While postseason hoops is about to begin on the girls’ side, we still have a month left of the regular season for the boys.
The main question this season is, is the local boys’ hoops scene one of parity or mediocrity? Or both?
We won’t know for sure until the playoffs, but until then, we continue to try and make sense of the wins and losses teams are taking.
Bounce takes his latest shot at the area top 10 teams in his Power Poll.
NO. 1 – WARSAW TIGERS (14-3, 4-0 NLC)
Coach Matt Moore’s team is on a roll, having won eight-straight games heading into Friday’s showdown with NorthWood (14-2) that could decide the Northern Lakes Conference.
After losing both games at the Hall of Fame Tournament and their opener to Bishop Luers in the Bob Wettig Tournament, the Tigers have been exceptional. They have pulled out close games over Northridge and Penn and routed teams like Goshen, Concord and North Side.
Right now, Warsaw is playing like the top team in our area.
NO. 2 – HOMESTEAD SPARTANS (13-4, 4-1 SAC)
Another team riding a substantial winning streak, Sparty heads to Northrop on Thursday with seven-consecutive wins, including victories over South Side (by 13) and Blackhawk Christian by 29 in perhaps the most interesting final score of the season.
Coach Chris Johnson’s team is firing on all cylinders. During the win streak, it has averaged 63.5 points per game while allowing just 45.2.
The truly good teams make substantial strides over the course of the season. It appears Homestead, per usual, is doing just that.
Why Not Higher?
Yes, Homestead lost to Bishop Luers in December, but on a neutral court, Bounce just feels that right now the Spartans are a better team. But what’s keeping them from No. 1? A two-point overtime loss to Warsaw in the first week of December. And who’s to say that game wouldn’t go the other way if played again?
NO. 3 – BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN BRAVES (13-3)
As teams continue to beat up on each other in league play, the Braves’ independence allows them to play who they want, where they want. Coach Matt Roth’s team has won six of seven, including a victory over Bishop Luers a few weeks ago, but the 29-point drubbing on the road at Homestead on Jan. 14 was surprising. However, Indiana Junior All-Star Kellen Pickett did not play in that game. So just imagine what it means to a squad with a guy averaging 20.4 points and 11.9 rebounds a contest is unavailable.
When Pickett is in, this is as good of a team in the area.
Why Not Higher?
The Homestead loss would be puzzling if you didn’t know Pickett was out. The Braves do not play Warsaw and have yet to play Wayne, so tough to judge against those squads.
NO. 4 – BISHOP LUERS KNIGHTS (13-2, 4-0 SAC)
The 66-61 loss to Blackhawk Christian on Jan. 18 was the Knights’ first defeat to an area squad this year. And in the big scheme of things, it meant nothing other than a good test to see where this team is. It did not affect the SAC race and the teams are in different classes, so no postseason rematch potentially looming.
But Coach Seth Coffing’s team is already showing what it learned from that loss. It let rival Bishop Dwenger hang around way too long last Friday, but in a rivalry game, anything goes. Norwell then slowed down the Knights’ offense on Tuesday, but they found a way to win 39-35 in the first victory while being held in the 30s for the program in at least 30 years.
A showdown at Wayne is on tap for Friday in a huge SAC clash.
Why Not Higher?
With the loss to Blackhawk Christian just a few weeks ago, Bishop Luers must stay behind the Braves.
NO. 5 – WAYNE GENERALS (11-4, 5-0 SAC)
The Generals haven’t lost to an area team since its season-opening defeat at Leo, so why just the No. 4 ranking in the latest Power Poll?
Well, consider that the Generals have yet to play the ‘other’ big boys around here. That changes on Friday, with Coach Anthony Brewer’s team facing Bishop Luers, Blackhawk Christian, Homestead and South Side in a span of 15 days.
Bounce’s next Power Poll could look very different in terms of where Wayne slots in.
Why Not Higher?
A weak local schedule, which changes in a big way the next two weeks.
