[Southsider2k12]

Just in case anyone did not know, the game tonight is canceled, as there is no school today.

[Southsider2k12]

Tuesday nite, Adam and I will be making the call for the MC vs Laporte at 7:30pm from the Wolves Den.

[Southsider2k12]

The boys are really scuffling now. That is their 6th loss in a row. Also I am not sure why the ND site has quit updating their sports page regularly... I'd much rather give you guys the Parkhouse version of our games, but they aren't up, so I can't post them.

http://www.post-trib.com/sports/highschool...5559,lc.article

Indians scorch Wolves
January 7, 2009By John O'Malley

Post-Tribune correspondent

ST. JOHN -- Michigan City's zone defense was packed in tight -- daring Lake Central to shoot from the outside.

Indians junior guard Keith Thompson and senior forward Zack Felton gladly accepted the challenge and the results proved to be deadly to the Wolves in their Duneland Athletic Conference matchup Tuesday night.

Thompson scored a career-high 24 points. He made 10 of 11 shots, including a trio of 3-pointers.

Felton, meanwhile, buried 9 of 17 attempts and swished four triples, and ended up with 22 points.

The Thompson-Felton combination proved to be double trouble for the Wolves (3-7, 1-5) as the Indians (5-4, 3-3) cruised to a 65-47 victory.

"When they packed it in on Eric (Summers) I figured they wanted to see if we could beat them from the outside," Thompson said. "We knocked down a lot of open shots."

Rivers was swishing his field goal attempts from the start. He scored eight points in the first quarter and added five more in the second to help the Indians take a 27-22 halftime lead.

Thompson scored 11 second-half points, including eight in the final quarter.

"It was just one of those nights where the shots were going down, so you have to just keep taking them," Thompson said. "I think we showed people tonight that you can't just guard one player -- you have to guard the whole team.

"We have a lot of different weapons. If we can play as a team and play smart, we can get places."

Felton, who scored five in the opening quarter, totaled 10 in the third period and tossed in seven more in the final eight minutes.

"They would run that triangle defense to clog up the middle, and that left me open shots," Felton said. "We just had to try and stay calm and hit the shots. I couldn't believe as I was that open. I thought that if I could hit the shots, I could really help out the team."

Michigan City coach Bob Buscher said he had seen Thompson play before, but he never expected what transpired Tuesday night.

"Thompson hit some shots, but I've seen him shoot sometimes and not hit anything," he said. "He killed us. What we tried to do the first half, I thought worked well."

The loss was the sixth straight for the Wolves.

"You just don't quit," Buscher said. "We don't finish at the rim. It's things around the basket. We're young and we're still learning."

Lake Central coach Dave Milausnic didn't like the way his team took care of the basketball.

If not for the Indians being whistled for 21 turnovers, the winning margin could have been larger.

"We have to do a little bit better job of taking care of the basketball," Milausnic said. "Offensively, as a team, I think we got a little too cute with the ball. We're not that team. If we can take care of the ball, we can be awfully tough to beat."

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=40092.85

City In Rough Patch
Wolves stumbling having lost seven straight.

Nick Dettmann
The News-Dispatch

Now is not the time to be going through a rough patch.

A 3-1 start seems so distant as the Michigan City Wolves have lost seven straight games for the first time since 2005 when they lost nine straight. The school record is 15, set in 2004.

This week, the Wolves get a hungry Chesterton Trojans team which has dropped two straight (La Porte and Crown Point) after starting 5-2.

The game will tip at 6 p.m. Friday night, and will be broadcast on 1420AM and 95.9FM.

"They've got to learn how to competitively fight," City coach Bob Buscher said after the Lake Central loss Jan. 6. "When we lose or things get tough, instead of fighting, we lose confidence. We've gotta keep playing."

On Friday against Valparaiso, the Wolves (3-8, 1-6 DAC) lost 64-26.

The 38-point deficit was the largest since losing by 51 to South Bend Washington on Dec. 15, 2001.

Free-throw shooting and hitting shots were among the problems Friday. The Wolves shot 8-of-21 from the line, and 9-of-30 from the field.

"It's been a problem for us all year," Buscher said Friday. "It's something we work on as much as we can. ... We as coaches teach them what we can, but we can't shoot from the bench."

[Magnolia]

Free-throw shooting and hitting shots were among the problems Friday. The Wolves shot 8-of-21 from the line, and 9-of-30 from the field.

