It was another down performance as I went 13-7 (65 percent) last week. With just two weeks left in the 2018 portion of the schedule, my overall mark is 69-25, which leaves me at 73 percent for the season.
DECEMBER 18
Clay (2-5, 1-2 NIC) at Adams (3-3, 1-1 NIC): The Eagles knocked Clay out of the state tournament last season with a 73-52 victory in the Class 4A Mishawaka sectional semifinals. Johnathon White netted 13 points in the Colonials’ 63-51 win over New Prairie. Shak Johnson came up with 13 points in Adams’ 76-70 upset of No. 6 (Class 4A) Riley. Matt’s pick: Adams 72, Clay 60.
Concord (0-5) at Jimtown (4-1): The Jimmies are looking to avenge a 68-41 loss to Concord a year ago. Drew McDougle tallied three points for the Minutemen in their 44-39 loss to No. 10 (Class 4A) Elkhart Memorial. Austin Pearison managed six points in Jimtown’s 36-35 win against Fairfield. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 43, Concord 33.
Elkhart Central (1-5, 1-2 NIC) at Mishawaka (2-3, 0-2 NIC): The Cavemen cruised to a 68-42 win against Elkhart Central last year. Cam’ron Daniels finished with five points in the Blazers’ 51-41 setback at Saint Joseph. Nick Hoopingarner’s nine points were not enough for Mishawaka in a 57-46 loss at Bremen. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 54, Elkhart Central 47.
Plymouth (5-2) at Riley (7-1): The Wildcats rolled to a 72-38 victory over Plymouth a season ago. Bryce Carmichael contributed four points in the Pilgrims’ 57-42 win against NorthWood. Jacquan Ulmer had 14 points for Riley against Adams. Matt’s pick: Riley 69, Plymouth 55.
Wawasee (1-5) at Columbia City (1-6): The Eagles soared to a 46-38 win against Wawasee in their last meeting. Aaron Evans ended up with five points for the Warriors in their 50-39 loss to Warsaw. Dillon Sheiss contributed 10 points for Columbia City in a 50-35 loss to East Noble. Matt’s pick: Columbia City 46, Wawasee 42.
DECEMBER 19
New Prairie (2-4, 0-2 NIC) at Penn (5-1, 2-0 NIC): The No. 8 (Class 4A) Kingsmen crowned New Prairie, 68-44, last season. Braydon Flagg chipped in eight points for the Cougars against Clay. Kegan Hoskins racked up 11 points for Penn in a 66-63 loss to Michigan City. Matt’s pick: Penn 68, New Prairie 49.
Warsaw (4-3) at Whitko (2-5): The Tigers clawed past Whitko, 67-49, a year ago. Tyler Metzinger registered nine points in Warsaw’s 48-41 loss to Crown Point. Spencer Sroufe scored 23 points for the Wildcats in their 46-45 loss to Tippecanoe Valley. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 50, Whitko 40
DECEMBER 20
Washington (3-3) at Northridge (3-3): The Panthers were a 90-49 winner over Northridge last year. Demarrio Henderson tallied 10 points for Washington in a 71-56 loss to Penn. Sam Smith’s three points helped the Raiders to a 49-42 win over Goshen. Matt’s pick: Northridge 57, Washington 56.
ELKHART CENTRAL TOURNAMENT
Goshen (3-3) vs. Fairfield (6-1): The Falcons downed Goshen, 55-38, on November 24. Joe Good mustered just five points for the RedHawks against Northridge. Nolin Scharick managed 15 points for Fairfield against Jimtown. Matt’s pick: Fairfield 52, Goshen 49.
East Noble (5-2) vs. Elkhart Central (1-6): The Knights and Elkhart Central are meeting for the first time on the basketball court. Ali Ali tallied 20 points for East Noble against Columbia City. Kyran Pearson came up with 12 points in the Blazers’ 57-56 loss to Mishawaka. Matt’s pick: East Noble 61, Elkhart Central 54.
DECEMBER 21
Adams (4-3) at LaPorte (2-4): The Eagles soared to a 62-44 win against LaPorte in last season’s Class 4A sectional opener. Quentez Columbus tallied 10 points in Adams’ 85-43 win against Clay. Jake Spence racked up 17 points in the Slicers’ 61-57 loss at Lowell. Matt’s pick: Adams 64, LaPorte 63.
