The girls basketball history between Crown Point and Hanover Central has been one-sided in the Bulldogs’ favor.
But this year, the Wildcats have something their big-school rival lacks: size.
After at least 10 consecutive losses to the Bulldogs, Hanover Central broke through with a 68-60 win on Friday, with 6-foot-2 Lisa Gac leading the way.
Gac, who had eight points during a 9-0 third-quarter run that broke the game open, said she simply played the way her late father taught her to play and would want her to play. He passed away on Oct. 2.
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“I started to do what he would want me to do,” Gac said. “That’s what happened in the second half. It changes my perspective a lot, because now I know he’ll be at every game. I’m playing more for him than anything. It’s so recent; it’s a touchy subject.”
Brooke Sterkowitz worked her usual magic for Hanover Central (5-1), pouring in a game-high 28 points. She scored 11 of her team’s 13 first-quarter points.
It was Gac, though, who provided the boost that put the Wildcats over the top. Her third-quarter outburst, which turned a one-point deficit into an eight-point lead, came after teammate Jessy Siems had a conversation with her at halftime about playing for her father.
“Lisa is playing well, and she’s finishing,” Hanover Central coach Doug Nelson. “It’s very nice to have that size advantage. I’ve been bragging on her the last two or three games, because she’s been playing great. She’s something that no other team in the area has. No one else can match up with that. There’s no trying to reenact it, unless you walk around with a ladder.”
Nelson said the Wildcats have to do a better job of getting Gac the ball going forward, rather than focusing on 3-point attempts.
“I’m not a big fan of the three,” Nelson said. “It looks good when it goes in, but I’d rather get to the free-throw line more.”
The Wildcats held at 10-point lead to start the fourth quarter and maintained the edge. On Tuesday, they blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead in a 58-57 loss to Highland.
Even before the game, Crown Point coach Chris Seibert knew that Hanover Central’s size could present problems for the guard-oriented Bulldogs.
“We’re obviously not going to have a size advantage in any aspect, but they still have to guard at the other end,” Seibert said. “We’re going to have to shoot well from the perimeter to have a chance to win.”
But the Wildcats can shoot from distance too. Sterkowitz converted four 3-pointers, while the team racked up nine total.
Sydney Taylor scored 18 points to lead Crown Point (3-1), which also got 17 from Hannah Albrecht.
The season is in its young stages, but knocking the Bulldogs from the unbeaten ranks holds extreme significance to the Wildcats.
“It’s indescribable happiness,” Gac said. “It’s joyful and we’re ecstatic about all the good things that come with winning. It makes me happy.”
Brandon Vickrey is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.