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Girls basketball: Merrillville beats MC, clinches DAC title
MERRILLVILLE — A Duneland Conference championship was something Merrillville guard Raveen Murray and her teammates all wanted desperately.
The Pirates (19-0, 13-0) weren’t going to be denied — accomplishing the feat with a 74-57 victory over Michigan City (14-5, 9-3) Friday night.
“It feels really great,’’ said Murray, who along with Jasmyne Miller, Brianna Thompson and Christina Brown, celebrated Senior Night in style.
“After we played the first quarter, we knew we had to pick it up a lot to be DAC champs,’’ said Murray, who scored 18 points in her final home game.
“We improved a lot in the second quarter, and we won. I’m happy with the effort we brought for the most part — mostly on defense. In the second half, we had a great lead (22 points), but we got lazy with the ball. We’re not done improving our skills.’’
The Pirates watched a 22-point third-quarter lead dwindle to eight points (63-55) with just over three minutes left, but a three-point play by freshman Victoria Gaines, gave Merrillville a 66-55 lead.
Gaines finished with a team-high 21 points, while A.J. Downs (14) and Dariyan Morris (11) also scored in double figures. Miller, scored seven points in her final home game.
“Winning (the title) tonight was a lot of fun,’’ Miller said. “I was glad to see so many of my peers come out and supported me tonight. To win tonight was an extra bonus on top of senior night. It’s something that just really feels great. I feel honored to help lead this team as a senior. Playing with all these talented girls … there’s just so much love in my heart.’’
The Pirates’ emotions got the best of them in the first quarter as they struggled for a 12-8 lead heading into the second quarter.
“It was hard to get our nerves out in the first quarter,’’ Murray said.
In the second quarter, the Pirates outscored the Wolves 21-6 to build a 33-14 halftime lead.
“The second quarter, we went into a little bit of a funk,’’ Wolves coach Mike Megyese said. “Just like the first time we played them, a big run in the second quarter is what put us away.’’
Merrillville coach Amy Govert was happy with the bottom line — not necessarily the way the team played in the second half when the Wolves outscored the Pirates, 43-41.
“Obviously, I’m real happy with the outcome,’’ Govert said. “It wasn’t our best performance of the season by any means. We played extremely well in the second quarter. We did some things well and we have some things we need to fix.’’
Michigan City played without forward Keshyana Cooper, who was suspended for a violation of school conduct. It was the second suspension for Cooper in the last 11 days.
Megyese wouldn’t address Cooper’s status for the postseason, which is undetermined.
Toni Murphy led the Wolves with a game-high 24 points, while Jameka Collins added 17.
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