Some progress was made last week as I posted a 12-4 (75 percent) record. My overall mark is now 127-50, which has me at 72 percent for the season.
JANUARY 15
Concord (2-8) at Elkhart Central (1-10): The Blazers downed Concord, 48-42, in last year’s Class 4A Elkhart sectional opener. Brock Troyer netted two points in the Minutemen’s 57-45 loss to Plymouth. Kyran Pearson and Elkhart Central were held to four points in the fourth quarter in a 44-38 loss at Bremen. Matt’s pick: Concord 47, Elkhart Central 44.
Elkhart Memorial (10-3) at Riley (11-2): The Wildcats claimed last season’s Class 4A Michigan City regional title with a 75-68 win over Elkhart Memorial. Trey Gallope had 10 points for the No. 7 Chargers in their 79-65 win at Hobart. Jaithan Spicer tallied nine points in Riley’s 76-64 win over No. 1 (Class 3A) Marian. Matt’s pick: Riley 73, Elkhart Memorial 66.
Jimtown (8-3) at Goshen (4-7): The RedHawks slipped past Jimtown, 49-47, a year ago. Braedon Brubaker came up with two points in the Jimmies’ 56-55 loss at Mishawaka. Porter Revoir finished with six points in Goshen’s 61-39 loss to Warsaw. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 41, Goshen 40.
Northridge (6-6) at Penn (9-2): The Kingsmen went to double-overtime to earn a 78-67 win at Northridge. Sam Smith netted five points for the Raiders in a 48-45 win over NorthWood. Evan Groves contributed two points in Penn’s 77-41 win at Glenn. Matt’s pick: Penn 66, Northridge 56.
St. Joseph (Michigan) (3-7) at Mishawaka (6-4): Jordan Marble poured in 14 points in the Bears’ 59-46 win against Niles. Grant Jablonski drained six 3-pointers and scored 21 points for the Cavemen against Jimtown. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 55, St. Joseph 48.
TCU BI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT
Bremen (6-5) at Argos (10-3): The Lions clawed their way to a 41-38 win at Argos on December 21. Trevor Devine managed two points for Bremen against Elkhart Central. Sam Manikowski’s 11 points lifted the Dragons to a 79-29 win over Oregon-Davis. Matt’s pick: Bremen 45, Argos 43.
Triton (5-5) at Glenn (6-6): The Falcons soared to a 39-30 win at Triton on January 4. Quentin Amsden recorded 14 points in the Trojans’ 56-39 win against Culver. John Drew’s three points were not enough for Glenn against Penn. Matt’s pick: Glenn 50, Triton 41.
New Prairie (4-7) at Oregon-Davis (0-10): The Cougars cruised to a 66-28 win against Oregon-Davis on December 8. Nick Ryan registered two points in New Prairie’s 54-35 win against Buchanan. Garrett Weil tallied 18 points for the Bobcats against New Prairie. Matt’s pick: New Prairie 59, Oregon-Davis 37.
Culver (1-10) at LaVille (10-2): The No. 3 (Class 2A) Lancers rolled to a 69-36 victory over Culver last season. Hunter Manns managed 13 points for the Cavaliers against Triton. Connor Wieczorek notched seven points in LaVille’s 51-46 loss to Knox. Matt’s pick: LaVille 60, Culver 40.
JANUARY 18
Concord (2-9, 1-2 NLC) at Warsaw (8-4, 3-0 NLC): The Tigers cruised to a 59-39 win over Concord last season. Michael Johnson tallied 14 points for the Minutemen in their 54-43 loss to Elkhart Central. Blake Marsh finished with six points for Warsaw against Goshen. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 56, Concord 45.
Goshen (5-7, 0-3 NLC) at NorthWood (5-7, 1-2 NLC): The RedHawks were a 48-43 winner over NorthWood a season ago. Drew Hogan registered seven points in Goshen’s 59-45 win over Jimtown. Ben Vincent scored six points for the Panthers against Northridge. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 49, Goshen 47.
