Boys basketball season has arrived and we are excited to tip things off as we always do the week of Thanksgiving including some great Thanksgiving Eve battles.
But that doesn’t mean that the girls game are any less interesting than they have been either.
Let’s get things started for your holiday week with some great basketball games in the midst of Turkey Day and pending state finals football games.
LAST WEEK: 6-4
THIS SEASON: 18-8
BOYS
New Haven at Woodlan, Tuesday
Always one of the first games of the season and this one is very interesting. New Haven is young but the interest is there with a fiery new coach; Woodlan is more established with some veterans in the core. Expected New Haven to surprise, but in the end the Woodlan size with Trey Yoder and Oliver Adams may be too much on opening night. BOUNCE PICKS WOODLAN
Whitko at Columbia City, Wednesday
The county rivals get to meet with vastly looking different rosters this season. That means we get to see who steps up in a bigger role pretty quick and look no further than Whitko’s Riley Harman and Columbia City’s Owen Marshall for that battle. BOUNCE PICKS COLUMBIA CITY
Norwell at Carroll, Wednesday
The Knights always put out something competitive each season and with the plethora of McBride’s available on the court, their shooting is going to be a bit of a worry. Carroll has a lot of changes too but Paxton Crane on the interior may be the X factor here. BOUNCE PICKS CARROLL
Tippecanoe Valley at Homestead, Wednesday
The Spartans’ Thanksgiving Eve tradition has changed and it brings a substantial challenge with the Vikings visiting. Tippy Valley has great length so Wyatt Weaver and Mack Welker will be critical for the Spartans in this one. Home court advantage is key, but some Fort Wayne fans are going to get an abrupt introduction to Stephen Akase in this one. Call this our boys basketball game of the week to start things? BOUNCE PICKS TIPPECANOE VALLEY
Northrop at DeKalb, Wednesday
Here is one that we are used to the night before Thanksgiving with the added bonus – for a second straight seasons – of the teacher (Marty Beasley) versus the student (Shane Merryman) on the sidelines. Northrop lost some talent, but Merryman’s plan and style are clearly starting to set in and it means a Bruin uptick. DeKalb has depth and that is dangerous in this area. While it is unclear yet who will take the lead for the Barons, there are a lot of options. BOUNCE PICKS DEKALB
Concordia at Leo, Wednesday
Both teams have pretty new looks, Concordia with most of their team and Leo on the sidelines and without Jackson McGee and Trey Hiteshew. I think there is a lot of interest in how the Lions will look under a coach Derek Hinen style and if he can create matchup issues with the likes of Landon Ruoff, that will be a major plus but expect Concordia to play hard. BOUNCE PICKS LEO
GIRLS
East Noble at Carroll, Tuesday
The Knights hit a bump last week with rebound struggling loss to Concordia, but doesn’t change how exciting this team plays. A meeting with Carroll is a lot of strength on strength and the Knights will need to find a way to contain Lily George inside. That said, Cala Haffner’s emergence gives Carroll another unique edge. BOUNCE PICKS CARROLL
Concordia at Norwell, Tuesday
With how Concordia has been playing, the expectations for this game have grown substantially compared to what they normally are. The Cadets have been playing some really good basketball and if they can walk into The Castle and get a win, it catapults them up the area watch list/power poll. BOUNCE PICKS NORWELL
Bishop Luers at Eastside, Tuesday
Eastside has been pretty dominant to this point against area teams. They have such great scoring depth that it is hard to defend. Kind of reminds me of last season’s Bishop Luers….BOUNCE PICKS EASTSIDE
Warsaw at Penn, Tuesday
Another big test for Warsaw, who have shown this season that they aren’t afraid to have big bad challenges await them. The Tiger four headed monster offensively has basically taken turns leading the way. I’ll go above and beyond and predict a great game from Brooke Winchester here. BOUNCE PICKS WARSAW
Bellmont at Homestead, Friday
This is the first time these two teams will meet since 2015 when they were in the same conference – the now defunct NHC – and Bellmont has lost the last 7 in the series. That said, Bellmont wasn’t what they are today as a program and the Braves have a lot of talent and fight. That said, Homestead is good. very good. BOUNCE PICKS HOMESTEAD
DeKalb at Northrop, Friday
This is a great matchup of teams who do well defensively and it makes the question about matchups really interesting. Who defends who? Who can stop who? Northrop may have more high end depth but DeKalb may have more overall depth. Is this the game of the week regardless of boys or girls? BOUNCE PICKS NORTHROP
Woodlan at Jay County, Friday
The first big clash of ACAC play and while its not the defining game of a conference race, Woodlan has showcased that they can play big and tough, including a 30 point game from Alyssa Anderson last week. But, as I say almost every time I predict a Jay County girls conference game, until someone beats them I am not sure I can expect anyone to beat them. BOUNCE PICKS JAY COUNTY
Snider at Fishers, Saturday
A great road test for the Panthers, who are rising to the occasion through three weeks, even in defeat. They are gaining footing well for a team who is young and relatively varsity inexperienced. This one is a good battle. BOUNCE PICKS FISHERS
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