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Crown Point wins second straight sectional title
Updated: September 20, 2011 10:25PM
HAMMOND — The early season polls weren’t exactly favorable toward the Crown Point girls golf team.
Although the Bulldogs snapped a six-year drought by bringing home the sectional title in 2010, they also graduated top golfer Carolyn Kupchik. And, amid some regrouping came the loss of coach Mike Cronkhite, who now teaches in Florida.
But what the so-called experts probably had little idea of was the behind-the-scenes effort going on. Instead of picking up their clubs at the beginning of the season, the squad fine-tuned much earlier, in the Spring and Summer.
“We want to take golf seriously at Crown Point High School,” said Jon Haas, who is in his first year as CP’s coach after assisting Cronkhite last year.
That extra push has paid large dividends. Not only have the Bulldogs challenged in their dual meets, but for a second consecutive year they brought home the nine-team Bishop Noll Sectional. Even more compelling is that they followed up last year’s one point win at Lost Marsh over Lake Central, with a 356-380 mark over the same Indians, and 19 strokes improvement in score. Munster (400) finished third and will join the two schools at Saturday’s LaPorte Regional.
Perhaps just as beneficial as the added practice was the addition of Alyssa Harvey this fall. Harvey filled the missing varsity spot, and in the process strengthened the team’s depth. While upperclassmen Lucia Bracco (85) and Christina Hall (91) shot career bests at Lost Marsh and Kaylie Slosson (96) also stayed under 100, the freshman’s 12-over-par 84 stood up for medalist honors.
“You’ve got to know which holes you can score on and which holes you can survive on,” said Harvey, whose round was spurred with a par on the par-3 eighth hole after chipping out of the sand and sinking a long-range putt.
Since Bracco’s score tied with Munster’s Sarah Kinser, the two were forced to a playoff for the second-best individual score. Both girls bogied No. 18 (par-4), but Kinser won by a stroke with her bogey on the next hole (the par-4 ninth). Waiting around proved to be challenging.
“It’s hard to get up and go again, after sitting down for an hour, but you still want to win,” Kinser said.
Much like the Bulldogs, the majority of LC’s scores remained under 100. Kylie Shoemake led the Indians with 90.
“The goal today, as much as we want to win, is to get to the next stage,” Indians coach Chris Rossiano said.
The win avenges last Tuesday’s loss to LC in nine holes of conference play. Haas said his team is built for longevity.
“We’re built to just kind of grind people and play real consistently through 18,” he said.
Haas likes the change of scenery for the regional, which is at Beechwood.
“We come out here (to Lost Marsh) for a course that can be gimmicky at times,” he said. “There, it’s not.”
Highland’s Allison Banasiak (90), Griffith’s Christy Anzur (91) and Merrillville’s Maggie Connelly (92) are the top three advancing individually.
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