It was another productive performance as I went 20-3 (87 percent) last week. My overall record is now 55-9, which is good for 86 percent.
TUESDAY
Manchester (4-1) at LaVille (3-2): Dalton Husband had 11 points in the Squires’ 71-49 win over Huntington North. Andre Gonzales amassed seven points in the Lancers’ 65-27 win over Knox. Matt’s pick: Manchester 54, LaVille 45.
Michigan City (4-0) at Mishawaka (1-2): The Cavemen clubbed Michigan City, 54-44, a year ago. Anthony Murphy scored 14 points in the Wolves’ 81-72 win over Hammond Central. Landon Snyder was limited to a free throw in Mishawaka’s 74-29 loss to Riley. Matt’s pick: Michigan City 65, Mishawaka 56.
New Prairie (0-4) at Oregon-Davis (0-5): The Cougars clawed past Oregon-Davis, 53-45, a season ago. Griffin Ernst mustered four points in New Prairie’s 58-27 loss to No. 7 (Class 2A) Jimtown. The Bobcats were held to six points in the first quarter of their 66-25 loss to No. 2 (Class 1A) Marquette Catholic. Matt’s pick: New Prairie 39, Oregon-Davis 33.
NorthWood (5-0) at Jimtown (5-0): The Panthers edged No. 7 (Class 2A) Jimtown, 33-32, last year. Mason Pearson chipped in 11 points in NorthWood’s 66-40 win over Fairfield. Ed Potter accounted for four points in the Jimmies’ 56-16 win over Glenn. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 51, Jimtown 47.
Plymouth (2-3) at Wabash (0-6): The Pilgrims downed Wabash, 55-51, during the 1973-74 campaign. Hayden Feldman connected for two points in Plymouth’s 71-44 loss to Riley. Ty Carpenter poured in 17 points in the Apaches’ 79-34 loss to Marion. Matt’s pick: Plymouth 58, Wabash 52.
WEDNESDAY
Bremen (2-3) at Central Noble (0-4): The Lions scratched out a 58-52 win over Central Noble last season. Landon Bates ended with five points in Bremen’s 59-39 win over Glenn. Nick Freeman contributed 15 points in the Cougars’ 60-45 loss to Angola. Matt’s pick: Bremen 42, Central Noble 36.
Northridge (5-0) at Washington (3-0): The No. 8 (Class 4A) Raiders earned a 69-62 win over Washington a season ago. Brady Scholl totaled 11 points in Northridge’s 80-20 win over Angola. Da’Kori Parker finished with 15 points in the Panthers’ 66-63 win at LaPorte, Matt’s pick: Northridge 66, Washington 61.
THURSDAY
Mishawaka (1-3) at Concord (4-2): The Cavemen clubbed Concord, 43-34, a year ago. Kamden Putz tossed in 10 points in Mishawaka’s 59-54 loss to Michigan City. Carson Weirich ended with five points in the Minutemen’s 46-40 loss to Penn. Matt’s pick: Concord 47, Mishawaka 43.
South Central (2-4) at Glenn (1-4): The Falcons soared to a 59-35 victory over South Central during the 2018-19 campaign. Jay Huerta finished with 16 points in the Satellites’ 52-50 loss to North Judson. Jude Nicks recorded six points for Glenn against Jimtown. Matt’s pick: South Central 41, Glenn 39.
FRIDAY
Bremen (2-4) at Caston (2-3): The Lions claimed a 59-58 win over Caston during the 1981-82 campaign. Riley Tener tossed in 15 points in Bremen’s 46-29 loss to Central Noble. Lane Hook amassed 10 points in the Comets’ 50-40 loss to Frontier. Matt’s pick: Caston 40, Bremen 37.
Marian (3-2) at Lake Central (2-3): The Knights are looking to avenge last year’s 53-45 loss to Lake Central. Paxan Sullivan notched 14 points in Marian’s 73-39 win over Career Academy. Brady Connor ended with five points in the Indians’ 60-49 loss to Munster. Matt’s pick: Marian 57, Lake Central 54.
Michigan City (5-1) at Penn (2-1): The Kingsmen crowned Michigan City, 86-61, during the 2021-22 season. Nick Stewart poured in 22 points for the Wolves against Mishawaka. Alex Hawthorne contributed four points in Penn’s 46-40 win over Concord. Matt’s pick: Penn 48, Michigan City 46.
North Judson (2-1) at Knox (0-3): The Bluejays soared to a 54-46 win over Knox a year ago. Kole Wilcox’s 14 points were not enough in North Judson’s 59-43 loss to Rochester. Ashton Walker drilled a three-pointer for the Redskins against LaVille. Matt’s pick: North Judson 44, Knox 35.
NorthWood (6-0) at Plymouth (3-3): The Pilgrims dropped a 58-46 loss to No. 9 (Class 3A) NorthWood a season ago. Tyler Raasch came up with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the Panthers’ 61-26 win over Jimtown. Dan Nguyen added four points in Plymouth’s 43-32 win over Wabash. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 65, Plymouth 51.
Tippecanoe Valley (3-3) at Peru (3-2): The Bengal Tigers needed overtime to past a 55-51 victory against Tippecanoe Valley last season. Blain Sheetz finished with eight points in the Vikings’ 68-21 win at Knox. Zion See recorded 12 points in Peru’s 74-66 loss to Fort Wayne South. Matt’s pick: Peru 61, Tippecanoe Valley 56.
