24 lead.
But less than a minute later, City’s Alajowon Edwards completed a personal 6-0 run with a three-point play after draining a trey on the Wolves’ previous possession to cut the lead down to four.
“Well, that’s how you want to start the third quarter,” Wells said. “It was a great start for us, but give them credit. They didn’t fold any tents and came right back.”
Still, La Porte maintained its lead for a while until Shereff Knight completed City’s quick comeback with a jumper in the lane to give City a 40-39 lead. La Porte (9-7, 5-6 DAC), however, took a 43-40 lead into the fourth.
With 4:04 to play in the game, City’s Adam Harmon, who was 0-for-8 from the field at the time, drained a 3-pointer to tie the score 46-46 and set off a nip and tuck final four minutes.
The lead traded back and forth until Knight’s runner in the lane tied the score back up at 50-50 with 1:14 to play.
Seconds later, La Porte’s Rich Leslie was fouled, but split his free throws to give the Slicers a 51-50 lead.
Then, on the next possession, Harmon drove the baseline, got to the rim and scored to give City the 52-51 lead with 32 seconds to play.
With less than 10 seconds left, La Porte had a near turnover underneath its own basket, but officials ruled City knocked it out, giving the Slicers a chance.
An inbounds play worked perfectly and Dustin DeMuth got a close look at a shot but missed. There was contact on the play but no foul was called. A loose ball foul was called on Leslie and City had the ball with 5.6 seconds left.
Wells thought there might have been a foul on the DeMuth shot.
“Let’s just say that’s not the point in the game you want to get an apology from the referee,” Wells said, adding that, in fact, one of the officials apologized to him for a non-call.
The Wolves then inbounded to Edwards and he was immediately fouled. Edwards missed the front end of the one-and-bonus and with 4.6 seconds left, La Porte, without a timeout, pushed the ball up court.
However, City didn’t allow them to get far, and Leslie’s 35-footer at the buzzer wasn’t close, giving the Wolves the big home win.
“(The Wolves) got the ball stopped pretty good,” Wells said of that final play. “A lof of times you’re able to go coast-to-coast, but they did a good job getting the ball stopped.”
For City, it was a good win after not playing well in its previous three games.
“I’m really happy,” McCormick said. “I liked the intensity in here.”
Boyd added, “We knew if we kept the intensity up that La Porte doesn’t have a deep bench. But we had a sixth man out here tonight with our crowd.”
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
MICHIGAN CITY 52, LA PORTE 51
LA PORTE (9-7, 5-6 DAC)
DeMuth 4-9 1-3 9, Jurjevic 4-9 2-2 13, Craft 0-4 1-2 1, Spence 3-8 0-0 9, Leslie 5-11 6-8 19, Vaughn 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 16-43 10-15 51.
MICHIGAN CITY (8-7, 4-7 DAC)
Harmon 2-10 2-2 7, Knight 5-6 1-1 11, Washington 1-2 0-0 2, Clay 0-2 0-0 0, Lavery 1-2 0-0 3, McCormick 7-12 0-0 18, Edwards 4-8 1-2 10, Byrnes 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 20-45 5-7 52.
La Porte 7 19 17 8 — 51
Michigan City 8 14 18 12 — 52
3-point shooting — La Porte 9-26 (Leslie 3-9, Spence 3-8, Jurjevic 3-7, DeMuth 0-2), Michigan City 7-18 (McCormick 4-9, Harmon 1-5, Lavery 1-2, Edwards 1-2). Rebounds — La Porte 25 (Leslie 8), Michigan City 21 (Edwards 6). Total fouls — La Porte 10, Michigan City 14. Turnovers — La Porte 13, Michigan City 11.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 6 2010, 09:44 PM
The boys team sweeps on the home court this weekend with a 51-37 win over South Bend Adams. Adams who had beaten a great East Chicago team last night, looked to have some of the same magic going early in the Wolves Den as they jumped out to a quick 13-4 lead. After that it was all Wolves City scored the next 12 points to go in front 16-13, and they never trailed again. Eventually the run ended up being 22-2 before the Eagles could get back on track, but by then it was too late. City led by as many as 16 points and were never really seriously threatened again. Balance was again the key word of the night for MC as they had three players with eight points (Harmon, McCormick, and Edwards) plus three more with 6 points each (Clay, Washington, and Lavery). City's next game is their last of the year at home, with Portage coming to call on Senior night on Thursday the 11th.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 6 2010, 09:48 PM
Forgot to add, Michigan City now 9-7 on the season. One more win makes them a .500 team for the regular season.
