Another week, another chance to be great.
Each week, Bounce will pick (around) 10 games on the girls side and another (around) 10 on the boys side. Looking to highlight the big games and the best matchups in the area. Unlike Blitz, we can’t quite pick every game because we don’t get to only play on Fridays, am I right?
If you know how Bounce picks, you know its different than that prognosticating bear in the fall. No projected scores or spreads here. Basketball is too unpredictable for silliness like that.
LAST WEEK: 16-3
THIS SEASON: 61-16
LAST SEASON: 136-66
BOYS
WOODLAN AT BELLMONT, MONDAY
We start the week off with two teams who want some momentum going into the break. Woodlan has been a bit of a surprise with essentially an entirely new lineup this season. Freshman Camden Brooks has been one of the best newcomers in the area so far for the Warriors. BOUNCE PICKS WOODLAN
DEKALB AT BISHOP DWENGER, TUESDAY
The Barons are 3-0 for the first time since 2014 as they head on the road again. The Saints had won 8 in a row in the series before DeKalb won last year. The way that Zeke Penrod is playing right now, DeKalb should probably extend their win streak in the series this time. BOUNCE PICKS DEKALB
LAKELAND AT WESTVIEW, TUESDAY
The NECC is shaping up to be a good one again this year and this game has big implications on the standings. Lakeland does have a loss in the conference after dropping one last week to Fairfield, but they also beat Westview a year ago. Repeat here or is Westview just too hard of a place to go play sometimes? BOUNCE PICKS WESTVIEW
MISSISSINEWA AT BLUFFTON, WEDNESDAY
A postponed game from last week gets rescheduled to give Bluffton their second game of a stretch that sees them play 4 times in 8 days. Mississinewa has some firepower when you look at sophomore Rayveon Fetz, but can they match Bluffton’s physical interior work? BOUNCE PICKS BLUFFTON
COLUMBIA CITY AT EAST NOBLE, FRIDAY
If East Noble wants to have a chance to compete in the NE8, then Friday is a must win game. Columbia City was always going to be good but the emergence of sophomore Ian St. John has been significant early. BOUNCE PICKS COLUMBIA CITY
BISHOP LUERS AT HOMESTEAD, FRIDAY
Is this a SAC decider? Maybe not now but in the preseason we expected it to be. The Knights are without expected big man Jonas Muya, but they are still finding all kinds of ways to click with their great guard play. Who handles Mack Welker? Easier said that done. BOUNCE PICKS HOMESTEAD
SNIDER AT NORTH SIDE, FRIDAY
North Side is yet to get in the win column as of press time, but their close call with South Side as well as an energetic loss to Blackhawk Christian means that the Legends are on the cusp. A win here would be major for them. Snider is still figuring out utilizing so many offensive weapons but Chance DeRossett’s seven three point game last week adds another layer to the Panther depth. BOUNCE PICKS SNIDER
HUNTINGTON NORTH AT LEO, FRIDAY
Leo got Nolan Hiteshew back in the lineup last week, which helps an otherwise young and inexperienced group. This is a good measuring stick for where Leo is at. BOUNCE PICKS HUNTINGTON NORTH
ANGOLA AT WESTVIEW, FRIDAY
When we talk big NECC games, throw this one at the top of the list. Two teams a combined 10-2 coming into the week, they are unbeaten in the NECC. No matter what happens earlier in the week to Westview, this game will go a long way in the ultimate NECC race. BOUNCE PICKS WESTVIEW
CONCORDIA AT NEW HAVEN
Don’t blink at Bounce for saying this, but Concordia has the ability to make this a game if they can get comfortable getting up and down and utilizing patience inside. That said, New Haven is very good for a reason and few teams have the ability to play the game like the Bulldogs. BOUNCE PICKS NEW HAVEN
GIRLS
CARROLL AT BELLMONT, TUESDAY
Carroll has been on a rollercoaster all season, and a trip to the Teepee on Tuesday won’t do any favors to that. The Chargers are so good at the top with Lily George and Ava Myers both very capable of big games. But now ranked 20th in the state in the IBCA poll, Bellmont is clicking as well as it has in recent years. BOUNCE PICKS BELLMONT
COLUMBIA CITY AT WARSAW, TUESDAY
The Eagles are eager to take a shot at another top area team after falling to Norwell over the weekend. Warsaw is going to get an eager Eagle team. Officially now with 2 of the top 3 scorers in program history, Warsaw has not gotten much of a challenge as of late, so expect them to be ready to go. BOUNCE PICKS WARSAW
LAKELAND AT WESTVIEW, TUESDAY
Two teams jockeying for NECC standing position and also some momentum as we get into the new year with a conference tournament pending. Westview got a big bucket and win over the weekend against Central Noble and that kind of momentum starter is hard to replicate. BOUNCE PICKS WESTVIEW
ADAMS CENTRAL AT SOUTH ADAMS, THURSDAY
Always a fun rivalry, South Adams is turning out better games all of the time and Ana Lehman has really been strong for them. AC has been able to see success in waves, trading wins and losses all season. Now they start a five game road swing against their rival. BOUNCE PICKS ADAMS CENTRAL
EAST NOBLE AT WHITKO, THURSDAY
The first of a couple of big tests for East Noble as they have only lost twice but both losses have been big. Whitko may not have the depth of the Knights, but at the top they are really hard to stop. BOUNCE PICKS WHITKO
EAST NOBLE AT COLUMBIA CITY, SATURDAY
And another one for the Knights. How Thursday goes for them, how Tuesday goes for Columbia City, that all plays a role. Upset city? Is it an upset? BOUNCE PICKS EAST NOBLE
HOMESTEAD AT HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN, SATURDAY
The Royals are 9-2 heading into the week and this is a masterful test for them as Homestead continues to show depth with the likes of Whitney Ankenbruck having big games. Homestead is battle tested so even a weekend road game a couple hours away shouldn’t shake them. BOUNCE PICKS HOMESTEAD
LEO AT HUNTINGTON NORTH, SATURDAY
The Vikings have had some struggles while Leo has seen Leah Shappell just explode every night, even if she is not great early in games, she has come around and helped the Lions through some big ones. BOUNCE PICKS LEO
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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