Bremen (2-3) at Argos (5-2): The Dragons roared to a 52-40 win over Bremen a year ago. Bryce Ginter scored 10 points for the Lions against Mishawaka. Owen Nifong had 13 points for Argos in a 53-39 win over Pioneer. Matt’s pick: Argos 40, Bremen 37.
Boone Grove (1-6) at New Prairie (2-5): The Cougars cruised to a 71-31 victory against Boone Grove last season. Johnny Parker netted 10 points in the Wolves’ 47-34 loss to Knox. Cade Boniface ended up with nine points in New Prairie’s 69-43 loss to No. 9 (Class 4A) Penn. Matt’s pick: New Prairie 61, Boone Grove 45.
Columbia City (2-6) at NorthWood (3-5): The Panthers eliminated Columbia City, 35-33, in the 2015 Class 3A regional. Mitchell Wilson registered 29 points in the Eagles’ 58-42 win over Wawasee. Matt Dutkowski added 10 points for NorthWood against Plymouth. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 47, Columbia City 40.
Glenn (1-4, 1-2 NIC) at Clay (2-6, 1-3 NIC): The Colonials suffered a 49-46 loss at Glenn last year. Jack Porter tallied three points for the Falcons in a 50-45 loss to No. 3 (Class 2A) LaVille. Anthony Neal’s six points were not enough for Clay against Adams. Matt’s pick: Glenn 55, Clay 49.
Mishawaka (3-3, 1-2 NIC) at Marian (5-0, 3-0 NIC): The top-ranked (Class 3A) Knights escaped with a 48-47 win at Mishawaka a year ago. A.J. Rosebush accounted for 16 points, including the game-winning basket, for the Cavemen against Elkhart Central. Maddix Bogunia had two points in Marian’s 60-47 win at Glenn. Matt’s pick: Marian 62, Mishawaka 53.
Wawasee (1-6) at Central Noble (4-1): The Warriors were a 50-43 winner over Central Noble during the 2012-13 campaign. Kameron Salazar recorded eight points for Wawasee against Columbia City. Ridley Zolman poured in 30 points in the Cougars’ 98-57 victory over West Noble. Matt’s pick: Central Noble 46, Wawasee 38.
ELKHART CENTRAL TOURNAMENT
Goshen (3-4) vs. Elkhart Central (1-7): The RedHawks got past Elkhart Central, 55-42, on November 27. Austin Cain mustered just three points in Goshen’s 53-43 loss to Fairfield. DuMarrion Williams netted six points in the Blazers’ 60-38 loss to East Noble. Matt’s pick: Goshen 54, Elkhart Central 51.
Fairfield (7-1) vs. East Noble (6-2): The Falcons dropped a 53-50 decision to East Noble a season ago. Cordell Hofer poured in 20 points for Fairfield against Goshen. Hayden Jones tallied 13 points for the Knights against Elkhart Central. Matt’s pick: Fairfield 43, East Noble 42.
DECEMBER 22
Bremen (3-3) at Central Noble (4-2): The Cougars needed two overtimes to escape with a 58-53 win over Bremen in last season’s Class 2A sectional semifinals. David Slos finished with five points in the Lions’ 41-38 win at Argos. Ryan Schroeder netted 10 points in Central Noble’s 60-52 loss to Wawasee. Matt’s pick: Bremen 47, Central Noble 46.
New Prairie (3-5) at LaPorte (3-4): The Slicers carved up New Prairie, 57-49, in their last meeting. Jake Tuttle recorded nine points in the Cougars’ 40-37 win over Boone Grove. Grant Ott-Large poured in 26 points in LaPorte’s 80-68 triumph over Adams. Matt’s pick: LaPorte 60, New Prairie 52.
Penn (6-1) at Elkhart Memorial (6-1): The No. 9 (Class 4A) Kingsmen claimed a 71-61 win against No. 9 (Class 4A) Elkhart Memorial last season. Carter Hickey managed 10 points for Penn against New Prairie. Brandon Bailey netted five points in the Chargers’ 63-56 loss to No. 3 (Class 4A) Valparaiso. Matt’s pick: Penn 70, Elkhart Memorial 66.
Westview (7-0) at Warsaw (5-3): The top-ranked (Class 2A) Warriors posted a 57-50 win over Warsaw last year. Nick Rensberger came up with 16 points in Westview’s 72-44 victory against Lakeland. Trevor Rumple scored a career-high 18 points in the Tigers’ 51-40 win at Whitko. Matt’s pick: Westview 44, Warsaw 41.