Posted by: taxthedeer Feb 7 2010, 11:38 AM
Forgot to add, Michigan City now 9-7 on the season. One more win makes them a .500 team for the regular season.
It was a Michigan City grand slam weekend for all the Wolves basketball teams over their cross-county rivals. The boys and girls varsity teams defeated the Slicers on Friday night, both boys and girls JV squads were winners over La Porte on Thursday night.
Posted by: ksmi55_08 Feb 11 2010, 05:34 AM
always great to beat the Slicers!!!!!!!!!!! GO WOLVES
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 11 2010, 09:03 AM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/02/09/sports/high_school/doc4b70eaf009da1797870953.txt
City’s Adam Harmon drives past South Bend Adams’ Chris Hoffman on Saturday at the Wolves Den. Harmon, Carlos McCormick and Alajowon Edwards had a 3-way tie as lead scorers for City with eight points each. Scott Allen/For The News-Dispatch
Boys H.S. Basketball Week Preview
By Adam Parkhouse and Zack Eldridge
Staff Writers
Published: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 4:17 AM CST
After an up-and-down season so far, Michigan City’s boys basketball team has an opportunity to clinch a .500 regular season for just the second time in the last nine seasons.
The Wolves get that opportunity in a rare Thursday night (6 p.m. JV tip) game at home against Portage. Since the start of the 2001-02 season, City finished with a .500 or better regular-season record just once, 11-9 in 2007-08.
City put itself in this position with a great weekend, including wins over arch-rival La Porte followed the next night with a win over South Bend Adams, who had just beaten Class 4A No. 5 East Chicago one night earlier.
Though the Wolves (9-7, 4-7 Duneland) still aren’t scoring much, defense has continued to be the team’s forte. City’s allowing 52.1 points per game, the second best total in the Duneland Conference behind only DAC-leading Class 4A No. 3 Valparaiso.
In the second game of the season, City won at Portage, 58-56, in overtime. But the Indians have really struggled, and currently sit winless in the league at 0-11 and just 3-15 overall.
The main culprit for the Indians has been defense, as they allow a DAC-worst 61 points per game and are scoring 51.2, just one-tenth of a point ahead of City’s DAC-worst 51.1 ppg. Portage is led by Dominique Walton and his 11.6 ppg.
City’s also in a position to do something it hasn’t done all season – have a streak of any kind of more than two games. The Wolves are on their third two-game winning streak, but followed each of those up with losses at Chesterton and at Crown Point. City gets a chance to make it three in a row at home before heading on the road to close out the season.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 11 2010, 10:06 PM
The Michigan City Wolves win their season high third game in a row with a 51-37 victory over Portage on Senior night. Three year letterman senior Adam Harmon led the way with a blistering 6 out of 7 performance from three point range to lead the Wolves with 22 points on the night. Harmon started the night off with with two triples right off of the bat to lead 6-0, and City never trailed. City opened a 31-14 lead with a 15-0 over the end of the first and beginning of the second quarters and the game was never a contest after that point. Also big on the night was Jabbar Washington who had 10 points and a team high 7 rebounds on the night. Washington was in the right place at the right time on defense all night, and created some great opportunities for his team. Seniors Grady Byrnes and James Patrick also got some solid minutes, Byrnes had a nice night rebounding the basketball as well. Michigan City did achieve a milestone with the victory ensuring at least a .500 regular season for only the 3rd time in the 21st century. MC improves to 10-7 on the season and 5-7 in Duneland play. Portage falls to 3-16 and 0-12 in the DAC.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 12 2010, 08:24 AM
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/02/12/sports/doc4b74eab66d7b8274131758.txt
City’s Adam Harmon lays the ball up past Portage’s Dominique Walton on Thursday night at the Wolves Den. Harmon had a game-high 22 points. Scott Allen/For The News-Dispatch
Boys Basketball: Michigan City 51, Portage 37
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Friday, February 12, 2010 4:17 AM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — Where John Boyd came from, 10 wins might not sound like such a big deal. Used to be, it wasn’t here, either.