Those are some pretty big problems...

[Southsider2k12]

Those are some pretty big problems...

Free throw shooting has been a problem all year long. FG% hasn't been great, but it has been bouyed by the layups they create off of the press. If a team can force the Wolves into a half court game, they are going to have a horrible shooting night. They don't have the type of team that can thrive in a half court offense. They don't have a dominant post player (such as Jerrod Jones) and they don't have much in the way of three point shooters either. They have to create offense off of turnovers. If they don't, they are toast.

[Johnny Rush]

Tonight's game has been cancelled and rescheduled for tommorrow night...

[Roger Kaputnik]

Are you talking about the boys bb at chesterton?

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=39637.34

Midseason is not the best time to be "starting over."

But that's what coach Bob Buscher and the Michigan City Wolves boys basketball team are being forced to do.

"We lost some more people and we're very, very young and very, very inexperienced," he said after Saturday's 23-point loss to Chesterton. "We're starting over."

Adam Harmon led the Wolves on Saturday night with 13 points, and Darrell Hopkins added 10. But that was about it for the Wolves' production.

The Wolves (3-9, 1-7 DAC) have lost eight straight for the first time since the 2004-05 season and after a fourth straight loss by at least 18 points, it doesn't appear to be getting better for City.

"We've got a bunch of kids out there that this is their first week with us," Buscher said. "They don't know the plays."

This week, the Wolves will host Crown Point at 6 p.m. Friday. The game can be heard on AM1420.

The Bulldogs enter the week having lost 67-63 to Lake Central on Friday night, and have lost three of their past four.

[Southsider2k12]

Hey Adam, I missed it, what happened to Sharrad? I don't see him on the roster anymore, and I saw Coach's reference to some guys being gone. What's the scoop, and who else am I missing?

[eric.hanke]

Hey Adam, I missed it, what happened to Sharrad? I don't see him on the roster anymore, and I saw Coach's reference to some guys being gone. What's the scoop, and who else am I missing?

Grades?

[Roger Kaputnik]

If it is Math, I blame the Everyday Math!!!!

[Southsider2k12]

Grades?

No idea. I am curious.

[eric.hanke]

If it is Math, I blame the Everyday Math!!!!

MCAS transitions students from Everyday Math back to the traditional method during the middle school process in preparation for High School.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Hopefully they are not too scarred to recover. Probably the top ¾ of a class can recover, but the bottom ¼ is already at risk of failing to learn the methods of math, and from our previous discussion, not likely to.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=38974.32

City Streak Hits 12
Adams 74, Michigan City 53

Ken Peterson
For The News-Dispatch

SOUTH BEND - Michigan City boys basketball coach Bob Buscher will be the first to admit losing is something he hates.

But given the situation the Wolves program is in, Buscher realizes the lumps this year's team has taken can only make his future better.

After watching City (3-13) fall 74-53 Saturday night at South Bend Adams, Buscher kept things in a proper perspective.

"We got two freshmen and a sophomore out there at times," he said. "And they're just worn out. You've got to have some physical bodies. No one wants to lose, especially me. But you've got to look at who we are, where we're at and where we've been."

John Smith had 18 points, Trevon Love 11 and Landon Booker 10 to lead the Eagles, who got 38 points off their bench.

Adams' quickness and experience was too much for City to handle all night. Still, the Wolves got off to a fast start and led 12-6 after Carlos McCormick scored with 6:21 left in the first quarter.

But the Eagles went on a 12-0 run that extended into the second quarter and Love's basket with 6:21 left in the half made it 21-14.

The effort was clearly there at times for the Wolves. Despite committing 33 turnovers, City had rallied from a 10-point third quarter deficit and rode the hot hand of 6-6 senior Darrell Hopkins back into the game.

Hopkins, who finished with a game-high 22 points, nailed five consecutive shots in the third quarter and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field in the second half. His bucket with 7:29 left cut the Eagles lead to 49-46.

"I thought Darrell Hopkins had one of his best games," Buscher said. "He's got to catch the ball and keep it simple. We talk constantly about not putting the ball on the floor."

But Smith came back with back-to-back 3-pointers to help Adams take control as the Eagles went on a 17-2 run to take command. In the final quarter, City was outscored 25-9.