Warsaw (4-0) at Wawasee (2-4): The Warriors downed No. 6 (Class 4A) Warsaw, 56-51, last year. Luke Bricker racked up 15 points in the Tigers’ 57-38 win over Fort Wayne Snider. Nolan Holzwart’s 22 points paved the way in Wawasee’s 53-49 win over Whitko. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 67, Wawasee 49.
SATURDAY
Carroll (Fort Wayne) (3-3) at Warsaw (5-0): The No. 6 (Class 4A) Tigers got past Carroll, 75-70, a season ago. Brody Fisher tallied 17 points in the Chargers’ 47-30 win over East Noble. Parker Justice notched four points in Warsaw’s 67-48 win at Wawasee. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 70, Carroll 64.
Chesterton (4-2) at Penn (3-1): The Kingsmen earned a 54-44 win against Chesterton a year ago. Jaylon Watts registered 13 points in the Trojans’ 54-51 win over Brownsburg. Christian Bonner accounted for 10 points in Penn’s 64-47 win over Michigan City, Matt’s pick: Penn 40, Chesterton 37.
Concord (5-2) vs. Berrien Springs (4-2) (Holiday Hoops): Reese Breveard’s netted eight points, including the game winning 10-foot jumper with three seconds left, to give the Minutemen a 50-48 win over Mishawaka. Brady Blasko contributed 22 points in the Shamrocks’ 69-47 win over Buchanan. Matt’s pick: Concord 53, Berrien Springs 51.
Elkhart (0-4) vs. Mattawan (0-4) (Holiday Hoops): Samarcus Gibson added nine points in the Lions’ 55-43 loss to Goshen. Hayden Campbell added 12 points in the Wildcats’ 45-36 loss to Edwardsburg. Matt’s pick: Elkhart 45, Mattawan 44.
Fairfield (2-3) at Jimtown (5-1): The No. 5 (Class 2A) Jimmies dropped a 66-51 contest to Fairfield last season. Ben Kio scored four points for the Falcons against NorthWood. Max Ganger knocked down a pair of free throws for Jimtown against NorthWood. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 47, Fairfield 40.
Fort Wayne Snider (2-3) at Elkhart (0-4): The Panthers squeezed by Elkhart, 66-65, during the 2020-21 campaign. Xavier Wilson mustered 14 points for Snider against Warsaw. Easton Anderson recorded 12 points in the Lions’ 73-64 loss to Concord. Matt’s pick: Fort Wayne Snider 55, Elkhart 52.
Glenn (1-5) at Wheeler (4-2): Hunter Dupont amassed three points in the Falcons’ 59-39 loss to Bremen. Logan Fox’s 10 points helped the Bearcats to a 67-51 win at Lake Station. Matt’s pick: Wheeler 50, Glenn 38.
Goshen (3-3) at Northridge (6-0): The RedHawks lost 68-62 to No. 7 (Class 4A) Northridge last year. Damarian Axell notched 11 points in Goshen’s 85-44 loss to No. 1 (Class 3A) Saint Joseph. Mason Bales chipped in 22 points in the Raiders’ 77-58 win at Washington. Matt’s pick: Northridge 69, Goshen 53.
Knox (0-4) at Morgan Township (1-7): The Redskins recorded a 58-54 win over Morgan Twp. in the 2022-23 season. Dirk Huff racked up 10 points in Knox’s 56-35 loss to Winamac. Brady Walters tallied 10 points for the Cherokees in their 44-38 overtime loss to North Judson. Matt’s pick: Morgan Township 41, Knox 30.
Marian (4-2) vs. Niles (4-3) (Holiday Hoops): The Knights crowned Niles, 61-51, during the 1999-2000 campaign. Ryan Harris chipped in three points in Marian’s 54-26 win over Mishawka. Brayden Favors’ 20 points were not enough in the Vikings’ 64-52 loss to Portage Northern. Matt’s pick: Marian 65, Niles 56.
Michigan City (5-2) at Adams (5-0): The Wolves roared past Adams, 67-46, last year. Anthony Murphy’s 19 points paved the way for Michigan City against Penn. Drew Dixon registered six points in the Eagles’ 65-46 decision over Victory Christian. Matt’s pick: Adams 67, Michigan City 62.
Mishawaka (1-4) at New Prairie (1-4): The Cavemen cruised to a 73-33 win over New Prairie last season. Brady Hoopingarner came up with two points for Mishawaka against Concord. Andrew Evers’ seven points vaulted the Cougars to a 51-45 win at Oregon-Davis. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 42, New Prairie 35.
Riley (4-1) vs. Portage Central (4-2) (Holiday Hoops): Tyrese Jones totaled 11 points for the Wildcats against Plymouth. Ben Johnson netted 20 points in the Mustangs’ 75-29 victory against St. Joseph. Matt’s pick: Riley 68, Portage Central 64.
Saint Joseph (5-0) vs. Kalamazoo Loy Norrix (3-3) (Holiday Hoops): Elijah King’s 10 points helped the top-ranked (Class 3A) Huskies past Goshen. Demetrius Bennett had 16 points in the Knights’ 78-56 loss to Kalamazoo Central. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 71, Loy Norix 61.
Washington (3-1) vs. Benton Harbor (5-0) (Holiday Hoops): The Tigers clawed past No. 10 (Class 3A) Washington, 90-79, during the 1991-92 season. Gabe Burgin came up with 13 points for the Panthers against Northridge. Latrell Johnson chipped in 12 points in Benton Harbor’s 84-57 win over St. Joseph. Matt’s pick: Benton Harbor 77, Washington 66.