But reaching the 10-win plateau guarantees at worst a .500 regular season, and at Michigan City, that’s only been done once in the previous eight seasons.
That was until Thursday, when Michigan City won its third straight game — the longest streak of any type this season — by getting off to a hot start and never looking back in a 51-37 win over Portage. That’s the identical score City beat South Bend Adams by last Saturday.
“It’s awesome,” Boyd said of the 10th win. “People don’t know what I came into here.
“I keep telling people they’ve gotta come out and support these kids. It’s not for me, it’s for Michigan City.”
The win streak is City’s first three-game win streak since beating Crown Point, Merrillville and South Bend Clay from Jan. 19-27, 2007. Amazingly, City (10-7, 5-7 Duneland) hasn’t won four in a row since opening the 2000-01 season with four straight wins during Bob “Bear” Falls’ final season as coach.
The Wolves will get a chance for four in a row next Friday at Lake Central, but first they had to take care of business against the DAC-winless Indians (3-16, 0-12 DAC).
City wasted no time getting to work. On Senior Night, it was senior Adam Harmon making two 3-pointers in the first 58 seconds to give City a 6-0 lead. On the next trip, Harmon canned another trey and had nine points on City’s first three shots of the night.
Harmon’s outburst helped City, averaging just 51 points per game this season, put up 23 in the first quarter and take a nine-point lead into the second quarter.
Harmon wasn’t done just yet. He made two more 3-pointers to start the second quarter and made his first five from beyond the arc overall. A Shereff Knight basket gave City an 8-0 run to start the second quarter and a 31-14 lead overall. Harmon finished with a game-high 22 points.
“I’m just extremely proud of Adam Harmon to see how explosive he can be,” Boyd said.
But from that point on, City’s offense went stagnant. Luckily, the defense wasn’t. City’s defense is second-best in the DAC in terms of points allowed per game, and the Wolves stifled the Indians all night, forcing 21 turnovers.
“As a team we’ve talked about controlling our emotions,” Boyd said. “After Adam hits a couple shots, they’re jumping around like the game’s over.
“But our defensive intensity stayed up. We had active hands and were shooting in the passing lanes.”
The defensive effort, which has led the team all season, made sure Portage never got close despite City’s offensive struggles in the last 2 1/2 quarters. Once City’s lead got to double figures in the second quarter, it stayed there and Portage never seriously threatened.
Notes: City won the junior varsity game 42-30 behind a team-high 16 points from Steven Ray. Jimmie Coleman added nine for City. ... Portage didn’t commit its first foul of the second half until the fourth quarter and the Wolves didn’t attempt a free throw the entire game until the 4:!5 mark of the fourth. City ended up 0-for-5 from the charity stripe. ... Prior to the game, City honored seniors Harmon, Grady Byrnes and James Patrick as well as the senior band members and cheerleaders. ... In the first half, City made 7-of-11 3-pointers as a team but was just 5-of-13 from inside the 3-point stripe.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 16 2010, 09:47 AM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/02/16/sports/high_school/doc4b7a2b55842b2853967434.txt
City’s Adam Harmon lays up past Portage’s Dominique Walton on Thursday at the Wolves Den. Scott Allen/For The News-Dispatch
H.S. Basketball Week Preview
By Adam Parkhouse and Zack Eldridge
Staff Writers
Published: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 4:17 AM CST
It’s staggering to consider, but Michigan City’s boys basketball team is on the verge of history. Sort of.
Michigan City will enter Friday’s game at Lake Central riding a three-game winning streak with a chance to do something it hasn’t done since Dec. 9, 2000: Win its fourth consecutive game.
It might be more of a commentary as to how the program has struggled in the years since, but a fourth straight win could no doubt give City some momentum heading into the rest of the season.
To do so, City will have to exact a measure of revenge against Lake Central. The Indians won 54-50 at the Wolves Den in overtime on Jan. 5 in a game that’s bothered coach John Boyd since it happened.
One could argue that Lake Central (11-6, 8-4 Duneland) is the surprise of the DAC. City (10-7, 5-7 DAC), meanwhile, is trying to sneak into the top half of the league, one game behind fourth-place La Porte with two to play.
