The top four remain firm this week, but what comes after is full of situations in which Team A beat Team B which lost to Team C, etc.
As we enter the final month of the regular season, Bounce tries to make sense of it all in this week’s Top 10.
No. 1 – HOMESTEAD
Records: 18-0 overall; 6-0 SAC; 4-0 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 1
Homestead can be thankful that it has been able to schedule and play out-of-area foes this season despite the pandemic, because no one outside of Blackhawk Christian has been able to hand with the Spartans locally.
Even a fringe Class 3A top 10 team in Peru was picked apart last Saturday in a 34-point rout.
Coach Chris Johnson’s team has answered every challenge thus far this year. It has its final non-conference matchup coming on Saturday at Hamilton Southeastern, followed by three-straight SAC contests, culminating in the big showdown with Carroll on Feb. 19.
Best win: Lawrence North
No. 2 – BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN
Records: 14-1 overall; 1-1 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 2
Coach Marc Davidson’s team remains the No. 1 team in Class 2A and for good reason, with the Braves’ lone loss coming to 4A No. 1 Homestead and its best win over Class 2A No. 2 Shenandoah.
Blackhawk Christian has a very busy February ahead with eight games – including games against Tindley, Cathedral, Marion, Attucks and Leo. The Braves will be battle tested when they enter March and the postseason.
Best win: Shenandoah
No. 3 – CARROLL
Records: 12-2 overall; 6-0 SAC; 1-0 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 3
After struggling earlier this season with multiple games on the same day or back-to-back, Carroll shined last weekend with a pair of wins. On Friday, the Chargers fell down by as many as 13 points against Snider before storming back, eventually winning on a last-second shot by Jalen Jackson. One day later, Carroll took down a 12-win Yorktown team by 22 points on the road.
Coach Marty Beasley’s team continues its road trip this week with games at Huntington North and Leo.
Best win: Yorktown
No. 4 – LEO
Records: 13-1 overall; 5-0 NE8; 2-1 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 4
After dropping its first game of the season to North Side, the Lions have gotten right back on track – beating both Huntington North and Bellmont in league play.
The string of NE8 games continues this Thursday at DeKalb and is followed by a showdown with Carroll this weekend.
At this point, the Lions have a great shot at earning their first 20-win season since 2015-16
Best win: Shenandoah
No. 5 – CENTRAL NOBLE
Records: 16-1 overall; 6-1 NECC; 3-1 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 6
Central Noble’s lone victory last week was a big one, a 67-54 downing of Churubusco in a rematch of the showdown in the NECC Tournament.
While Connor Essegian did not drop 44 like he did the first time, the junior was effective in the win.
The Cougars have won 11 straight dating back to a mid-December loss to Westview, a defeat that may very well cost Central Noble the NECC regular season championship.
That said, the Cougars could get another shot at the Warriors in Sectional 35, where Churubusco also looms large.
Central Noble is at Prairie Heights on Thursday.
Best win: Churubusco
No. 6 – WESTVIEW
Records: 11-3 overall; 8-0 NECC; 2-1 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 9
Westview needed double overtime to knock off Eastside last week to stay unblemished in the NECC. Three straight road games await the Warriors over the next week or so, kicking off on Wednesday at West Noble.
There are questions around Westview in regards to its personnel, with a key player potentially no longer part of the equation. Bounce hopes to learn more as the week progresses.
Best win: Central Noble
No. 7 – CHURUBUSCO
Records: 10-3 overall; 4-2 NECC; 1-3 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 7
All three of Churubusco’s losses this season have come to teams in the NECC – two losses to Central Noble and one to Westview. Interestingly, the Eagles are 2-0 against SAC competition with conquests of South Side and Snider.
When firing on all cylinders, which includes the youth on the team keeping up with stars Jackson Paul and Landen Jordan, this team is as good as anyone in the NECC and its sectional. But can this team find that consistency to live up to the lofty expectations set in pre-season?
‘Busco has a road game at Lakeland on Thursday.
Best win: Snider
No. 8 – WARSAW
Records: 10-7 overall; 4-1 NLC; 0-4 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: Not ranked
Three straight victories, including an impressive home win over NorthWood, has pushed the Tigers into Bounce’s top 10 and, more importantly, into the thick of the Northern Lakes Conference race.
First-year coach Matt Moore’s team has won four of its last five overall heading into Thursday’s showdown with Mishawaka which will likely determine the NLC championship.
Best win: NorthWood
No. 9 – SNIDER
Records: 7-7 overall; 3-3 SAC; 1-4 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 8
Snider has lost four of five and five of seven, but it is still incredibly difficult for Bounce to drop it out of the top 10.
Why? Well, the last three losses have come by three points or less and have been to Carroll, Churubusco and Concordia Lutheran (a rising team in Bounce’s mind).
You also have to keep Snider above North Side due to the Panthers dropping 100 on the Legends in December. However, North Side has been better since that game than Snider, so maybe Bounce is too loyal to the Panthers at this point?
For now, Snider remains in the top 10 entering a game against Bishop Dwenger on Tuesday evening.
Best win: Elkhart
No. 10 – NORTH SIDE
Records: 8-8 overall; 3-3 SAC; 1-3 vs. current Top 10
Previous Rank: 10
Coach Gary Andrews’ team scored the most points under his tutelage on Monday, a 92-point output in a win over DeKalb. The Legends’ current four-game winning streak is just the second instance of the program winning multiple games in a row since 2018.
The return of Isaiah Moore, back after moving to Alabama following last season, has been a catalyst in both scoring and leadership, with the senior giving a young group some guidance while also averaging 11.2 ppg through six games.
North Side is currently without a game this week after Lighthouse CPA bowed out of Saturday’s matchup. Lighthouse fired Coach Nick Moore for throwing a chair onto the court during last week’s game at Bowman Academy.
Best win: Leo
IN THE ARGUMENT (in no particular order)
Concordia Lutheran 7-8
New Haven 9-5
Huntington North 7-3
Bellmont 8-5
South Adams 9-4
Eastside 10-4
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
Be the first to comment