Oh boy, we’ve got boys and girls games to pick this week! And it also means Thanksgiving, which means cranberry sauce and flies for this frog come Thursday and leftovers on Friday while by burly friend Blitz traipses around Lucas Oil with the Adams Central Flying Jets.
And good luck to those Jets. While this isn’t football, we all want to see the area bring back a state title!
Each week, Bounce will pick 10 or more games in the area that draw his interest. This week, we will go with a little more because it is the start of boys season.
With two games postponed last week, I really had a bad week. Oops.
*Unlike Blitz, we aren’t picking spreads here…just winners
LAST WEEK: 4-6
2021-22 RECORD: 12-8
BOYS
East Noble at West Noble, Tuesday
The coaching debut of former all-area standout Brandon Durnell isn’t easy. It is a county rivalry and it is opposite current standout player Austin Cripe. Expect this game to be fun for years to come with two of the best young coaches in the area between Durnell and Ethan Marsh. Right now though, one has a more seasoned group and leader. BOUNCE PICKS WEST NOBLE
DeKalb at Northrop, Wednesday
Of course Marty Beasley’s debut with the Barons comes against a team and a player he knows very well. A year ago, who had Beasley versus Jalen Jackson on their docket for Thanksgiving Eve 2021 with neither at Carroll? I sure didn’t. BOUNCE PICKS NORTHROP
Homestead at Huntington North, Wednesday
Another of the traditional Thanksgiving Eve showdowns, this one is always fun. Homestead is going to be dangerous again this season, but don’t be shocked if this one is super close. Don’t be shocked if this one if a blowout. And don’t be shocked if either team wins. BOUNCE PICKS HOMESTEAD
Woodlan at New Haven, Wednesday
This has been fun in recent years for a Thanksgiving Eve game. But even as fun as its been, New Haven has held the hammer. This Woodlan team is much better and more experienced and will have the best player on the court. But are they anywhere near as deep at New Haven? BOUNCE PICKS NEW HAVEN
Central Noble at Canterbury, Saturday
Another new coach (Deric Adams) making his debut against a tough challenge. Connor Essegian is on a mission this season, this is act one. BOUNCE PICKS CENTRAL NOBLE
Eastside at DeKalb, Saturday
A great battle of DeKalb County with two first year at their school head coaches that are smart and know how to win. This is going to be a great chess match now and maybe for many years to come. The Blazers shouldn’t be shorthanded after football season ended, but how much at 100 percent are some of those guys that play both? BOUNCE PICKS EASTSIDE
Lakewood Park at Fremont, Saturday
Fremont is out to prove quite a bit this season and this is the beginning of that too. The Eagles are tough and could be deep. We will get to see them ease into their new season here. BOUNCE PICKS FREMONT
Fairfield at Goshen, Saturday
Watch Caleb Wright. Trust me. BOUNCE PICKS FAIRFIELD
South Side at Leo, Saturday
Leo will already be a game into this season so some of the growing pains of finding a new top scorer will be over. What happens on Wednesday against Concordia could show us what Leo will be like here. South Side is going to have a really good year, but like with most teams this season, do they have the height to contend with the Lions? BOUNCE PICKS LEO
GIRLS
Adams Central at Bellmont, Tuesday
An Adams County showdown with two teams that have a lot of upside. Both have some nice wins and some unfortunate losses so far this year. There is a lot to like about both and this game should be close. It is a pretty big week in Monroe. BOUNCE PICKS ADAMS CENTRAL
Bishop Luers at Eastside, Tuesday
Both of these teams are playing well and while the Knights are go go go, the Blazers have shown that they can play well at any pace. High scoring? Skye Kessler has go you. Slow it down, they can go low scoring too and turn to their defense. But to contain both Anna Parent and Addie Shank, the Luers double double machines, is hard. BOUNCE PICKS BISHOP LUERS
Garrett at Angola, Tuesday
Likely the game of the week on both the boys and girls sides. This has become one of the best rivalries in Northeast Indiana regardless of gender, regardless of sport. Major NECC implications in this one. Has the chaos of Angola’s early season hurt them? Has the lack of real challenge for Garrett so far hurt them? My guess is we are getting the best of both worlds here. BOUNCE PICKS GARRETT
Lakeland at Central Noble, Tuesday
Both teams had some letdowns last week. They both need this one to get back on track and it helps that it is a conference game. BOUNCE PICKS CENTRAL NOBLE
Penn at Warsaw, Tuesday
Penn is a very good team and one of the best in the state early on in a lot of aspects. This is a big test for a Warsaw team that is pretty solid themselves. Could be a toss up by the end of this but I don’t know if Penn has someone to match up correctly with Abby Sanner. BOUNCE PICKS WARSAW
Columbia City at Bishop Luers, Friday
You know I enjoy what Luers is doing, but Columbia City is doing it all better. If the Eagles are at full strength, this may not even be close. They will have to be active on the glass but so far, nobody in the SAC has their number. BOUNCE PICKS COLUMBIA CITY
Jay County at Woodlan, Friday
Is this for the ACAC title? It is early. But probably. A week ago, this is all Jay County. But after finally seeing a gigantic scoring outburst from Dakotah Krohn, the gap has narrowed. Still a gap through. BOUNCE PICKS JAY COUNTY
Carroll at Penn, Saturday
Penn is good. See above. A win over Warsaw earlier in the week could do a lot for their momentum. But, you remember last week? I’m putting respect on Carroll and Kayla Gibbs this week. BOUNCE PICKS CARROLL
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