For the final time this season, Bounce will pick girls basketball regular season games. Where has the time gone?
The girls have been easier to pick than the boys so far this season, so can I go out on a good note? That said, how about a perfect week on the boys side last week with two games getting cancelled to keep me from 8-0.
Lets get into it.
LAST WEEK: 12-2 (6-2 Girls, 6-0 boys)
THIS SEASON: 122-54
GIRLS
Columbia City at Northrop, Tuesday
One that ultimately doesn’t mean anything, this is still going to be a really fun game. Great offenses, great defenses and something will have to give. They both have had good seasons with marquee wins and are in spots to become Sectional champions next week. This is a big momentum game, but maybe moreso for the home team. BOUNCE PICKS NORTHROP
Huntington North at DeKalb, Friday
Two teams who have really fought in the middle of a loaded NE8 this season. You have to love the tenacity that both squads play with. Like all girls games this week, it is about gaining postseason momentum but they are two pretty evenly matched squads. BOUNCE PICKS HUNTINGTON NORTH
Norwell at East Noble, Friday
Another “meaningless NE8 game” but one that could be a lot of fun. East Noble has been a steady presence all season and this is a shot to make a lot of their work mean something big if they can upend Norwell. But the Norwell Knights have steadily been getting stronger across their front line scoring and when you have a team capable of putting up so many points….BOUNCE PICKS NORWELL
Westview at Eastside, Thursday
This game is made interesting by Westview’s upset win over Fairfield last week. No signs point towards really anyone competing with the champion Blazers in the NECC, but we’ve got eyes on Westview right now because they really are peaking at the right time. BOUNCE PICKS EASTSIDE
Homestead at Northrop, Thursday
The big one of the girls side as the SAC will be determined on a…Thursday night? Well, I guess we will take what we can. The Spartans and Bruins have both looked fantastic as of late and this could be a really big war of attrition. If Northrop gets a big win Tuesday, it could really help their momentum here. That said, it is hard seeing anyone in NE Indiana getting by Homestead right now. BOUNCE PICKS HOMESTEAD
BOYS
Central Noble at Concordia, Tuesday
It does appear that the Cougars are getting back on the right track in a season full of close calls and good efforts along the way. But the focus in the cage is on Concordia and Will Schlegel, who has been one of the best players in the SAC as of late, including in last week’s upset win over Snider. BOUNCE PICKS CONCORDIA
Lakeland at East Noble, Tuesday
The Lakers have been quiet as of late, just two lopsided wins between this one and their surprise early NECC Tournament exit. They still lead the NECC on the boys side and a win here makes a big statement against an East Noble team that is still trying to find consistent footing outside of Nathan Bowker, who scored a team high 17 last Saturday in a tough NE8 loss to Leo. BOUNCE PICKS LAKELAND
Norwell at Bishop Luers, Tuesday
The Knights prep for a massive week with one that they won’t really be THAT focused on. Is that enough to let Norwell sneak in? Probably not, but the McBride quartet (three players and a coach) have been much stronger than many thought this season. Don’t look by Norwell at all here to push, but Luers is just too big and too athletic. BOUNCE PICKS BISHOP LUERS
Woodlan at Lakewood Park, Thursday
This is just a fun little contest to break up all the conference wars. Bounce is truly intrigued about Trey Yoder versus Avery MacFarlane, two guys with similar size and skill sets. Woodlan is rolling right now and riding that ACAC tournament championship wave as long as they can. BOUNCE PICKS WOODLAN
Huntington North at East Noble, Thursday
I do not change a thing from my initial thoughts on this game before it got postponed on 10: Expect an absolute show between two high scoring lead guards here with Huntington North’s Ethan Zahn and East Noble’s Nathan Bowker. But there is a good chance those two will cancel each other out, so if the Vikings can contain the interior of Kobe Ritchie and Alex Scott, it comes down to who has the best option 2 and right now Titus Schultz is the best option 2. BOUNCE PICKS HUNTINGTON NORTH
Bishop Luers at Wayne, Friday
The one that we have all been waiting for. So it continues to be and its what we expected: Luers and Wayne essentially hold the key to the castle with the winner of this one the likely SAC champion. Bishop Luers has built a really deep squad and while the Truesdale twins and Danny Kelly have been at the top of the pile, they can go deeper than Wayne, in this frog’s opinion. But Wayne doesn’t lose these games. They haven’t. I can’t see that changing at home in front of what should be a capacity crowd, probably the best crowd the SAC will get all season. BOUNCE PICKS WAYNE
Heritage at Adams Central, Friday
This should be a fun rematch from the ACAC Tournament, but with the Flying Jets looking for revenge. This could very much go the same way as the first meeting but something tells Bounce that Trace Maller isn’t going to let that happen. BOUNCE PICKS ADAMS CENTRAL
Lakeland at Garrett, Friday
Both teams have big Tuesday games with Lakeland’s mentioned above and Garrett visiting Westview in a rematch of their lopsided NECC Finals loss. If Garrett wins Tuesday, this one means a lot more in terms of overall conference implications. Right now, Lakeland has not shown cracks in the NECC regular season, so conventional wisdom says ride there. BOUNCE PICKS LAKELAND
Blackhawk Christian at Wayne, Saturday
One would think that Wayne isn’t paying much attention to this one because of their game Friday. Its not a mistake at all, because this is a game for growth, not for a title. This has been a really fun game recently and could be as much of a toss up as Friday night, but one of these teams doesn’t have to worry about a Friday night game either. BOUNCE PICKS BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN
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