City will play back-to-back games this week, also traveling to South Bend Washington (10-9) on Saturday night (5:30 p.m. CST JV tip).
The Panthers have dominated the series with the Wolves recently, winning 11 consecutive matchups. City’s last victory came March 7, 2000.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 16 2010, 11:07 AM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/02/14/sports/doc4b7783591445e990863419.txt
Home Cookin'
Published: Sunday, February 14, 2010 4:17 AM CST
The other night, after City’s third consecutive win Thursday against Portage, I got up close and personal with the feistiness of coach John Boyd.
Happy with the recent success of his team, Boyd intensely queried me about when I was going to start giving the Wolves some respect.
I’d been critical so far about the team’s lack of offensive identity and its DAC next-to-last 51 points per game.
To be honest, I stand behind that. The team has struggled, or at least been inconsistent, offensively. But the Wolves’ defense, ranked second in the league at 51.2 points per game, has kept the team afloat.
So Boyd and I went back and forth a little bit and then carried on with the postgame interview. But the thing is, we were both kinda right.
Boyd’s got a point when you look at how this team has performed so far compared to what was expected of them. You might remember last year, or if you might be trying to forget, when the Wolves went 3-18 and had a season-ending 17-game losing streak.
It was not a lot of fun to go through.
This team already has 10 wins, just the second time in nine years that’s happened. That’s an accomplishment, no doubt. Coaches and players should be proud of that.
Boyd also points to his kids’ improvement both as citizens of the community and students in the classroom. All very commendable.
But I stand behind my criticism, even if yielding that I haven’t often enough pointed out the positives of what’s gone on so far in Boyd’s first year.
Why? Because I don’t want to have to settle for this program being average. At least, that’s the mindset I’ve taken until this point.
Of course, I realize Boyd doesn’t want that, either. The guy has a state championship ring. Mediocre isn’t in his vocabulary.
But I think as an alum of Michigan City High School and a lifetime resident of MC, I want greatness for the teams I cover.
That’s why I’m critical when things fall short of the mark, all while trying to accentuate the positive when possible. Improvement is the key. It’s what we all should be striving for every day, no matter what we’re involved in.
Move forward. Take steps in the right direction. So far, that’s what Michigan City’s boys basketball team has done this season.
And for that, you have my respect.
I feel like I’ve been lied to.
My whole life, all I’ve been told is there’s nothing to do in Michigan City. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hang out and nothing to kill a couple hours with.
But it must have all been a lie. People must be doing something, because what they’re not doing is checking out City’s basketball teams.
Outside of the La Porte game at the Wolves Den recently, home crowds have been embarrassing at the Wolves Den.
At the girls sectional game in Valparaiso, which isn’t that far away, folks, my colleague here at the N-D, Drew White, estimated there were maybe 50 Wolves fans in attendance. He felt he was being generous with that number.
Only 50 people, to see the two-time defending sectional champions take on one of the top teams in the state.
Factor that in with sparse crowds at boys games and I’m left feeling out of the loop.
Where’s everyone hanging out? What’s everyone doing?
To the die-hards I see at every game (you know who you are): I applaud you for supporting our young people.
To those choosing to do whatever else: shame.
We’ve gotta do better.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 20 2010, 10:08 AM
According to Coach Boyd, Adam Harmon might not play the rest of this season after getting a very large cut over his eye during the game against Lake Central.
Posted by: taxthedeer Feb 20 2010, 10:46 PM
I'm beginning to believe that a some of these officiating crews have some sort of past vendetta or some sort of personal animosity against coach Boyd and his staff from their days at West Side.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 21 2010, 07:58 AM
I know this is high school basketball, but I think I saw the worst officiating crew ever last night. Not in terms of fouls, but in terms of working together and having control of a game. In this game I saw...
-A player get blood on his jersey from a hard foul. They took the player off of the FT line and walked him over to the bench properly. The coach put in a new player who walked over to the FT line to get ready to take the shot. Then the same official walked back to the scorers bench and had a minute long conversation with them, while the other two officials stood and watched. Only to come back and have no conversation with his crew, and go right to their spots.
