Season Update: The DAC

<em><span style="font-size: 8pt;">The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="99414" first="Jennifer" last="Tomasic"] of Lake Central High School.</span></em> Periodically throughout the season, I want to take the time to look in on several of the state’s conferences. I’ll take a peek at what teams are performing well, who the top prospects are, upcoming games, etc. Widely considered one of the best conferences in Northwest Indiana is the Duneland Athletic Conference (<em>also known as "the DAC"</em>). With the DAC being founded in 1970, it’s original members included Chesterton, Hobart, Portage, and Valparaiso. Since then, Hobart left (2003) and is currently in the Northwest Crossroads Conference, Michigan City Rogers joined (1972) and then consolidated with Michigan City Elston into Michigan City High School (1995), which stayed in the DAC, and Merrillville (1975), LaPorte (1976), Crown Point (1993), and Lake Central (2003) all eventually joined the conference, giving the DAC eight member schools as of today. Championships before the 2000-2001 season are unverified, per online sources, but since then girls’ basketball titles have been fairly spread out throughout the conference. Merrillville leads the way with five conference titles, while Crown Point, Lake Central, and Michigan City each have four titles. Valparaiso has won three conference titles, and LaPorte has won two. No one else holds a DAC girls’ basketball title at this time. Currently five of the teams are above .500, two teams are at .500, and one team is under .500 in terms of overall record, but I would say Crown Point is a strong favorite to win the 2020-2021 Duneland crown. Still, though, I feel like on any given night, any team can beat any other team. Most of them play strong non-conference schedules, so they are prepared for their conference and the state tournament, and most/all of these teams have college prospects on their rosters. &nbsp; <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>School</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 25%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Record</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 25%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Conference</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 25%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Schedule Strength</strong></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Michigan City</td> <td style="width: 25%;">7-0</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-0</td> <td style="width: 25%;">215</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Crown Point</td> <td style="width: 25%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-0</td> <td style="width: 25%;">42</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Merrillville</td> <td style="width: 25%;">4-3</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-0</td> <td style="width: 25%;">74</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Chesterton</td> <td style="width: 25%;">4-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">1-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">131</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Valparaiso</td> <td style="width: 25%;">3-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">0-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">234</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">LaPorte</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-4</td> <td style="width: 25%;">0-1</td> <td style="width: 25%;">43</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Portage</td> <td style="width: 25%;">2-2</td> <td style="width: 25%;">0-2</td> <td style="width: 25%;">141</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 25%;">Lake Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;">4-4</td> <td style="width: 25%;">0-2</td> <td style="width: 25%;">124</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>Schedule strength is figured out of 400 qualifying schools in the state, regardless of classification.</em></span> &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Michigan City</strong></span> Michigan City has gotten out of the gates quickly, posting an early season 7-0 record. They already have conference wins against Portage and Chesterton, plus a nice overtime win at Plymouth. They do have to travel to conference foe Lake Central later this week (12/11), and they host another conference opponent in Merrillville next week (12/18), while having a tough and athletic Gary Lighthouse team sandwiched in between (12/15). A January matchup at Crown Point (1/8) could determine the conference title. Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35017" first="Trinity" last="Thompson"]</strong> (23.0p, 16.4r, 3.4a, 3.4s, 1.7b) has been an absolute monster for the Wolves so far this year. She has committed to play next year at Northern Kentucky University. Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130387" first="Katelyn" last="Halfacre"]</strong> (16.7p, 3.6r, 2.9a, 3.4s) has also been strong through their first seven games. Juniors <strong>Jaden Smallwood</strong> (7.4p, 4.6r, 4.3a) and <strong>Ariana Lemons</strong> (3.7p, 4.2r) have given Michigan City nice minutes as well. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Crown Point</strong></span> Crown Point is trying to make it to Bankers Life Fieldhouse this year, after posting a 26-0 record a year ago, before falling in the first round of the Regional to Penn, 42-41, in a thriller. They did just defeat Penn this past Saturday in another tightly contested game, 44-42. They got a late start this season (11/25) due to COVID issues, but they are 6-0, and it looks like they could put together another undefeated regular season, assuming everyone stays healthy. The two biggest upset alerts left are likely Michigan City (1/8) and Linton-Stockton (1/9). Having to play those on back-to-back days and travelling to New Castle for a noon game against Linton-Stockton could prove very challenging. The Bulldogs are again getting strong perimeter play from Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="61030" first="Jessica" last="Carrothers"]</strong> (21.5p, 6.2r, 4.2a, 4.0s) and strong interior play from 6-4 Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128115" first="Lilly" last="Stoddard"]</strong> (7.7p, 10.8r, 3.0b). Stoddard recently committed to attend Purdue University. Seniors <strong>Allie Govert</strong> (8.0p, 3.0r, 2.0s) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="62555" first="Alyna" last="Santiago"]</strong> (7.0p, 2.5r), and Junior <strong>Nikki Gerodemos</strong> (5.8p, 2.5r) have been big at times already this year. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Merrillville</strong></span> Merrillville got back to its winning ways last season, and they look pretty strong, balanced, and experienced again this year. They started the 2020-2021 campaign a little sluggish with three losses in a row, but they’ve bounced back and won their last four, including conference wins against Valparaiso and Lake Central. They have a big weekend coming up, with a conference matchup at LaPorte on Friday, followed by a trip to Mishawaka, Indiana, to take on Penn on Saturday. They are missing a big piece of the puzzle, as Junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97246" first="Davina" last="Smith"]</strong> was injured late during the Fall and will miss the season. However, the backcourt returns a plethora of athletic little guards in Senior <strong>Cailynn Dilosa</strong> (11.7p, 2.0r, 2.0s), Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130339" first="Torri" last="Miller"]</strong> (10.3p, 2.7r, 4.0a, 5.0s), Freshman <strong>Kennedie Burks</strong> (5.7p), and Senior <strong>Micah Grady</strong> (5.0p, 2.3r, 2.3a). Senior forward <strong>Shekinah Thomas</strong> (8.3p, 5.0r), Junior forward <strong>Sa’Mya Miller</strong> (5.3p, 6.0r), and Sophomore wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="127224" first="Mya-Lee" last="Jackson"]</strong> (4.0p, 3.7r) act as the "size", though no one exceeds 5-9. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Chesterton</strong></span> The Lady Trojans are always solid, and it seems like year after year they compete to stay near the top of the conference and occasionally surprise someone with a big upset. They have already defeated a very good Class 2A team in South Central (Union Mills), 61-59, and they knocked off conference opponent Lake Central, 36-34, just before Thanksgiving. But they suffered their first loss of the season at Michigan City last Friday, 44-33. They have a tough matchup Wednesday when they host Plymouth, and they travel to Portage Friday for another Duneland matchup. The Trojans are primarily led by Seniors and Juniors this year, and Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130382" first="Nalani" last="Malackowski"]</strong> (11.6p, 6.2r, 3.8a, 4.0s) is leading the way for them. Junior forward <strong>Carley Balas</strong> (10.2p, 7.0r) has been strong around the paint, while Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="158396" first="Emma" last="Schmidt"]</strong> (10.2p, 4.2r) plays inside-out. Junior <strong>Emma Pape</strong> (6.6p, 3.0r) and Senior <strong>Lauren Davis</strong> (4.4p, 2.8r) have also been solid early this season. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Valparaiso</strong></span> Valparaiso has had an inconsistent schedule, with a number of postponements mixed in already this year due to COVID issues. They do find themselves sitting at 3-1, holding onto an impressive 49-45 win at Hammond Bishop Noll, but they are currently in waiting mode, as their next scheduled game isn’t until December 16 at Kankakee Valley. They don’t have a large number of Seniors impacting the roster this year, so the prospectus for the future is nice, however Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130359" first="Kiana" last="Oelling"]</strong> (21.3p, 5.0r, 3.0a, 4.0s) has by far and away been their best player through four games. She is long, fluidly athletic, and she does a lot of everything for this team. Junior guard <strong>Amelia Benjamin</strong> (7.7p, 3.3r, 2.0s) and Sophomore guard <strong>Kristin Bukata</strong> (5.3p, 4.0r, 3.0a, 2.3s) have shown a lot of promise in the backcourt as well. Sophomores <strong>Norah Flynn</strong> (5.0p, 2.3r) and <strong>Campbell Maclagan</strong> (4.3p, 2.3r) also offer hope for this year and beyond. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>LaPorte</strong></span> LaPorte is off to an inconsistent 2-4 start so far this year. While they’ve had tough outings against Penn and Crown Point already, they are coming off of a big 41-37 win this past Saturday against 2020 Class 3A State Champion NorthWood. It looks like they are having to turn to a more defensive-minded approach, as they have had trouble scoring the ball at times. Still, though, I wouldn’t count them out of any game, and I think they can still approach a dozen wins on their schedule once they start to click just a little better. One reason for the optimism is Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130315" first="Ryin" last="Ott"]</strong>. She is a long, fluid, athletic, and smooth point forward type who can create opportunities for herself or others. She has committed to play at Purdue University-Fort Wayne next season. Another big presence for the Slicers is 6-3 Senior front-liner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209422" first="Lauren" last="Pollock"]</strong>. Her height, length, athleticism, rebounding, and shot-blocking are noticeable each time out. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Portage</strong></span> The Indians had a nice season last year, posting a 20-6 record, before falling to Crown Point in the Sectional Final. Despite graduating a lot of production, there is still enough firepower left to cause problems in the DAC. Portage didn’t start their season until 11/25 due to COVID issues, but they are 2-2 since and they have gotten the Michigan City and Crown Point games out of the way already. These next two weeks are huge for the Indians, though, as they travel to Class 2A #16 North Judson-San Pierre tomorrow, they host Chesterton Friday, they host Class 2A #12 Andrean Saturday, then they host LaPorte and Class 4A #1 Carmel next weekend. At least four of the five games are at home. Seniors <strong>Analise Franklin</strong> (10.0p), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130380" first="Jordan" last="Barnes"]</strong> (8.5p, 4.5r, 4.0a, 3.0s), and <strong>Diamond Howell</strong> (7.0p, 4.5r, 2.0s, 2.0b) lead the way, while Junior twins <strong>Izzy Shields</strong> (9.0p, 6.5r, 2.0s) and <strong>Gabby Shields</strong> (5.0p, 5.5r) also contribute. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Lake Central</strong></span> It is incredibly odd to see Lake Central start the conference season 0-2, but I promise you it won’t last, as they have a great deal of talent in their younger classes coming. As for this year, they have started at 4-4, with nice wins over Benton Central and Hammond Bishop Noll. But they have three tough games staring them in the face over the next 12 days. Tomorrow they host Class 2A #12 Andrean, Friday they host Michigan City, and then next Friday they must travel to Crown Point. Freshman wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="176406" first="Aniyah" last="Bishop"]</strong> (12.1p, 6.6r) has been as advertised, leading the Indians in both scoring and rebounding in her rookie year. Fellow Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="201878" first="Riley" last="Milausnic"]</strong> (4.9p, 2.8r) has played big minutes already, and she is likely their point guard of the future. Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99414" first="Jennifer" last="Tomasic"]</strong> (10.0p, 3.1r) is steady each time out. She has committed to play at Indiana University-Northwest next season. Seniors <strong>Abby Oedzes</strong> (9.2p, 4.3r) and <strong>Tiana Morales</strong> (6.8p, 2.8a) have also been big contributors this year. Morales has also pledged to attend Indiana University-Northwest and play basketball.