"This is a totally different kind of game than what we play all year," Buscher said. "In the Duneland, it's more controlled and it's more of a half-court game and a full-court game, but nothing like this. Last year, we beat them with seniors. This year, we've got puppy dogs. The effort was good."

Brandon Pawloski added 10 points and was City's only other double-figure scorer.

Hopkins finished with six rebounds to lead the Wolves while Pawloski had two assists.

"Our attitudes are so much better than what they were and we're working so much harder in practice," Buscher said. "We've made strides in the last three games. We've improved."

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=51853.64

WOLVES CAN'T GET IT DONE
Boys Basketball: Portage 70, Michigan City 63

Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor, The News-Dispatch

PORTAGE, Ind. - Michigan City's boys basketball team desperately needs a win, but perhaps its best remaining opportunity to get one went by the boards Thursday.

The Wolves shot just 2-of-14 from 3-point range and could never finish one of several rallies throughout the game, falling at Portage, 70-63.

After City's 13th consecutive loss, coach Bob Buscher pointed at that line just more than 19 feet away from the basket as the culprit.

"We are 52-for-215 from the 3-point line," Buscher said, noting that comes out to 24 percent. "The problem is these 3s we fall in love with."

Portage (6-11, 2-9 Duneland) led throughout, with its biggest lead being 12 in the third quarter. But City (3-14, 1-11 DAC) was in this one throughout, seeing multiple opportunities to take the lead go by the board.

"We have to understand individual patience, and that is me with the ball thinking about what I'm gonna do," Buscher said. "215 is a lot of 3s and we can't shoot a percentage like that and expect to win."

Another problem Thursday was leading scorer Adam Harmon having an off night. He made three of his first four shots, but missed 10 of his final 11 to finish with nine points on 4-of-15 shooting.

In the waning minutes of the first half, City was within four, but the Indians quickly pushed that out to 10 on Damonte Lowery's 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter.

The Wolves outscored the Indians 17-14 in the third quarter, cutting the lead to seven heading into the fourth.

But Steve Perry's 3-pointer early in the fourth pushed the lead back out to 10 and Portage was able to hold off one more minor rush late to earn a rare DAC win.

"We have to get that message across about patience," Buscher said. "It's hard because our kids are not used to that."

Senior Darrell Hopkins was a bright spot for second consecutive game. He finished with a team-high 21 points and 10 rebounds to go with three blocked shots, following up a strong effort in Saturday's loss at South Bend Adams.

Another positive for City was senior Brandon Pawloski, who had his best game in weeks with 17 points.

"Darrell had one of his better games and hopefully we got Brandon Pawloski going tonight," Buscher said.

Notes: Portage won the junior varsity game 44-29. ... Freshman Jabbar Washington wasn't available because of an injury. His status going forward is uncertain. That left City with only nine dressed for the varsity game, two of which logged significant JV minutes.

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

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...ArticleID=21142

STILL SEARCHING
Wolves run losing streak to 14 straight.

Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer

MICHIGAN CITY - Early in the second quarter, South Bend Washington made what would seem to be a fairly benign basket to give it a two-point lead against Michigan City at the Wolves Den.

Yet, with nearly three quarters left to play, City's heads hung, body language changed and the feeling in the gym that the game was over was unavoidable.

These are the byproducts of a struggling team, and the Wolves are doing just that. Washington toppled the Wolves, 69-48, on Wednesday, extending City's losing streak to 14 games with just two regular season games left to play.

"They're just so used to losing. Winning becomes a habit and losing becomes a habit," City coach Bob Buscher said. "In their defense, they just think, 'Here we go again.'

"They're just tired of it."

With a home loss Friday against Lake Central, City will equal the longest losing streak since the consolidation, but early Wednesday it appeared that streak had a good chance of stopping at 13.

City (3-15) came out scorching from the field, and Washington (15-3) did not. A 3-pointer from City's Adam Harmon with 3:45 to play in the first quarter gave the Wolves an 11-2 lead.

But from that point on, the Panthers went on a 15-2 run, including a 3-pointer from Kennis White (game-high 21 points) to tie the score at 13-13 with 7:25 to play in the second quarter. Just moments later, City lost the lead for good.

Less than five minutes later, the Panthers had built a 14-point lead in atypical fashion. Up by 10, Washington's Mike Carter was fouled on a layup, giving him a chance at three-point play. He missed the free throw, but Jarrett Fleming (15 points, 13 rebounds) got the rebound and the putback to give the Panthers a 14-point lead just nine minutes after they trailed by nine.