-A player got fouled in the backcourt to put him team into the bonus. Everyone walks down to the other end of the floor to shoot FTs. The baseline official gives the shooter the ball, and then in the middle of the kid shooting the first attempt, he blows the whistle and stops him, but not before he hits the FT. That official then walks all of the way back to half court to talk to the trailing official who made the original call. They wipe out the make. Eventually they walk back and shoot them again, and of course the shooter manages to hit the first and miss the second FT.
-A player fouled out on a foul in the back court. The official walks over to the scorers bench and gets the signal that the player has fouled out. Instead of walking the player back to the bench, he walks back to half court into his alignment for a free throw. The fouled out player walks down the floor and gets into position for the free throw attempt The other two officials who apparently aren't paying any attention go ahead and assume everything is OK. The baseline ref, gives the ball to the FT shooter, who promptly hits a FT, with an illegal player still on the floor. The half court official finally realizing what was going on, stops play and then finally walks the fouled out player back to his bench, forcing a substitution. This time the FT is counted.
-In the last nine seconds of a two point game, a foul is given in the back court to force more FTs. The player receiving the foul get frustrated and shoves away the player who gave the foul as they walk down court for the FTs. Now it is possible no one saw the situation because they were moving down for the FTs. When they get to the FT line, the kid who committed the foul steps into the lane and stands in front of the shooter, who promptly shoves him again. This time everyone is watching, including all three officials who are in their properly places for the free throw. The baseline official was holding the ball ready to give it to the shooter. Not a word is said to anyone. Not to the shooter, nor the kid basically taunting the shooter.
It was just brutal.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 26 2010, 10:46 PM
The Michigan City Wolves pulled off the biggest upset victory in their short history tonight, knocking off the #2 two in the state of Indiana 62-46 at Valparaiso High School. The Wolves never trailed in this game, jumping out to a commanding 13-0 lead with a quick 11 points from Adam Harmon leading the way. The Vikings never got closer than 10 points as they suffered only their third loss of the season, their first loss of more than 5 points in any game this year, and their first loss at home this season. Michigan City managed to build up as big as a 22 point lead in the first half, and led 30-11 at the half. Valpo tried putting a run together in the initial minutes of the third quarter, but City again responded, this time with a 10-0 run to put their biggest lead of the night at 45-22 after three quarters. The fourth quarter didn't provide the Wolves with much of a challenge as City hit their free throws and Coach Joe Otis called off his troops late by entering in his bench players. The leaders for Michigan City including Adam Harmon with 20 points, James Sanders who had a big night with 18 points and 9 big rebounds, and Alajuwon Edwards with 7 points and 10 rebounds. Michigan City finishes at 11-9 for the regular season and 6-8 in DAC play. Valparaiso finishes at 17-3 and 12-2 in the Duneland Athletic Conference.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 27 2010, 10:19 AM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/02/27/sports/doc4b88b93e9aee1283695550.txt
Boys Basketball: Michigan City 62, Valparaiso 46
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, February 27, 2010 4:16 AM CST
VALPARAISO, Ind. — No doubt everyone at Valparaiso High School was waiting for the home team to make its run.
After all, the Vikings are the No. 4 team in Class 4A (No. 2 according to the coaches poll) and were at home on Senior Night just days after its second loss of the season.
The run never came, and Michigan City made sure this was never a game.
The upstart Wolves started the game on a big run and never looked back, leading by as much as 23 and never less than 10 after the midway point of the first quarter in a 62-46 shellacking of the stunned Vikings.
“I’ve been saying all year it’s a process to bring in a different system to kids who are not used to doing things my coaching staff is used to,” City coach John Boyd said. “We played with a lot of intensity throughout and that was good to see.”
City did win at Valpo back in 2008, but overall the Vikings led the series with the consolidated Wolves 18-7 and had won 15 of the last 17 going into Friday’s regular season finale.
Not only did City get the upset victory, but couldn’t ask for a better way to go into the sectional, even if senior Adam Harmon (game-high 20 points) downplayed that part of it.
“When you go into the sectional, everyone’s record is 0-0,” Harmon said. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
If City were to meet Valpo again, it wouldn’t be until the championship game of next week’s Michigan City Sectional. If such a meeting occurs, the Vikings will like to have long forgot about this one.
The Wolves (11-9, 6-8 Duneland) opened the game on a 13-0 run, 11 of those points coming from Harmon.
