Things didn’t go so well as I went 15-9 (63 percent) last week. My overall record is now 67-24, which drops me to 74 percent for the season.
MONDAY
Clay (3-4) at Trinity Greenlawn (1-4): The Titans suffered a 53-33 loss to Clay last season. Jamari Jones came up with six points in the Colonials’ 67-41 loss to Adams. Jacob Palmer ended with seven points in Trinity’s 46-26 loss to Culver. Matt’s pick: Clay 71, Trinity 57.
TUESDAY
Columbia City (3-4) at Wawasee (4-2): The Eagles soared to a 67-59 win over Wawasee a season ago. Chase Barnes had 12 points in Columbia City’s 69-49 loss to Fort Wayne Wayne. Myles Everingham chipped in seven points in the Warriors’ 56-51 win at Warsaw. Matt’s pick: Wawasee 48, Columbia City 46.
Concord (6-2) at Edwardsburg (3-2): The Minutemen downed Edwardsburg, 33-20, last year. Avery Johnson finished with eight points in Concord’s 54-41 win over East Noble. Brody Schimpa netted 15 points in the Eddies’ 52-42 loss to Ostego. Matt’s pick: Concord 50, Edwardsburg 43.
Goshen (4-3) at East Noble (3-3): The RedHawks flew past East Noble, 63-53, a year ago. Gage Worthman’s 31 points were not enough in Goshen’s 68-62 loss to Northridge. Ryker Quake paced the Knights with 14 points against Concord. Matt’s pick: Goshen 60, East Noble 54.
New Prairie (1-5) at Mishawaka (4-1): The Cavemen clubbed New Prairie, 74-42, during the 2022-23 campaign. Bryce McCorkel racked up four points in the Cougars’ 66-35 loss to Jimtown. Trey Thomas mustered two points in Mishawaka’s 43-34 win over Concord. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 64, New Prairie 47.
Riley (6-1) at Plymouth (3-3): The Pilgrims are looking to make amends for a 58-48 loss to Riley in their last meeting. Manny Hill scored nine points in the Wildcats’ 79-72 win over Saint Joseph. Preston Wolfe managed six points in Plymouth’s 58-46 loss to No. 7 (Class 3A) NorthWood. Matt’s pick: Riley 71, Plymouth 51.
Warsaw (4-2) at Carroll (Fort Wayne) (3-3): The Tigers roared to a 60-49 win against Carroll last year. Drew Sullivan accounted for 15 points in Warsaw’s 86-45 win over No. 9 (Class 3A) Washington. Jaiyre Sampson accounted for 24 points in the Chargers’ 73-69 loss to Fort Wayne Wayne. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 62, Carroll 60.
WEDNESDAY
Central Noble (4-1) at Wawasee (4-3): The Warriors earned a 55-47 win over Central Noble a season ago. Spencer Adams canned 10 points in the Cougars’ 40-37 win over West Noble. Weston Hoffert drained a three-pointer in Wawasee’s 42-35 loss to Columbia City. Matt’s pick: Central Noble 41, Wawasee 39.
Triton (6-0) at Jimtown (1-6): The No. 6 (Class 1A) Trojans slipped by Jimtown, 61-59, last year. Tanner Witt-Hoyo managed 16 points in Triton’s 41-34 win over Winamac. Javen Jackson amassed seven points in the Jimmies’ 66-51 loss to Fairfield. Matt’s pick: Triton 46, Jimtown 39.
Washington (6-2) at Northridge (6-1): The Panthers claimed a 63-53 win over Northridge in the 2021-22 season. Mike Stuckey came up with two points for Washington against Warsaw. Hayden Johnson ended with 10 points for the Raiders against Goshen. Matt’s pick: Northridge 53, Washington 50.
