Its another all boys week in the picks and it will be that way for the rest of the time we have together this season.
Can I close well these last couple of weeks?
LAST WEEK: 8-9 (4-4 boys; 4-5 girls)
THIS SEASON: 141-72
BOYS GAMES
East Noble at Homestead, Tuesday
East Noble Head Coach Brandon Durnell makes his return to Homestead on Tuesday night, but this time will be in a tie instead of a jersey. Durnell was a part of the Spartans’ 2015 State Title team and went 44-10 in his last 2 years with Sparty. His Knights are coming off of an 86-73 loss at home to New Haven to put them out of the NE8 race. EN is 6-2 in its last 8 games but by far will be facing its toughest test since they played Westview on January 7th. Meanwhile Homestead enters Tuesday 16-5 after throttling SAC foe Concordia Lutheran last Friday night. Sparty is 10-1 in their last 11 games and is in 2nd place behind Wayne in the SAC. East Noble could make this one interesting for a while, but Sparty is just too much for the Knights to handle. BOUNCE PICKS: HOMESTEAD
Columbia City at West Noble, Tuesday
Co-NE8 Champ Columbia City makes the trip to Ligonier as the Eagles take on the West Noble Chargers on Tuesday evening. Columbia City looks to improve its non conference record to 6-7 on the year as 7 of their 8 losses are at the hands of non NE8 opponents. The Eagles have played a LOADED schedule with teams such as Blackhawk Christian, NorthWood, South Side, SB Riley, and Homestead and that seemed to prepare them well for NE8 play. West Noble limps into the game losing 3 straight at the hands of Westview, LaVille, and NorthWood by a combined 48 points. The Chargers have been an up and down team this year and a win here could propel them into their last 3 remaining games with Angola, Goshen, and Garrett. Can the Chargers FINALLY get their signature non NECC win? BOUNCE PICKS: COLUMBIA CITY
Bishop Luers at Huntington North, Tuesday
If you got your heart broken the day after Valentine’s Day, just know that you are in the company of the Huntington North Vikings who lost at the buzzer to South Side 64-62. The loss put the Vikes at 9-10 on the year and also moved them to 2-2 against the SAC this season. What do you do after losing at the buzzer to an SAC team? You get right back on the saddle and play another one. Bishop Luers will head south to Huntington with a 14-5 record and 2 straight conference losses. The Knights will look to remain perfect against the NE8 but this will be a challenge as HN is a hard team to beat. They are disciplined, play hard, and are well coached. With that being said, can the Vikings keep up with the Knights for 32 minutes? BOUNCE PICKS: BISHOP LUERS
Northridge at Lakeland, Tuesday
Northridge enters #11 in the AP Poll this week at 16-3 in 4A. The Raiders will make the 21 minute bus ride to LaGrange to take on Lakeland. The Lakers are 2-4 in their last 6 games and will have a HEAVY test at home Tuesday against 4A ranked Northridge. BOUNCE PICKS: NORTHRIDGE
Blackhawk Christian at NorthWood, Friday
2 State Championship Contenders meet on Friday night in Nappanee as 3A #12 (AP) Blackhawk Christian travels to 3A #6 (AP) NorthWood. The Panther Pit should be ROCKING for a late season showdown between two high level teams. This game will be extremely fun to watch as both teams are 17-3, both play loaded schedules, and are very well coached. Blackhawk Christian rides in on a 6 game winning streak while NorthWood enters winning their last 3. By far the game of the week in terms of competition level… BOUNCE PICKS: NORTHWOOD
Manchester at Maconaquah, Friday
3A #3 (AP) Manchester hits the road Friday to Bunker Hill to face Three Rivers opponent Maconaquah. The Squires look to clinch the conference with a victory but standing in their way is a 2nd place Braves team. Manchester also looks to extend its winning streak to 17 on Friday night while Maconaquah is 2-3 in its last 5. This should be a good game and by that I mean within 15 the whole way. Manchester just seems like a team of destiny at this point in the year. BOUNCE PICKS: MANCHESTER
Garrett at DeKalb, Friday
