Bounce’s Picks for the Week of February 5

Each week, Bounce will pick the results of a handful of the best girls games and handful of the best boys games in the area.

No girls picks here now as you can see my picks to win Regional titles this week previewing all of the area Regionals. So just down to boys games, it means Bounce picks results of 10 games on the boys side this week.

LAST WEEK: 6-4

OVERALL THIS SEASON: 72-46

BOYS

BISHOP LUERS AT SOUTH SIDE, TUESDAY

With the hierarchy of the SAC looking like its in place, can South Side make a little noise early in the week? The Archers have some nice wins lately, including late last week over Woodlan. Cadell Wallace just surpassed 1,000 career points and he will be looking to make a statement against his former team. But Luers doesn’t seem to let people make statements against them. Closer than you expect, but BOUNCE PICKS BISHOP LUERS

HOMESTEAD AT WAYNE, TUESDAY

Another good SAC game early in the week, Wayne’s win over the Spartans last season seemed like a passing of the torch. This year, it is Wayne who holds the cards and wants to avoid an upset against a Homestead team who hasn’t been super consistent but when they’ve been good they’ve been a team that can win this game. BOUNCE PICKS WAYNE

BISHOP DWENGER AT EAST NOBLE, WEDNESDAY

Two teams who are playing quietly good basketball and priming themselves for the postseason. The Knights are coming off a disappointing week with a Bellmont loss, so they need to strive for some competitive edge here, but do they have anyone to deal with Caleb Lehrman’s size? The senior for the Saints has flourished as of late. BOUNCE PICKS BISHOP DWENGER

BELLMONT AT DEKALB, THURSDAY

A win here secures the Braves a share of the NE8, something they have fought hard for all season. DeKalb looked the part multiple times last week against Leo and Christian Stenger stood out in that one. But Bellmont looks like they have their foot on the gas after the long range clinic they put on shooting the ball last week. BOUNCE PICKS BELLMONT

LEO AT COLUMBIA CITY, FRIDAY

The Eagles are also in a place where a win means a share of the NE8 title is locked in, or, if Bellmont loses on Thursday, they could win it outright here. Leo is going to really look to be a spoiler here, but they will need to be able to shut off Columbia City shooters, something that hasn’t been so easy for anyone this season. Can the Lions play spoiler or are the Eagles just destined to figure it out this year? BOUNCE PICKS COLUMBIA CITY

CENTRAL NOBLE AT LAKELAND, FRIDAY

A must win game for each with the NECC title picture closing in. This really could come down to who plays deeper as both of these teams have been pleasant surprises throughout the season. This one could easily be the game of the week and is a rare one that features two teams with a lot on the line. BOUNCE PICKS LAKELAND

FAIRFIELD AT FREMONT, FRIDAY

When the two teams met in the conference tournament, the early lead that Fairfield took made it hard to know what a close game could look like. Fremont has taken some lumps lately, but they’ve also shown some nice strengths in those losses. Fairfield needs this one to stay in partial control of the NECC. I don’t expect the game to get as out of hand as the first one, but…BOUNCE PICKS FAIRFIELD

NORTH SIDE AT BISHOP DWENGER, FRIDAY

Just a casually good SAC game on Friday night. These two teams actually have a pretty strong history of putting on bangers against each other that don’t get talked about enough. BOUNCE PICKS NORTH SIDE

WHITKO AT LAVILLE, SATURDAY

LaVille dropped a tough one last weekend against a middling West Noble team and that could be something that wears on them. Whitko has had a solid season in the TRC and this one could be a really good game with both teams having solid shooters. BOUNCE PICKS WHITKO

NEW HAVEN AT CARROLL, SATURDAY

Two teams that really want some footing before the postseason. Jaxon Pardon had a really good game last week against Huntington North that could help the Chargers get back on track, but New Haven also is coming off a strong game behind JC Cottrell. BOUNCE PICKS CARROLL

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