Published: February 14, 2008 11:02 pm            

Lady Kats to meet Chargers in regional

After Kokomo’s girls basketball sectional championship victory over Logansport last Saturday night, senior Kayla Drake noted that the tournament was the team’s primary focus from Day 1 — that the regular season was almost like “practice games.”

That 20-game run is well behind the Lady Kats, as is the sectional. Most importantly though, the regular season grind that produced the program’s 13th North Central Conference championship, did indeed get the Kats primed for post-season.

Kokomo heads into Saturday’s Class 4A Huntington North Regional having won 11 of its last 12 games. Its last loss to an Indiana team came exactly two months ago, Dec. 15 at Marion.

Saturday at approximately noon, Kokomo (17-5) will take on Carroll of Allen County (14-10) after No. 7 ranked Fort Wayne South (20-4) meets Anderson (15-9) in the 10 a.m. opener. The championship is set for 8 o’clock that night.

Kokomo isn’t the only team thinking its coming into tournament play at the top of its game. Carroll enters play having won nine of its last 12 games and that excites second year coach Tony Harl.

“We’re definitely playing our best basketball,” said Harl. “Up through Christmas we had kids out with injuries, but since then we got healthy and we’ve played some good basketball. We also start two freshmen, so they have progressed as the season has gone on, too”

One key member of the Chargers’ squad missed eight games. Senior 5-foot-6 guard Cecily Dressel is one of the state’s best percentage 3-point shooters — boys or girls — having hit 52 of 109 for a dazzling 46 percent.

“She’s a really nice offensive threat for Carroll,” said Kokomo coach Jason Snyder. “But they have several girls who can hits 3s, so it will be a challenge guarding them on the perimeter. They also have two post players [5-9 Stephanie Crow and 5-10 Lindsey Schaefer] who set screens well and can catch the ball and drive.”

Ali Felger is another strong 3-point shooter (41 of 123) who leads the team in scoring at 10.3, and overall, the Chargers shoot 35 percent from 3-point range, with six players averaging at least one attempt a game.

Harl has spent considerable time this week watching Kokomo film.

“They are pretty talented and have nice balance,” he said. “On the perimeter they have three guards [Shakeeta Cotton, Kelcey Ackison and Drake] capable of shooting or driving the lane and they have two kids [Aelleon Woodard and Kelly Hopkins] with a strong post presence.

“I’ve also noticed they seem to be able to win any style of game — whether it’s a game in the 30s or 60s. They can win pretty or ugly and that’s a credit to the team and its coaches.”

Carroll’s ability to handle Kokomo’s pressure will be crucial, says Harl.

“Turnovers will be big for us, “ he said. “We’re not as athletic as Kokomo and I’m sure they will come after us. We need to handle the ball well and make the most of our offensive possessions.”

Last week in two sectional victories, Kokomo held opponents McCutcheon and Logansport to an average of 33.5 points on 21 percent shooting from the floor (17 of 80) and 14 percent accuracy (4 of 29) from 3-point range. McCutcheon and Logansport combined for more nearly twice as many turnovers (32) as field goals (17).

That kind of defensive intensity will be needed the remainder of the Kats’ tournament run, according to Snyder.

“[Defense] has been our emphasis all season,” Snyder said. “We appreciate the effort — and the key word there is ‘effort’ — the girls have put in. It’s team play all the way. They help each other and have confidence in each other.”

Snyder said his team is eager for the challenge.

“We battled some illness last week, but right now everyone is in good shape and in great spirits,” he said. “We’ve had a good week of practice too. All season long we’ve worked on running our offense and now we’re taking a look at second and third options. We’ve got 11 tapes on Carroll, so we’re really diving into those and our scouting reports. It’s a fun time of year.”

F.W. South (20-4) vs. Anderson (15-9)

The day’s 10 a.m. opener is a rematch of last year’s regional championship — a game won in overtime by Anderson.

Ranked No. 7 in the final AP poll, South had never won a sectional until last season and now has claimed two straight. South won its sectional last week by trouncing Huntington North 74-43 in the final.

The Archers are led by 6-2 junior center Sydney Weinert, who is averaging 13.5 points and 8.4 boards. The team offers nice scoring balance with forward Shavonda Price (13.9) and guard Brittany Johnson (12.3). South is the highest scoring team in the field at 66.7 ppg.

Anderson lost its final three regular season games — including to Kokomo 64-57 — but bounced back to roll through the sectional, beating Pendleton Heights 54-47 in the championship.

The Indians also offer a balanced offense, led by guard Bryesha McCullough (15.4). Lakeisha Noethtich (14.4 ppg. and 8.4 rpg.) and Jasmine McGhee (11.8 and 8.7) are steady contributors.



Class 4A regional:

At Huntington North, Saturday

10 a.m. — Fort Wayne South (20-4) vs. Anderson (15-9)

Noon — Kokomo (17-5) vs. Carroll of Allen Co. (14-10)

8 p.m. — Championship

        

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