A week of picks just for boys basketball? Better get used to it. While you can see Breakdowns of all of our area Sectionals on the girls side elsewhere on Outside the Huddle, Bounce’s Picks will now focus on 10 boys games of the remainder of the regular season.
The Bounce Traveling Trophy on the girls side stayed with Homestead again this week as the Spartans have now held the invisible honor for every second of back to back regular seasons; the trophy is not on the line in the postseason. Blackhawk Christian also retained on the boys side.
What you will see today is 10 total games on the boys side. Because of our coverage of girls Sectional action, there will be no ‘Game of the Weekend’ preview later this week.
Last week: 8-3
Season total: 102-36
BOYS
Bishop Dwenger at Snider, Tuesday
The Saints have lost 8 of their last 9, but waged war with Bishop Luers and Blackhawk Christian in the last 10 days. This is what they call a trap game folks; Snider, as the co-leader of the SAC, are surely the favorites but Dwenger is always one you must be well prepared for. That said, nobody around here has cracked the Snider code in 2020 and it shouldn’t happen here. Bounce picks Snider
Columbia City at Norwell, Thursday
The Eagles are out of first place in the NE8, but could change that and the conference landscape in this game with a win. Norwell has become so good at battling through any adversities, including foul trouble and some shooting struggles at East Noble over the weekend. Bounce picks Norwell
DeKalb at Leo, Thursday
This is a chance for DeKalb to get a big win by going big. Leo’s post play, led by Zack Troyer and DJ Allen, has been pretty solid but DeKalb’s Connor Penrod adds a unique look to what they have already seen. Penrod isn’t a by the numbers post, so this could come down to who uses their posts best and works off of that post with guards like DeKalb’s Caleb Nixon and Leo’s Blake Davison. Bounce picks Leo
Concordia Lutheran at Angola, Thursday
How does Concordia win? Get out and run with Brayden Pearson and play off him. Getting out and running against Angola is significantly difficult. If Concordia can move well and knock down shots (Jeren Kindig, Jaden Parnin, etc.) then Angola could be in some trouble. But, if this turns into a game of grind, the easy bet is on the Hornets with Dyer Ball and Joel Knox. Bounce picks Angola
South Side at Blackhawk Christian, Thursday
Are the Archers getting things straight? They have had their struggles, but looked better last Friday in a win over Bishop Dwenger. This is a tough challenge as South Side’s post play has been, since the preseason, their biggest weakness. Can anyone even pretend to challenge Caleb Furst? I expect a big night from the big man. Bounce picks Blackhawk Christian
Prairie Heights at Central Noble, Thursday
Our first rematch of the week as we run back the NECC finals. These two teams are a combined 2-5 since then and that doesn’t scream any kind of consistency to build on. Prairie Heights has only played two times in those two weeks, so what have the Panthers been under the hood fixing? They need to go big and take the fight to the post with Elijah Malone. If Central Noble can shoot the ball well and make more focused passes than they have been, they should keep things the way they were in the first win. Bounce picks Central Noble
South Adams at Woodlan, Thursday
A rematch of the ACAC Tournament semi final and basically one of the last times that Woodlan was really on the ropes. They won six straight, including beating South Adams that semi final night and Woodlan is playing way better basketball right now. Not to say this won’t be another good one, but Woodlan found the key to slow James Arnold in the second half of their first meeting and that key isn’t different. Bounce picks Woodlan
Heritage at Bluffton, Saturday
The success of Woodlan may make you forget this: Bluffton can win an outright ACAC title this weekend as the first area team to win their conference. Hayden Nern and Tanner Cooley are both putting up big numbers at a high success rate shooting the ball. Heritage has played well lately with Luke Saylor at the forefront, can they play spoiler? Bounce picks Bluffton
Whitko at Lakewood Park, Saturday
This is going to be a game with a contrast of styles. Whitko plays smart, they shoot the ball well and are going to try to break the Panthers down from a fundamental standpoint. Meanwhile, Lakewood Park will want to run and get a little showtime like with Josh Pike and Caedmon Bontrager. This is a really fun afternoon game. Bounce picks Lakewood Park
Blackhawk Christian vs. Indianapolis Attucks at Kokomo, Saturday
As part of Basketball Day in Indiana celebrations at Kokomo, this is a great test for Blackhawk Christian. 13-3 Crispus Attucks is no joke; they recently won their first Indianapolis city title since 1962. Senior Sincere McMahon (26.3 ppg) is doing to draw every intense defense that Blackhawk Christian has, likely from Zane Burke. 6-foot-7 Jaylen Carson is also a load in the post. These are statistically the 5th (Attucks) and 11th (Blackhawk) best teams in the state. Bounce picks Crispus Attucks
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