"We had three things on our board: Block out, don't be selfish and be patient," Buscher said. "We worked all week long on trying to be patient. We'll do it in practice, but we get in a game: Not gonna happen."

City trailed by nine at halftime and quickly worked the lead down to three in the third quarter, but by quarter's end the advantage was back out to 14 and the Panthers ran away with it in the fourth.

"Up until the Portage game, we were still optimistic," Buscher said of last Thursday's loss at Portage. "I felt we were making strides because we had four games in a row where we competed and played together.

"Against Portage, we didn't compete or play together. Tonight, I won't say that we didn't compete, but we didn't play together."

Buscher went on to describe the difficulties of being mired in such a slump.

"I've never had a year like this," Buscher said. "With the mentality and the combined basketball IQ, I've never seen it.

"It's just the whole attitude. It's still an attitude problem."

Notes: City lost the junior varsity game 39-19. ... Freshman Jabbar Washington missed his second game with a knee injury. He won't play Friday because of having to make up practices, but will return for the season finale against Valparaiso. ... After the Portage game, Buscher lamented his team's poor 3-point shooting, which was at 54-of-224 (24 percent) coming into Wednesday's game. City shot just 1-of-12 from the 3-point line against the Panthers. ... Another bugaboo for the Wolves has been free throw shooting, where they came into Wednesday shooting 59 percent. They were 3-of-9 at the charity stripe against the Panthers.

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

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...&TM=84973.1

Sectional Title A Possibility
home cookin'

Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor, The News-Dispatch

I already know this is going to sound crazy, but you have to hear me out.

I'm not saying it's gonna happen - it would be difficult for anyone to make that prediction - but it's entirely possible that Michigan City's boys basketball team could enter play in the Michigan City Sectional with a school-worst 16-game losing streak and still play for the sectional title Saturday night.

I know. You think I've gone nuts, but the IHSAA's ludicrous blind draw system has made it possible.

The best three teams in the field - Merrillville, Valparaiso and Chesterton - all reside in the bottom half of the bracket.

In the top half, City will take on Hobart in one quarterfinal, a team with a record above .500 but is also 0-for-the-Duneland this season. The other quarterfinal in the top half of the bracket is Crown Point and La Porte and City has, relatively speaking, played farely well in four combined losses to those teams.

So here's an easy way this could work. I need to emphasize could, but it's not all that outlandish.

As many know, La Porte is a 3-point shooting team and is capable of shooting the lights out of any gym. But as evidenced by Friday's loss at Chesterton when the Slicers shot 6-of-27 from downtown, it also can cost them a game.

So perhaps La Porte gets hot and beats Crown Point and City beats Hobart, which wouldn't be a real upset by any stretch of the imagination. Then, again maybe, La Porte goes cold against City and a young, improving Wolves squad continues to play better together and earns an improbable berth in the sectional title game.

Pipe dream? Probably. But stranger things have happened.

Without knowing what happened in Saturday's regional championship game, allow me to say how proud I am of City's girls basketball team for an incredible effort in a semifinal drubbing of Gary West Side.

I thought that game would be close throughout but the Wolves took it to the Cougars early and often and only trailed by less than 10 over the final three quarters for a few seconds late.

City advanced farther than it ever had in the state tournament with the win and that, along with three Duneland Conference titles and two sectional championships, is plenty to be proud of.

A bill proposed by Rep. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend, calls for the elmination of the Indiana High School Athletic Association.

While I have my issues with the IHSAA on occasion, like with the blind draw for postseasons mentioned above, this idea seems cockamamie and unnecessary.

Apparently Niezgodski was upset with the IHSAA's handling of the Jasmine Watson case, a high-level girls basketball player who transferred from Elkhart Memorial to South Bend Washington, one of the best programs in the state. Watson's family said the move was for financial reasons while officials in Elkhart alleged it was for basketball.

I'll admit it seems the IHSAA picks and chooses when it gets heavily involved in cases like these, when moves like this realistically happen more often than anyone cares to openly admit.

But disbanding the IHSAA seems a bit over the top. Maybe a stern talking to is in order, but turning high school athletics over to an already tapped-out state education department doesn't seem to be the answer either.

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