Two schools separated by 7.9 miles. Two schools who absolutely despise one another. Two schools with so much history. Two schools who are trying to get back to their glory days. Garrett and DeKalb. The Barons have DOMINATED this series in the last 40 years with 39 wins and just 5 losses. The last time that the Railroaders have beaten their rival was 2014… 53-34. There has been 1 game since the 2014 win that has been SINGLE DIGITS in this series. DeKalb has blown Garrett out and has given them the rivalry term “Little Brother” for the last 10 years. First Year Head Coach Logan Traylor will face 26 year Head Coach Marty Beasley. Beasley is 32-55 in his 4th year at DeKalb and one would think this is a must win for his squad. Luckily for the Barons, Garrett is playing away from Bateman Gymnasium where they are 5-5 on the road. BOUNCE PICKS: DEKALB
Snider at Leo, Friday
The Snider Panthers are having an almost identical season to 2023/2024. They hit the road to take on a Leo Lions squad who is having an up and down year under first year Head Coach Derek Hinen. This one should be a fun one to watch as both teams can score the rock and will come down to who can get more stops. BOUNCE PICKS: SNIDER
Homestead at Carroll, Friday
Charger Fieldhouse will be packed on Friday night as 2 rivals almost identical to one another meet on the hardwood. Sparty and Charlie Charger have had some great battles over the years. Carroll brings in the slow paced defensive style of ball while Homestead is going to bring the score the ball type of play. At the end of the day, you have to score points to win and for the majority of the year the Chargers have just failed to do that, leading to a losing record. Carroll could give the Spartans a run for their money but will they go cold like they have so many times this season? BOUNCE PICKS: HOMESTEAD
Heritage at New Haven, Friday
The Patriots will travel 8.8 miles to take on co-NE8 Champ New Haven on Friday night. Heritage is having a better year under 2nd year Head Coach Kyle Sovine but have still been spotty throughout the year. Which Heritage team will show up to Armstrong Arena is the million dollar question. The Heritage that slept their way through a 42-39 loss to Northrop, or the Heritage that gritted out a 64-63 ACAC win on the road against Jay County? For New Haven, it is almost the exact same story. First year Head Coach Brandon Appleton has brought New Haven a NE8 title, but his squad, like Heritage, is shaky at times. Which Bulldog team will we get Friday? The one that upset Homestead or went on the road and blew out East Noble? Or the New Haven team that was blown out by Carroll a few weeks ago? This should be an intense game the entire way with 2 fiery Head Coaches. BOUNCE PICKS: NEW HAVEN
Huntington North at Tippecanoe Valley, Friday
Huntington North will face yet another challenge on Friday night, this time on the road. A 39.5 mile bus trip to face a 15-4 Tippecanoe Valley squad. Tippy Valley is coming off of a sloppy 49-46 victory at home over Garrett last Saturday in a game where their usual scorers… simply did not score. Can the Vikings from Kosciusko County clean it up a bit offensively or will the Vikings from Huntington storm in and steal a late season victory? BOUNCE PICKS: TIPPECANOE VALLEY
Blackhawk Christian at South Side, Saturday
The schedule doesn’t slow down for Blackhawk Christian. After facing a top 10 3A team on the road, they turn around and travel again to South Side. The Braves will surely be gassed after playing a state contender.. But in order to be the best, you have to beat the best as they say. South Side is having a good year of their own, one could say a surprise year for the Archers. They will have their hands full on Saturday night. BOUNCE PICKS: BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN
North Side at Adams Central, Saturday
The North Side Legends will wrap up their regular season on Saturday night in The Hangar as they face the Flying Jets of Adams Central. Before taking the week off prior to their Sectional, the Legends have one more test. Facing AC could be a good test for North as their sectional is made up of teams similar to the Jets. Meanwhile, for Adams Central, they look to continue their winning ways heading into the postseason. BOUNCE PICKS: ADAMS CENTRAL
Westview at Leo, Saturday
The Westview Warriors make the trip to Leo on Saturday night as they have a date with the Lions. With Leo out of the running for an NE8 title, this is a big opportunity to see where their team is at heading into the playoffs. Westview, while a 2A school, plays like a 3A school and their record shows it. Leo will have to play one of its best defensive performances of the season, as Westview seems to have no problems scoring, while the Lions tend to go cold for long periods of time. BOUNCE PICKS: WESTVIEW
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