By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
MICHIGAN CITY – Basketball is a complex game, but more often than not, a game comes down to one or two things that did or did not happen. The Class 4A Sectional 2 showdown Feb. 28 in Michigan City between eighth-ranked Chesterton and No. 14 Merrillville is a perfect case in point.
This was 32 minutes of some of the best basketball this writer has seen all year. However, the game was decided on what did and did not happen in just over four minutes.
Coach Jim East’s Merrillville Pirates had to be frustrated during the first half of this contest. They shot the ball extremely well (7 for 10 in the first quarter), controlled the boards, and protected the ball reasonably well.
Yet they trailed by five (22-17) at the end of the first quarter, and midway through the second period the Pirates still had been unable to eliminate the deficit.
Their chance to seize control of the game came with 3:20 left in the half. That’s when mercurial Chesterton senior point guard Jordan Lewis picked up his third foul. With Harris on the bench, the backcourt matchups were clearly in Merrillville’s favor, providing a wonderful opportunity for the Pirates to surge into the lead.
It didn’t happen. Chesterton (19-2) made just enough big plays to cling to a 33-29 lead at intermission.
The second half once again found Merrillville (16-5) applying consistent pressure. The Pirates actually took the lead 44-43 late in the third quarter, and they maintained a 48-47 advantage at the end of the third.
The battle continued through the first minute of the fourth quarter, when the second key moment of the game occurred.
With just under seven minutes to play and Merrillville leading 53-52, Chesterton drained a 3-pointer to regain the lead. For perhaps the only time in the game, Merrillville then experienced back-to-back inefficient possessions at the offensive end.
Chesterton did not fail to take advantage.
High-scoring 6’5” senior forward Zack Novak’s bucket made it 57-53, and then senior guard Austin Bower inserted the dagger with a 3-pointer from the right corner.
The 8-0 run gave Chesterton its biggest lead at 60-53. Now the Trojans smelled blood in the water, and the only remaining question was the final margin. Chesterton controlled the final minutes for the eventual 76-62 victory.
The Trojans were led by the impressive double-double of Novak, who scored 29 points and hauled down 13 rebounds. Merrillville, meanwhile, was led by the 16 points of John Wanunu.
Let’s talk a moment about Chesterton. The Trojans have been designated all year as one of the state title threats from northwest Indiana. Because teams from “The Region,” for obvious reasons, play a mostly regional schedule, people in the rest of Indiana have wondered whether the Trojans are really that good.
The answer, my friends, is yes. They can win it all.
Chesterton is not overly athletic or exceptionally big. What coach Tom Peller’s crew is is exceptionally well-drilled, experienced, and skilled.
Novak, the state’s fourth-leading scorer at 27 ppg, is a stone-cold assassin. He can score points in bunches without controlling the ball or the action. Rather, he will score a half-dozen garbage points on offensive rebounds, drain a couple jumpers, and finish on an occasional Chesterton fast break.
Before you know it he has 25 points, and you find yourself trying to consciously remember when he scored 10 of them.
Lewis is seasoned, skilled, and savvy. More importantly, the senior has the heart of the lion. But perhaps most critically, the Trojans have a third weapon in Bower, who is a cold-blooded perimeter sniper.
This is a Northern Indiana team which often plays Southern Indiana basketball. I’m not saying they will win the title, but they certainly could.
In the evening’s first game, Crown Point (15-6) defeated cold-shooting Michigan City, 60-46. The loss ended a resurgent season for the Wolves under the first-year leadership of Bob Buscher. Nonetheless, Michigan City (11-10) served notice during the season that their once-proud program has begun a return to glory.
Crown Point will face Chesterton in the second semifinal game Saturday (the Michigan City Sectional title game will take place Monday night), with Valparaiso (8-13) taking on Hobart (13-8) in the opener.
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