“In his last three or four games he’s come out on fire,” Boyd said. “He starts us out well and the kids gain confidence.”
With 4:38 to play Harmon hit a spinning runner in the lane to give his team a 10-0 lead. From that point on, for the final 28 minutes, 38 seconds, the Wolves never led by less than 10.
Valpo (17-3, 12-2 DAC) didn’t score until Andy Martin’s putback with 2:39 to play in the first quarter. For the game, the Vikings were ice-cold from the field, shooting 28.6 percent (16-of-56). From the 3-point line, it was even worse, as the Vikings made just 7-of-34 attempts.
Valpo’s Brad Karp made a trey at the end of the first quarter to cut City’s lead to 17-7. But City never let mighty Valpo back up.
The Wolves opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run, but a 3-pointer from sophomore Taylor Lavery made the score 30-8 with 3:23 to play in the half. City would carry a 30-11 lead into halftime.
The Vikings did start to make a run in the third, cutting the advantage down to 13 in the first 3:15 of the second half. But after trading baskets twice, City bursted out on a 7-0 run capped off by a James Sanders 3-pointer to push the lead back out to 20 at 42-22.
City wasn’t done yet in the third. Harmon had an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:21 left and City carried that 45-22 lead into the fourth.
Valpo did score 24 points in the fourth, but it was way too little, way too late. City took care of business at the foul line, making 15-of-22 attempts in the final stanza.
While everyone else was stunned by the final score, City’s players and coaches didn’t seem to be.
“That’s what we should do,” Harmon said. “We played as a team tonight. ... It’s a big win for us.”
So what does this win mean heading into next week’s sectional?
“Absolutely nothing,” Boyd said. “You have to just play one game at a time.”
Going back to his days at Gary West Side, Boyd now has a 3-1 record against Valpo.
“I feel very comfortable playing Valpo,” Boyd said. “They’re a big-time program and we want to get to that someday.”
Notes: Valpo won the junior varsity game 43-37. ... This was the most lopsided loss for Valpo since Feb. 15, 2008, a 21-point loss at Merrillville. It was the most lopsided loss at home since a 20-point loss to Merrillville earlier that season. ... This was City’s most lopsided win against at DAC opponent since beating Portage by 16 back on Dec. 3, 2004.
Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.
Posted by: taxthedeer Feb 27 2010, 11:31 AM
Posted by: southsiderMMX Feb 27 2010, 12:54 PM
http://nwitimes.com/sports/high-school/indiana/article_979893a0-4224-546b-a667-48dfa0fef208.html
Michigan City dominates throughout to upset Valpo
* Story
* Discussion
BY PAUL JANKOWSKI - Times Correspondent | Posted: Saturday, February 27, 2010 12:00 am | No Comments Posted
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VALPARAISO | An early score of 17-2 or 30-8 hasn't been unusual during Valparaiso games this season.
The Times No. 2 Vikings are usually on the positive end of that kind of count.
But Michigan City gave Valpo a dose of its own medicine Friday night in Viking Gym on Senior Night.
The Wolves dominated the Vikings 62-46, forcing Valpo to tie for the Duneland Athletic Conference title with Merrillville. Valpo (17-3, 12-2) has lost two in a row going into next week's Michigan City Sectional, while the Wolves improved to 11-9 (6-8).
Adam Harmon led the Wolves with a game-high 20 points, which included 11 in the first quarter when Michigan City sprinted out to a 17-7 lead at the quarter break. James Sanders finished with 18 for the Wolves, who made six first-half 3-pointers and led 30-11 at halftime.
"They just flat out beat us," Valpo coach Joe Otis said. "They shot lights out and we never really responded."
Valpo made just 2-of-14 3-pointers in the first half, and finished a miserable 7-of-35 (20 percent) from the arc. Brad Karp and Jerrick Suiter scored 11 points each to lead the Vikings, while starters Derek Kennett and Andy Martin were held to zero and two points, respectively.
The Wolves played a relentless defense the entire game, and never let up offensively after the quick start which pleased coach John Boyd.
"I feel very comfortable playing Valpo," said Boyd, who coached his first game at Viking Gym. "They're a big-time program and I hope to get to their level one day.
"We thought that we could put some pressure on the ball defensively. They're a rhythm team and they weren't able to get into a rhythm, and that affected them."
