HAMMOND, Ind. — Two more players joined the Peregrine roster for next season giving head coach Tom Megyesi and even dozen on the squad.

Samekia Coaxum, a 6-0 forward from North DeSoto High School, Stonewall, La., finished her senior year averaging 10.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Griffins.

Also joining the team is guard Alyssa Trinidad of Hobart. Both players are expected to be backups, according to Megyesi.

“They give us bench strength at both the post and guard positions,” he said. “We’re lucky to have them.”

PLYMOUTH, Ind. — Plymouth guard Alex Starr officially signed Monday to play for the Peregrines for the coming 2009-10 season. Starr played for the 3A high school state basketball champs last season.

Starr, seated in the center with her parents on either side, was also accompanied by her former high school coaches, back left, and her college coach, Tom Megyesi, back right.  

HAMMOND, Ind. — Amanda Gaskin, a 5-11 forward who played for Pendleton Heights, a Class 4A final four participant this last season, has signed to play for the Peregrines for the 2009-2010 campaign.

In the post-season tournament, Gaskin averaged 10.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. As a senior she averaged 8.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game for the 21-3 Arabians. Gaskin also led her team in rebounding, and hit 50 percent of her shots from the field in her final high school season.

Gaskin earned all conference honors in the Hoosier Heritage conference last season and was voted the team’s defensive player of the year in her junior and senior seasons. She helped the Arabians to back-to-back Hoosier Heritage Conference championships, and she was named a two-time all area player by the Herald Bulletin.

Peregrine coach Tom Megyesi said adding Gaskin will help in the low post and benefit the team in the rebounding department.

“At 5-11, Amanda will be providing an inside presence that we are in need of for next season,” Megyesi said. “Amanda is very strong and athletic, and she has excellent shooting technique and speed. I look forward to coaching Amanda the next four years.”

Gaskin is the third recruit Megyesi has signed for Purdue University Calumet. The two other recruits are Plymouth’s Alex Starr, a 5-9 guard, who averaged 10.3 points and 2.3 rebounds for the Pilgrims, and River Forest’s Natalie Sovich, who averaged 14.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game in her senior season.

Photo caption: Left to right in the back row are Pendleton Heights assistant coach Ed Clark, head coach Shari Doud and Peregrine coach Megyesi. In the front are parents Ernie and Darla Gaskin on the left and right with Amanda Gaskin in the middle.

HAMMOND, Ind. — Plymouth’s Alex Starr, a 5-9 guard, signed to play for Purdue University Calumet in the 2009-10 season. Starr was a member of Plymouth’s Class 3A high school basketball champions crowned earlier this month, the first girls basketball champions in the school’s history.

Last season, Starr averaged 10.3 points and 2.3 rebounds off the bench for the Pilgrims. In three seasons, Starr compiled 492 points, 91 rebounds, 65 steals and 35 assists.

Peregrine head coach Tom Megyesi said Starr’s scoring potential will give his team an additional offensive option next season.

“She’s the type of shooter that will fit in nicely with our offense,” Megyesi said. “Alex is a good player for our program.”

Starr is the school’s record holder for made 3-pointers in a season. She hit 58 as a senior and 112 overall during her career with the Pilgrims. Starr earned North Lakes All-Conference honors as a senior and was honorable mention in her junior season.

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MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — Freshman Stephaine Beck (Mishawaka) dropped in a pair of free throws and pulled the Peregrines to within seven, 52-45, with 7:27 to play, plenty of time to gain on the Wolves. But the Wolves had no intention of being upset twice in five days by the Peregrines.

Cardinal Stritch University finished the game with a 12-7 run ending PUC’s season with the 64-52 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference semifinal win. The Peregrines knocked off the Wolves in the regular season finale, 80-72, which was the first time in four seasons a CCAC opponent beat the Wolves.

In the final seven-plus minutes, the Peregrines (12-18) could not find the bottom of the net from the field until senior LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) hit the game’s last bucket with 22 seconds left. The Peregrines were 1-for-7 from the field, while hitting 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Hurst closed out her college career leading the Peregrines with 14 points and nine rebounds just missing her 13th double-double of the season. Hurst finished the season leading the Peregrines in scoring (14.2 per game) and rebounding (9.5).

Sophomore Jenny Britton (Lake Central) hit her only 3-pointer of the game in the first four minutes of action, and finished with 10 points and a pair of assists. Britton led the team hitting 42 percent of her 3-pointers, and averaged 12 points per game.

A pair of former Merrillville Pirates, Meme Harris and Chrissy Lobodinski, each scored eight for the Peregrines. Lobodinski grabbed six rebounds and had two assists, while Harris pulled in four rebounds in the loss.

PUC trailed 32-22 at the half hitting 8-of-27 (29 percent) from the field, while CSU connected on 12-of-30 for a 40 percent success rate. The Peregrines improved slightly in the second half hitting 36 percent from the field, while the Wolves’ rate dipped one percentage point.