THURSDAY
LaPorte (4-3) at Elkhart (0-7): The Slicers managed a 64-45 win over Elkhart a year ago. Griffin Ott-Large notched seven points in LaPorte’s 62-28 win over Knox. Javeis Hines amassed 15 points in the Lions’ 70-52 loss to Valparaiso. Matt’s pick: LaPorte 62, Elkhart 55.
NorthWood (3-1) at Fort Wayne Concordia (2-2): The No. 6 (Class 3A) Panthers cruised to a 70-31 win over Fort Wayne Concordia last season. Tyler Raasch recorded 16 points for NorthWood against Plymouth. Cole Hayworth recorded 15 points in the Cadets’ 78-50 loss to Carroll (Fort Wayne). Matt’s pick: NorthWood 52, Fort Wayne Concordia 49.
FRIDAY
Boone Grove (1-5) at New Prairie (1-6): The Cougars were a 75-62 winner over Boone Grove in their last matchup. Corey Noonan ended with 12 points in the Wolves’ 52-47 loss to Highland. Trenton Klute managed 12 points in New Prairie’s 73-33 loss at Mishawaka. Matt’s pick: New Prairie 46, Boone Grove 41.
Central Noble (5-1) at Bremen (4-2): The Lions dropped a 56-49 contest to Central Noble last year. Isaiah Gard racked up 22 points in the Cougars’ 68-48 win at Wawasee. Julian Alvardo totaled eight points in Bremen’s 58-42 loss at Penn. Matt’s pick: Central Noble 48, Bremen 40.
Elkhart Christian (4-2) at Clay (4-4): The Colonials recorded a 60-50 win over Elkhart Christian a season ago. Aiden Hibbard’s 30 points lifted the Eagles to a 56-51 win over No. 7 (Class 1A) Marquette Catholic. Kellin Webster netted 14 points in Clay’s 65-57 win over Trinity. Matt’s pick: Clay 64, Elkhart Christian 59
Penn (5-1) at Chesterton (4-2): The Kingsmen captured a 2023 Class 4A regional title with a 73-63 win over Chesterton. Maverick Brown accounted for 11 points for Penn against Bremen. Justin Sims chipped in 17 points in the Trojans’ 48-45 win against Andrean. Matt’s pick: Chesterton 69, Penn 66.
Riley (7-1) vs. Mishawaka (5-1) (Kokomo Tournament): On the way to winning the 2023 Class 4A LaPorte Sectional title, the Cavemen posted a 71-58 win over Riley in the semifinal round. The winner-loser takes on New Haven (1-5) or No. 8 (Class 4A) Kokomo (6-2). Brandon Williams finished with eight points in the Wildcats’ 63-44 win over Plymouth. Rasauun Johnson came up with 20 points for Mishawaka against New Prairie. Matt’s pick: Riley 72, Mishawaka 65.
Mishawaka (5-2) vs. New Haven (1-6) (Kokomo Tournament): Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 56, New Haven 54.
SATURDAY
Kokomo (7-2) vs. Riley (8-1) (Kokomo Tournament): The No. 8 (Class 4A) Wildkats edged Riley, 73-69, during the 2014-15 campaign. Zion Bellamy came up with 24 points in Kokomo’s 81-49 win over New Haven. Marvin Schindler amassed 14 points in the Wildcats’ 62-49 win over Mishawaka. Matt’s pick: Kokomo 83, Riley 72.
Saint Pius X (Missouri) (3-3) at Saint Joseph (4-3): Vinny Ross poured in 20 points in the Warriors’ 71-61 win over Hogan Prep. Jayce Lee contributed 14 points for Saint Joe against Fort Wayne Concordia. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 76, Saint Pius X 72.
Warren Central (3-4) vs. Mishawaka (6-2) (Kokomo Tournament): Matt’s pick: Warren Central 64, Mishawaka 60.
Riley (8-2) vs. Mount Vernon (Fortville) (5-3) (Kokomo Tournament): Matt’s pick: Riley 63, Mount Vernon (Fortville) 61.