Harmon, who had nine stitches around his eye after a collision against Lake Central on Jan. 19, set the tone on both ends of the court for the Wolves. He had three steals and six rebounds to fill up the stat sheet.
"Adam came out on fire, and that started us off really well," Boyd said.
In the second half, Valpo got within 13 midway through the third quarter but the Wolves built the lead back up to 45-22 by the end of the third quarter.
Michigan City made 15 free throws in the final quarter.
"It just wasn't meant to be our night," Otis said. "Last week we gave one away (at Merrillville), but this time Michigan City just took it right to us. They're a very dangerous team.
"I've never seen a John Boyd-coached team that didn't play hard defensively. Give them a lot of credit for taking it from us and doing it decisively."
BOYS BASKETBALL
Michigan City 62, No. 2 Valparaiso 46
Adam Harmon scored 20 points and James Sanders 18 for the Wolves.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Mar 3 2010, 12:39 PM
WIMS AM 1420 will be there as always for the Wolves game. We will be on the air about 15 minutes before tip off and bring you the totally biased hometown call of the game. We will follow the Wolves as far as they can go into the 100th Hoosier Hysteria. Michael Gresham and Adam Parkhouse will be there, as we have been all year long.
Posted by: southsiderMMX Mar 4 2010, 09:19 AM
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/03/04/sports/high_school/wolves/doc4b8f4a3386b2e809731074.txt
City’s Adam Harmon gazes at the scoreboard during the Wolves’ 47-36 loss to Portage in the opening round of the Michigan City Sectional Wednesday night at the Wolves’ Den. (Scott Allen/For The News-Dispatch)
Michigan City Sectional: Portage 47, City 36; Merrillville 73, Hobart 49
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, March 4, 2010 4:19 AM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — When asked what his team’s stunning season-ending victory over Valparaiso meant heading into the sectional, Michigan City coach John Boyd said, “absolutely nothing.”
Turns out, he was right. But surely even he didn’t know just how right he would be.
Just five days after catching the state’s attention with a jaw-dropping win at Valpo, City laid an egg in a just as stunning 47-36 loss to Portage in the opening round of the Michigan City Sectional on Wednesday at the Wolves Den. With the win, Portage improved to 4-18 on the season.
“I’ve coached in games where one team was stasticially better than the other team and then the other team comes out and plays like juggernauts,” Boyd said. “Maybe that’s what happened against Valpo.”
Boyd didn’t dismiss the idea that the Valpo win had a negative impact on his team.
“Maybe we came out cocky,” Boyd said. “I saw some things in the layup line that, to me, was arrogance.”
Portage started the game on a 10-2 run keyed by a pair of 3-pointers from Keenan Ruzga. But City appeared to figure things out after that, going on a 14-0 run stretching into the second quarter, including seven points each from James Sanders and Adam Harmon. The two combined for one point the rest of the way.
“We’ve got a young team and the lights shine a little brighter here (in the sectional),” Boyd said. “Then my go-to, Adam Harmon, gets what? Six shots? Seven shots? That’s not our game.”
Despite City’s run, Portage managed to take a 22-20 lead at the half after a steal and Dominique Walton lay-in at the buzzer.
In the third quarter, the Indians managed to extend the lead by three, taking a five-point lead into the fourth.
Through three quarters, City had managed just 22 shots in 24 minutes. The Wolves (11-10) would get nine more, but made just one.
With 5:11 to play, a Walton basket pushed Portage’s lead out to nine at 38-29. Two free throws from City junior Alajowon Edwards cut the lead to five at 40-35, but the Wolves never got closer. The shots didn’t fall late and Portage made its free throws to complete the upset, sending a good City crowd home unhappy.
“It’s somber,” Boyd said of the mood in the locker room. “But I always say, you don’t lose. You learn.”
City loses just two of its top nine players going into next season, leaving Boyd optimistic about the future.
“It’s hurtful to me that I wasn’t able to bring a sectional win to the Michigan City community,” Boyd said. “But at some point, we will not go through this. I promise.”
Posted by: MC Born & Raised Aug 3 2010, 08:03 PM
Check out Wednesday's N-D/H-A for my interview with Coach Boyd. It's a must-read, I promise.
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