DECEMBER 7
Adams (2-2, 1-0 NIC) at Marian (2-0, 1-0 NIC): The No. 2 (Class 3A) Knights escaped with a 58-50 win over Adams last season. Lynn King came up with 13 points in the Eagles’ 71-48 win over Elkhart Central. Jerry Bracey netted 16 points in Marian’s 44-33 win at New Prairie. Matt’s pick: Marian 64, Adams 55.
Bremen (1-2, 0-1 NIC) at Saint Joseph (1-2, 0-1 NIC): The Lions suffered a 51-25 loss to Saint Joseph a year ago. Ryan Caldwell managed just five points in Bremen’s 52-29 loss at Glenn. Adam O’Dell tallied eight points in the Indians’ 64-55 loss at No. 9 (Class 4A) Riley. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 51, Bremen 39.
Glenn (3-1, 1-0 NIC) at Elkhart Central (0-4, 0-1 NIC) (North Side Gym): The Falcons edged Elkhart Central, 53-51, a season ago. Khori Barker tallied 13 points for Glenn against Bremen. Titus Rodgers contributed four points for the Blazers against Adams. Matt’s pick: Glenn 57, Elkhart Central 54.
Lake Central (1-3) at Warsaw (2-2): The Indians were a 63-51 winner over Warsaw last year. Nick Anderson racked up nine points in Lake Central’s 65-49 loss to Washington. Wyatt Amiss had eight points for the Tigers in their 47-37 loss at Huntington North. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 49, Lake Central 46.
LaPorte (1-2) at Elkhart Memorial (2-0): The Chargers marched past LaPorte, 73-62, in their last meeting. Garrott Ott-Large poured in 13 points for the Slicers in a 59-57 loss to Washington. Trey Gallope netted eight points in Elkhart Memorial’s 50-49 win over Mishawaka. Matt’s pick: Elkhart Memorial 61, LaPorte 52.
New Prairie (1-2, 0-1 NIC) at Jimtown (1-0, 1-0 NIC): The Jimmies are looking to make amends for a 52-36 loss to New Prairie in the 2017-18 campaign. Jake Tuttle contributed five points for the Cougars against Marian. Bill Pawlak scored 15 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, in Jimtown’s 60-59 win at Washington. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 56, New Prairie 50.
Penn (3-0) at Concord (0-2): The Kingsmen cruised to a 66-37 win against Concord last season. Carter Hickey finished with seven points in Penn’s 86-44 win over Clay. Carter Neveraski chipped in five points for the Minutemen in a 60-46 loss to Saint Joseph. Matt’s pick: Penn 69, Concord 53.
Plymouth (3-2) at Peru (1-2): The Pilgrims earned a 47-40 win against Peru a year ago. Joe Barron grabbed four rebounds in Plymouth’s 50-43 loss at Winamac. Trey Curtis came up with 21 points for the Bengal Tigers in a 64-55 win over Knox. Matt’s pick: Plymouth 44, Peru 41.
Riley (4-0, 1-0 NIC) at Mishawaka (1-1, 0-0 NIC): The Wildcats clawed their way to a 62-48 win over Mishawaka a season ago. Brayton Gidon netted 10 points for Riley against Saint Joseph. Grant Jablonski tallied a career-high 25 points for the Cavemen against Elkhart Memorial. Matt’s pick: Riley 68, Mishawaka 59.
Washington (2-1, 0-1 NIC) at Clay (1-3, 0-1 NIC): The Panthers roared past Clay, 84-50, last year. Jayne Griffin finished with 11 points for Washington against Jimtown. Nate Sanders registered six points for the Colonials against Penn. Matt’s pick: Washington 71, Clay 54.
DECEMBER 8
Angola (2-1) at Northridge (2-2): The Raiders got past Angola, 41-35, last season. Blake Pocock netted 12 points in the Hornets’ 48-41 win over Woodlan. Jackson Erekson finished with 22 points in Northridge’s 52-47 win over East Noble. Matt’s pick: Northridge 55, Angola 53.
Argos (2-2) at Jimtown (1-0): The Jimmies posted a 35-33 win at Argos a season ago. Luke VandeWeele had 13 points in the Dragons’ 49-33 loss to No. 5 (Class 2A) LaVille. Caaden Beck tallied seven points for Jimtown against Washington. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 42, Argos 40.
Elkhart Memorial (2-0) at Portage (3-1): The Indians dropped a 58-43 decision to Elkhart Memorial last year. Ben Roby managed just four points for the Chargers against Mishawaka. Evan Olson had 11 points in Portage’s 61-51 win against Hobart. Matt’s pick: Elkhart Memorial 60, Portage 57.
Goshen (1-2) at Saint Joseph (1-2): The RedHawks recorded a 45-41 win over Saint Joseph a year ago. Austin Cain’s five points were not enough for Goshen in a 44-39 loss at Mishawaka. Phillip Robles tallied four points for the Indians against Riley. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 59, Goshen 56.
NorthWood (3-2) at Fairfield (4-0): The Panthers eliminated Fairfield from the Class 3A state tournament with a 59-39 win in the sectional opener. Nolin Sharick came up with 16 points for the Falcons in a 53-37 win over Lakeland. Matt’s pick: Fairfield 43, NorthWood 41.
Oregon-Davis (0-4) at New Prairie (1-2): The Bobcats edged New Prairie, 44-40, in their last matchup. Dylan Murphy netted 14 points for Oregon-Davis in an 85-40 loss to Tippecanoe Valley. Cade Boniface mustered only three points for the Cougars against Marian. Matt’s pick: New Prairie 50, Oregon-Davis 35.
Tippecanoe Valley (2-2) at Glenn (3-1): The Vikings came up on the short end of a 56-51 decision to Tippecanoe Valley last year. Parkur Dalrymple poured in 15 points for Tippecanoe Valley against Oregon-Davis. Aaron Wright scored two points for the Falcons against Bremen. Matt’s pick: Glenn 62, Tippecanoe Valley 54.
Washington (2-1) at Fort Wayne Wayne (0-1): The Generals downed Washington, 88-85, a season ago. Da’Qua Jennings ended up with two points for the Panthers against Jimtown. Cameron Starks scored 13 points for Fort Wayne Wayne in a 60-41 loss to top-ranked and defending Class 3A state champion Culver Academy. Matt’s pick: Washington 75, Fort Wayne Wayne 64.
Whitko (1-3) at Wawasee (0-4): The Wildcats needed overtime to escape with a 44-43 win over Wawasee last year. Spencer Sroufe had six points in Whitko’s 78-52 loss to West Noble. Bennett Hoffert contributed eight points in the Warriors’ 50-48 loss to West Noble. Matt’s pick: Wawasee 41, Whitko 40.
DECEMBER 10
Mishawaka (1-2) at Elkhart Christian (1-4): The Eagles suffered a 59-52 loss at Mishawaka last season. A.J. Rosebush poured in 19 points for the Cavemen in a 62-50 setback to Riley. Joe Ndaiga netted 19 points for Elkhart Christian in a 99-54 loss to No. 1 (Class 1A) Fort Wayne Blackhawk. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 58, Elkhart Christian 41.