Homewood-Flossmoor football coach Craig Buzea has a habit of poaching head coaches from Indiana.
On Wednesday, Buzea pulled off a shocker when Merrillville coach Zac Wells announced he was going to H-F to be the defensive coordinator for the Vikings.
Wells is the third head coach Buzea — who coached at Portage for 15 years and later at Michigan City — has hired from Indiana. Former Portage coach Jeromy Flowers was hired as the Vikings defensive coordinator in 2012 and former Gary West Side coach Alex Pratt left for H-F after the 2010 season.
Wells, a 1993 Merrillville graduate, was the most successful big-school coach in northwest Indiana the last nine years. He leaves with a record of 82-31. His teams won five sectionals, three Duneland Athletic Conference titles and three regionals.
Boys Basketball
Lincoln-Way East 50, Joliet Central 42: Jake Attar registered 11 points to aid host Lincoln-Way East (9-11, 3-7) in the SouthWest Suburban Blue.
Girls Basketball
Marist 63, Carmel 23: Bri Rosa scored 14 points and Dajae Black chipped in 12 to spark visiting Marist (20-7, 7-3) in the East Suburban Catholic.
Providence 64, Nazareth 43: Alyssa Jurges tossed in 22 points to boost visiting Providence (20-10, 6-4) in the East Suburban Catholic. Mary Fashingbauer added 17 points for the Celtics and Taylor Juricek had 10.
Thornwood 58, Andrew 50: Breneka Walker racked up 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to propel visiting Thornwood (4-18, 4-8) in the SouthWest Suburban Red. Diamond Couch and Janez Winston tacked on 12 points each for the Thunderbirds. Andrew fell to 10-14, 6-6.
Richards 45, Eisenhower 27: Takesha Powell (18 points) and Sydni Tears (14) were the standouts for host Richards (9-14, 6-7) in the South Suburban Red.
More Top Picks Best Field Watches For Fall
Rich East 63, South Shore 51: Tayana Wilson scored 23 points and Ashley Dennis had 14 to steer Rich East (17-7). Carmari Lloyd added 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets.
Class 2A Seton Regional
Seton 61, Carver 28: Alfatinee Boyd and Bria Gamble netted 12 points apiece to lead Seton in the semifinal.
Illiana Christian 67, Bowen 24: Gabby Kreykes put up 23 points in helping Illiana Christian (15-12) reach the championship.
Class 1A Morgan Park Academy Regional
Morgan Park Academy 56, Spry 16: Brittany McKnight supplied 12 points and Isis Rodriguez had 10 to direct Morgan Park Academy (19-5) in the semifinal.
Men’s Basketball
St. Xavier 118, Robert Morris 117 (3 OT): Jack Krieger (35 points, 9 rebounds) split a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to elevate visiting St. Xavier (16-10, 10-6) in the CCAC North. Stanley Moore tacked on 27 points and 12 rebounds for the Cougars.
Indiana South Bend 67, St. Francis 65: Ilya Ilyayev posted game bests with 28 points and nine rebounds to pace host St. Francis (20-7, 14-2) in the CCAC South. Edvinas Presniakovas added 18 points for the Saints.
Trinity Christian 82, Indiana Northwest 70: Trey Johnson poured in 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lift host Trinity Christian (9-18). The Trolls also received 19 points each from Cody Rhorer and Jared Jones.
Rock Valley 73, Joliet Junior College 69: Darious Randolph contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds for host Joliet Junior College (17-10, 3-8). Darius Wells (14 points, 5 rebounds) also starred for the Wolves in the North Central Community College Conference.
Men’s Swimming & Diving
GLVC Championships: Lewis teammates Bryan Weiner, Zach Ballon, Victor Tarin and Matt Bacinich set a school record (1 minutes, 29.16 seconds) in finishing second in the 200-yard medley relay. Aidan Brennan added a second-place showing in the 1,000 freestyle (9:16.93) for the Flyers (103 points), who closed the opening day fifth out of eight teams in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Women’s Basketball
St. Xavier 107, Robert Morris 63: Kara Krolicki sank five three-pointers and totaled a game-best 26 points for visiting St. Xavier (24-2, 15-0) in the CCAC North. Morgan Stuut added 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Cougars.
St. Francis 85, Indiana South Bend 63: Kaitlyn Ray provided 18 points to guide host St. Francis (13-14, 9-5) in the CCAC South. Christina Ekhomu and Katie Gonnering (5 assists) each tacked on 14 points and five rebounds for the Saints.
Rock Valley 90, Joliet Junior College 79: Le’Royia Campbell recorded 22 points to lead host Joliet Junior College (18-9, 7-4) in the N4C. Brittany McWaine chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds for the Wolves.
Women’s Swimming & Diving
GLVC Championships: Lewis (1:46.33) was third in the 200 medley relay, where Courtney Duy, Montana Clasby, Cindy Jezuit and Shelby Leonard set a school record. The Flyers (104) ended the day fourth in the sixth-team field in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Compiled by Josh Krockey