After allowing a few weeks for teams to settle in after the start of the regular season the week of Thanksgiving, Bounce is here to give you his top 10 area boys’ basketball teams.
There has already been some jumbling, as well as some tough decisions made towards the bottom of the top 10.
Read on to find out where your team ranks as we approach the middle of December.
NO. 1 – WARSAW TIGERS (3-0, 0-0 NLC)
It was a successful week last week for Warsaw, which won three times over the course of five days, including victories over Bounce Power Poll members Columbia City and Homestead.
This is a senior-laden group for Coach Matt Moore that has goals of winning the NLC and capturing another sectional championship.
So far, so good.
Warsaw is off until this Saturday when it will face Snider at 6 p.m. at Grace.
NO. 2 – BISHOP LUERS (1-0, 0-0 SAC)
The Knights have played just one game, but it was a hard-fought victory last Saturday at Mishawaka Marian. We will find out more about just where this team is with Northrop, Portage (at Grace) and Homestead on the schedule over the next 10 days.
While junior Ayle Taylor picked up accolades for his play along the defensive front for Bishop Luers in football, he may be a bigger impact guy on the basketball court. The Homestead transfer led the Knights in scoring with 16 points in the season-opening victory.
Why Not Higher?
There is not a big enough sample size to properly judge the Knights quite yet. Are they the best team in the area right now? Maybe. As more games are played, Bishop Luers has a chance to prove it belongs at No. 2 or even higher. And just after the new year, Coach Seth Coffing’s team will open the Bob Wettig Tournament at Richmond against Warsaw on Jan. 2.
NO. 3 – HOMESTEAD SPARTANS (2-1, 0-0 SAC)
While the two wins over Tippecanoe Valley and Manchester are nice, it was the close, overtime loss to Warsaw last Friday that showed to Bounce just what Homestead is and can be.
Homestead battled for four-plus quarters against a senior-dominated team with plenty of experience. Sophomore Jake Coolman opened plenty of eyes with a 29-point effort in the close loss, including a three-pointer with just under six seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Between Coolman and Mack Welker, the Spartans have two of the best sophomores in the area.
Homestead has DeKalb at home on Tuesday before kicking off the SAC season on Friday against Bishop Dwenger.
Why Not Higher?
The loss to Warsaw prevents the Spartans from being No. 1. Are they better than Bishop Luers? We won’t have to wait long to find out, as Homestead travels to Luers on Dec. 20.
NO. 4 – WAYNE GENERALS (1-1, 0-0 SAC)
Perhaps the most surprising result of the young season happened last when when Wayne opened up with a loss at Leo. The Generals were missing double-double machine HJ Dillard, but it still made Bounce do a double take as Wayne was the No. 1 team in the area, per this supposed all-knowing frog.
Dillard was dealing with a short-term injury, and he and fellow senior Chase Barnes are still a phenomenal one-two punch, and with a loaded senior class that has been through multiple years of battles, Wayne is still in a good spot.
However, this week will be telling. Road games at a spunky New Haven team on Wednesday and the SAC opener at Snider are followed up by a matchup Saturday with Crown Point, a top-10 team in Class 4A.
Why Not Higher?
The Leo loss is puzzling, and may remain so for quite some time.
NO. 5 – BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN BRAVES (3-1)
After being picked as an Indiana Junior All-Star last year, Kellen Pickett is well on his way to being on the short list for the senior team as he is averaging a double-double per game to go with over four blocks each time out. He is being complemented by a solid senior class, although junior Briggs Pardon has been solid as well on the offensive end.
Coach Matt Roth’s team got its first test over the weekend against Avon, where it fell by three. If anything, it was a good game to see where the Braves are at, as they may not be challenged again until late this month at the Ray Furney Holiday Classic in Lawrenceburg.
Why Not Higher?
Lack of quality opponents is a big one here. Wins over area programs North Side and New Haven isn’t moving the needle much for Bounce. This is a very good team. Top 3 good? Hmmm.
NO. 6 – EAST NOBLE KNIGHTS (0-0, 0-0 NE8)
We think East Noble is good, but we yet to have any data points to judge the Knights. Due to the trip to state in football, the start of the campaign was moved back to Tuesday at Northrop.
After his first winning season a year ago with the Knights, Coach Brandon Durnell has his program poised for some big things this year.
It all begins against the Bruins.
Why Not Higher?
Hasn’t even played a game yet.
NO. 7 – SOUTH SIDE ARCHERS (3-0, 0-0 SAC)
The Archers are 3-0 for the first time since 2018, an impressive start made even more so when you see that two of those wins came against Tippecanoe Valley and Snider, two well-thought of squads.
Coach J.J. Foster’s team is definitely one to watch, as just a single senior – Demarcus Barr – is in the regular rotation.
Junior Zacariah Belcher leads the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.7), while sophomore Jayvon Irby is the other double-figure scorer outside of Barr.
With Leo and North Side on the slate this week, South Side can really emerge as the real deal if it can pick up two dubs.
Why Not Higher?
Bounce left South Side out of his pre-season top 10, meaning the Archers have a lot to prove to move up. But hey, they are already at No. 7.
NO. 8 – COLUMBIA CITY EAGLES (3-1, 0-0 NE8)
Columbia City has dropped just one game out of its first four, and that was on the road at Warsaw that saw the Eagles really battle Bounce’s No. 1 team in the area.
Junior Landon Richmond has been the real deal. He dropped 16 points and 13 rebounds in a 16-point win over Canterbury last Friday, then followed it up with 20 and 10 in a victory at Carroll one day later.
Columbia City gets East Noble at home a week from Friday, a game that will loom large in the NE8 title chase.
Why Not Higher?
Missing some notable victories. Opportunities abound in the next month.
NO. 9 – SNIDER PANTHERS (1-1, 0-1 SAC)
We have two metrics in which to judge the Panthers so far – a 25-point win over a Merrillville team that won 16 games last year and a 17-point road loss to South Side.
That’s one very good and one very bad result.
Now, South Side may end up being really good, but the 39 points scored by Snider was the fewest in a game in two years. That, more than anything, is Bounce’s concern with Coach Riikonen’s squad. If the Archers can hold you under 40 points, what are other good teams going to do?
In the near term, Snider needs to be ready, as it has Warsaw this Saturday at Grace and North Side at home over the next 10 days.
Why Not Higher?
Is this team really good or average? We don’t know yet.
NO. 10 – LEO LIONS (2-1, 0-0 NE8)
Remember what Bounce said about Snider above? Same thing with Leo.
Last Wednesday, Leo came out and knocked off Wayne by seven. Yes, Wayne was missing HJ Dillard, but Leo was without Jaiyre Sampson, the transfer from Carroll who was out with an injury.
Just two days later at home again, Leo is knocked off by Heritage by seven.
So, who is Leo, really?
Ups and downs are expected with a first-year coach in Derek Hinen. So we have to give the Lions the benefit of the doubt. Soloman Richard is the real deal and Landon Ruoff is a versatile athlete on both ends.
A visit to undefeated South Side on Tuesday will help us understand better where Leo is at.
Why Not Higher?
The loss to Heritage.
IN THE CONVERSATION
Angola (2-1)
Canterbury (2-1)
DeKalb (2-1)
Garrett (4-0)
Lakeland (2-0)
New Haven (1-2)
Northrop (2-1)
North Side (1-1)
Westview (3-1)
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
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