Marian (10-1) at Marquette Catholic (9-4): The No. 3 (Class 3A) Knights posted a 76-49 win against Marquette Catholic a year ago. Jake Bishop managed only two points for Marian against Riley. Zach Byrs netted 15 points in the Blazers’ 77-69 win over Washington Township. Matt’s pick: Marian 64, Marquette Catholic 53.
Mishawaka (7-4, 2-3 NIC) at Clay (2-9, 1-5 NIC): The Colonials suffered a 64-34 loss to Mishawaka in their last meeting. Caleb Williams accounted for six points for the Cavemen in a 43-25 win over St. Joseph (Michigan). Lemond Nance recorded only three points in Clay’s 81-45 loss to Saint Joseph. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 62, Clay 41.
Plymouth (11-3, 3-0 NLC) at Wawasee (3-9, 0-3 NLC): The Pilgrims rolled to a 68-29 win over Wawasee last year. Joe Barron’s three points lifted Plymouth to a 69-68 win over LaPorte. Ben Hoffert added seven points in the Warriors’ 50-28 loss at Elkhart Memorial. Matt’s pick: Plymouth 60, Wawasee 42.
Riley (12-2, 5-0 NIC) at Jimtown (8-4, 4-1 NIC): The Wildcats clawed past Jimtown, 66-36, during the 2017-18 campaign. Blake Wesley came up with seven points in Riley’s 59-55 victory against Elkhart Memorial. Brayden Rice managed five points for the Jimmies against Goshen. Matt’s pick: Riley 68, Jimtown 48.
Saint Joseph (5-6, 3-3 NIC) at Penn (10-2, 5-0 NIC): The Indians claimed a 67-59 win against Penn last season. Phillip Robles registered 12 points for Saint Joseph against Clay. Kegan Hoskins poured in 20 points in the Kingsmen’s 95-67 victory over Northridge. Matt’s pick: Penn 71, Saint Joseph 57.
TCU BI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT
Bremen (6-6) vs. Triton (5-6) (Consolation): The Lions slipped by Triton. 43-41, a year ago. Jacob Wunder had six points in Bremen’s 46-36 loss to Argos. Beau Hepler finished with five points in the Trojans’ 47-24 loss to Glenn. Matt’s pick: Bremen 46, Triton 40.
Culver (1-11) vs. Oregon-Davis (0-11) (Consolation): The Bobcats posted an 82-57 victory over Culver last year. Cam Minix ended up with six points in the Cavaliers’ 86-41 loss to No. 6 (Class 2A) LaVille. Dylan Murphy netted eight points in Oregon-Davis’ 65-21 loss to New Prairie. Matt’s pick: Culver 34, Oregon-Davis 32.
Argos (11-3) vs. Glenn (7-6) (Semifinal): The Falcons soared to a 47-35 win against Argos a season ago. Ian Kindig recorded 13 points for the Dragons against Bremen. Carter Yung managed 14 points for Glenn against Triton. Matt’s pick: Glenn 51, Argos 44.
New Prairie (5-7) vs. LaVille (11-2) (Semifinal): On their way to winning the 2017 TCU Bi-County title, the Cougars earned a 57-51 win over LaVille. Chase Ketterer scored 13 points for New Prairie against Oregon-Davis. Riley Wagoner chipped in eight points for the Lancers against Culver. Matt’s pick: LaVille 63, New Prairie 52.
JANUARY 19
Northridge (6-7, 2-1 NLC) at Elkhart Memorial (10-4, 2-1 NLC): The Chargers captured the 2018 Class 4A Elkhart Sectional crown by rallying for a 62-50 win over Northridge. Javon Forester managed nine points for Memorial against Riley. Clay Stoltzfus mustered only one point for the Raiders against Penn. Matt’s pick: Elkhart Memorial 65, Northridge 59.
TCU BI-COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
Glenn (8-6) vs. LaVille (12-2): The Lancers squeezed by Glenn, 50-45, on December 15. Aaron Wright’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer vaulted Glenn to a 39-36 win over Argos. Rilye Cox’s six pointed helped LaVille to a 47-44 win over New Prairie. Matt’s pick: LaVille 35, Glenn 31.