NO. 6 – SOUTH SIDE ARCHERS (11-3, 4-2 SAC)
Coach J.J. Foster’s squad often feels like that ‘forgotten’ team in SAC contention. A loss to Northrop right before Christmas will do that. But outside of that weird outcome, coupled with a loss at Homestead a few weeks ago, the Archers have handled their business in the area. Potential trap games against Concordia and Carroll the last two weeks they handled with ease, and a road win at Marion is never easy.
Still, the February schedule is full of potholes – Bishop Luers, Wayne, Huntington North, Blackhawk Christian and New Haven are all tough games. Even a Saturday afternoon tilt against ACAC leader Woodlan on Feb. 8 is no cake walk.
Basically, Bounce still sounds skeptical of the Archers. However, there is no arguing that that South is the most well-rounded team in the SAC outside of the “Big 3.”
Why Not Higher?
South’s best wins are still outside of the conference. Nor has it played Blackhawk Christian yet. Much like Wayne, the next several weeks for the Archers will be telling.
NO. 7 – MANCHESTER SQUIRES (15-1, 5-0 TRC)
Welcome to the party, Manchester Squires!
For the first time this season, Manchester appears in Bounce’s Top 10. It is long overdue, with the team riding a 14-game winning streak.
This team is led by the dynamic senior duo of Gavin Betten and Ethan Hendrix. Betten is the monster big, a 6-foot-7 stud averaging 25 points and close to 12 rebounds. He also leads the team in assists. Meanwhile, Hendrix is the short, 5-8 guard that plays bigger than he is, with a quickness to the bucket and a shooting touch that can get hot from the outside at the worst times for opponents.
This team is slowly opening eyes, having picked up a first-place vote in Class 2A in the latest USA Today Network Boys Basketball Poll. For a program that hasn’t won a sectional since 1995, it’s shaping up to be a special spring.
Why Not Higher?
Manchester’s lone loss was to Homestead by 23 points. It hasn’t played any of the other heavy hitters in the area this year. It makes it difficult to compare the Squires to some of the other top teams around.
NO. 8 – NEW HAVEN (9-8, 4-0 NE8)
Coach Brandon Appleton’s young team continues to find its way. On the one hand, this team has beaten the likes of Homestead and Norwell, but it has lost to Northrop and Snider.
In other words, a youthful group with a new coach trying to find its way. “Duece” Baskerville is leading the Bulldogs in scoring as just a sophomore, one of numerous underclassmen commanding big roles for this team.
New Haven’s best is still in the future, but it is showing flashes of what it will be come next year if the core stays together.
Why Not Higher?
Inconsistency, which comes with a young squad.
NO. 9 – NORWELL KNIGHTS (9-6, 2-2 NE8)
This is where it gets incredibly difficult to pick the final two spots in the top 10.
Bounce is going with Norwell, which, yes, has lost four of its last five games. But three of those were to teams above them in this poll, so back off.
This team struggles at times to score, but it stays in games by the fact that it is allowing the least amount of points per game by a Norwell team in five years. That means something.
Norwell has a chance to get right on Saturday with East Noble at home.
Why Not Higher?
Not enough in the way of big wins.
NO. 10 – CARROLL CHARGERS (6-10, 2-2 SAC)
OK, EVERYONE JUST CALM DOWN.
A six-win team in the Top 10? Allow Bounce to explain.
Here are the area teams that have beaten Carroll – Columbia City, Wayne, Warsaw, South Side. Half of their losses are outside of the area, and four of the five local defeats are to teams in the Power Poll. Only Columbia City, a loss in early December, is the outlier.
Outside of leading scorer Paxton Crane, who is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds, this is a young roster. Coach Chris Benedict is in Year 1 in Huntertown, and we know his pedigree and what this program could become under his tutelage.
The Chargers are scrappy and tenacious, two of Benedict’s traits through his entire coaching career. This team is not an easy out.
Why Not Higher?
With double-digit losses, this is as high as Bounce will go for Carroll right now.
IN THE CONVERSATION (in alphabetical order)
Columbia City (8-6)
East Noble (7-7)
Garrett (13-4)
Leo (8-5)
Huntington North (7-6)
Lakeland (10-4)
Snider (8-8)
Westview (10-4)
Woodlan (9-6)
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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