The boys NECC Tournament tips off on Tuesday with games in the tournament that day, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Consolation games will be played on Thursday. A complete bracket of the 2026 NECC Tournament can be seen at the bottom of this article.
The winners will follow the boys teams this year as the host sites so whoever the top listed team in the boys side bracket will be the host site. The complete bracket can be found at the bottom of this article.
THE FAVORITE
The Westview boys rolled to a conference tournament title last year, derailing a big run from Garrett in the process. Since winning last season’s conference tournament, the Warriors are 19-5 including a 9-1 start to this season. They have been able to move new pieces into their lineup and expand on the preexisting options well. Their one loss this season is to now 9-1 Northridge so that shouldn’t exactly be held against them. The Warriors are averaging 62.3 points per game against conference opponents and the only time they have scored under 60 all season was in their lone loss. On the flip side of that, they have only allowed 60 or more points once and that was – you guessed it – in their lone loss.
The one-two punch of Austin Schlabach and Kaden Grau is as good as any other in the area and its a fair shake to say the duo could claim to be the best in the area. Schlabach is averaging 19.6 points per game to Grau’s 19.5; while Grau has the edge as the team’s leading rebounder at 5.7 per game, the rest of Schlabach’s stat line is wild: 5.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Daniel Yoder is having another solid year too, which sometimes gets overlooked because of the big two; Yoder is averaging 10.1 points per game. Pierce Yoder (5.5 ppg) and Bryce Yoder (4.3 ppg) have also expanded their roles within the team.
THE CONTENDER
Fairfield has looked every bit of a contender that borderlines on a favorite. Somewhat unfortunately, we are going to get their matchup with Westview on a Wednesday. Fairfield has a team that has shown considerable depth when it comes to guys scoring the basketball, that is something that isn’t a common theme in the NECC and it makes a week like this seem like it could benefit them. The chances of getting tired decrease and the fact that Fairfield drew a bye and would only have to play 3 times instead of four certainly works in favor of that also.
Sophomore Parker Smith only continues to get better, leading the way with 12.3 points per game, but the fact Fairfield has five more guys averaging seven or better is clutch. Smith is also averaging three assists per contest, just behind team leader Koltyn Frye and his 3.1 assists per game. Matthew Holsopple has stepped up in major ways for the Falcons, averaging 9.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, with everything he is doing expanded from his role a season ago. Frye, in addition to leading the team in assists, also averages 8.1 points per game, followed by Drew Beachy (8 ppg), Brant Garber (7 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Ben Kio (7.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
THE LEAD FOR MVP
There is no actual MVP given out for the NECC Tournament like there is in the ACAC, but that doesn’t mean that Outside the Huddle can’t project a hypothetical lead or leads for such a thing.
You want some no brainers? Well we mentioned them up with the favorites as either Austin Schlabach or Kaden Grau can be the best player in this conference on any given night for Westview.
Sleeper pick? If Angola can make a run to the title, which isn’t going to be easy either, could sophomore Niles Knox find a way to unofficially ascend to the top of the NECC? Knox has had a tremendous start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 16.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He has scored over 20 more times than he has been in single digits and also has more double digit rebound games this season than not, headed by a 13 rebound effort versus Woodlan.
BREAKOUT POTENTIAL
This is the most fun breakout spot of any of the tournaments this week. It feels like nearly every team has some sort of breakout potential. Prairie Heights shoots the ball so well at times that Keegan German or Brady Strater could get going. Merek Malcolm has performed well as of late for Central Noble and with injuries piled up for Garrett, they have had a few guys step up but a good tournament for the likes of Aiden Reed, Dawson Hedges or Jake Gonya could do wonders.
Fairfield is a very intriguing spot for this. They have flexed depth at times and found success with it. How does one break out when everyone has provided in a way? Watch out for Koltyn Frye who scored a co-team high 17 points in a recent loss to Goshen in the battle on unbeatens; he is averaging 8.1 points per game on the season.
Also with the top end teams, Westview could get big games out of Daniel Yoder, Kaine Reinhold or strong shooting Pierce Yoder on any given night.
Freshman Leroy Ruckman at Eastside has had a decent start to his high school career, so a breakout performance in his first NECC Tournament could be fun to see as he averages just over seven poitns per game for the Blazers.
This tournament is full of breakout potential.
BOUNCE PREDICTING THE WINNERS
In the opening round, Prairie Heights should have no issues as they take on a rebuilding Fremont program. Fremont is going to play tough, we all know that, but the Panthers are playing solid basketball right now. Four days after they met in the regular season, Garrett and Central Noble rematch but this time in Garrett; give me the Cougars to win this as they did last Friday but expect a solid battle between guards Carter Coffman and Nick Freeman, two of the better tough scorers in the conference with Freeman scoring 27 against Garrett just last Friday after coming into the game averaging 13.1 per contest. On the bottom side of the bracket in the opening round, Lakeland is just too deep and experienced for Churubusco.
As we move into Wednesday’s quarterfinal round, Prairie Heights will host Central Noble and as the Panthers continue to show strengths, they will slow down a little Cougar win streak.
Then we get the big one so it gets its own paragraph. Westview and Fairfield, in a perfect world as a pure fan or even as just a writer, is the the best final. But it isn’t the final. It is the quarter final. When I say this could be one of Northeast Indiana’s best games all year, I mean it. Expect a coaching chess match with Fairfield’s Brodie Garber and Westview’s Chandler Prible. If you have nowhere else to go on Wednesday, go up to Westview, I can’t imagine it dissapoints, but I am taking the host Warriors in this one.
On the bottom half of the bracket in the quarters, Lakeland would host Angola in a preview of their season ender against each other. Both teams are so deep that it will be interesting to see how Angola does against Lakeland’s NECC leading defense that is giving up just 41.2 points per game. Lakeland is averaging over 13 steals per game, headed by Keyan Arroyo and Levi Cook. Bounce is going to get weird and pick Angola, but is it really an upset? Down low give me West Noble over Eastside for a second time this season. Trevor Steele (13.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) has been really good for the Chargers with a toughness edge over a lot of guys that he plays against.
It move us to the semi finals where I don’t think, in Bounce’s predicted bracket, there should be much of a discussion. Westview over Prairie Heights and Angola over West Noble.
Saturday in the finals, expect Angola to pull out all the stops and if their inside out game is working, this could be a fun one. But, Angola has to hit timely shots. Right now, Bounce doesn’t see anyone slowing both of Westview’s stars. Bounce predicts Westview to win the NECC Tournament again.
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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