The 2022 portion of the scheduled ended on a positive note as I went 35-7 (83 percent) last week. Heading into 2023, my overall record at 113-35, which has me at 76 percent for the year.
TUESDAY
Columbia City (7-4) at NorthWood (8-2): The No. 2 (Class 3A) Panthers clawed past Columbia City, 47-41, last year. Kam Hoag’s 27 points lifted the Eagles to a 67-59 win over Wawasee. Tyler Raasch managed six points in NorthWood’s 60-42 loss to No. 1 (Class 4A) Indianapolis Ben Davis. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 55, Columbia City 49.
Elkhart (1-7) at Mishawaka (8-2): The Cavemen clubbed Elkhart, 67-46, a season ago. Jacob Windy contributed six points in the Lions’ 64-45 loss to LaPorte. Arthur Jones poured in 26 points in Mishawaka’s 68-49 win over Merrillville. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 58, Elkhart 46.
Fort Wayne Blackhawk (10-1) at Saint Joseph (6-5): The No. 2 (Class 2A) Braves rolled to a 79-66 win over Saint Joseph last season. Gage Sefton chipped in 24 points in Blackhawk’s 73-58 win against No. 8 (Class 3A) West Noble. Chase Konieczny managed 31 points in the Indians’ 61-47 win over Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger. Matt’s pick: Fort Wayne Blackhawk 73, Saint Joseph 60.
Goshen (5-3) at Wabash (8-2): Ryan Eldridge contributed 18 points in the RedHawks’ 63-53 win over East Noble. Trevor Daughtry finished with 16 points in the Apaches’ 55-47 win over Manchester. Matt’s pick: Wabash 52, Goshen 48.
THURSDAY
Bremen (0-7, 0-2 NIC) at Washington (9-2, 3-1 NIC): The No. 9 (Class 3A) Panthers cruised to a 51-31 win over Bremen in their last meeting. Baylor Orcutt came up with 17 points in the Lions’ 56-49 loss to Central Noble. Marcus Northern tallied 11 points in Washington’s 51-44 win over Warsaw. Matt’s pick: Washington 77, Bremen 52.
Elkhart (1-8, 1-2 NIC) at Riley (6-6, 2-2 NIC): The Wildcats held on for a 67-63 win over Elkhart during the 2021-22 campaign. Rodney Gates tallied two points in the Lions’ 80-56 loss to Mishawaka. Jaylen Barbara scored 12 points in Riley’s 54-36 loss to Guerin Catholic. Matt’s pick: Riley 75, Elkhart 61.
Glenn (5-4, 2-2 NIC) at New Prairie (3-4, 2-2 NIC): The Falcons soared to a 70-20 win over New Prairie last year. Joey Chrapliwy’s 10 points helped Glenn to a 60-41 win over East Noble. Devan Kalicki scored 13 points in the Cougars’ 74-42 loss to Mishawaka. Matt’s pick: Glenn 63, New Prairie 48.
Jimtown (2-8, 0-3 NIC) at Clay (4-4, 1-3 NIC): The Colonials earned a 59-56 win over Jimtown in the opening round of last season’s Class 3A Marian Sectional. Gaege Watts contributed 11 points in Jimtown’s 54-47 loss to Knox. Kayden Newhouse racked up five points in Clay’s 53-33 win over Trinity (Greenlawn). Matt’s pick: Clay 59, Jimtown 41.
Marian (10-1) at Andrean (1-5): The 59ers dropped a 62-31 decision to No. 1 (Class 3A) Marian a year ago. Jackson Price accounted for 17 points in the Knights’ 55-49 overtime loss to No. 5 (Class 4A) Homestead. Aiden Austin recorded 12 points in Andrean’s 68-50 loss to Kankakee Valley. Matt’s pick: Marian 60, Andrean 44.
FRIDAY
Concord (4-5, 0-1 NLC) at Goshen (5-4. 0-1 NLC): The Minutemen eliminated Goshen from last year’s Class 4A Elkhart sectional semifinals with a 52-44 victory. Baraeden Messenger ended with 15 points in Concord’s 33-20 win over Edwardsburg. Gage Worthman’s 22 points were not enough in the RedHawks’ 58-53 loss to Wabash. Matt’s pick: Goshen 45, Concord 41.
Glenn (6-4) at Triton (5-3): The Trojans suffered a 52-35 loss to Glenn in the 2022 TCU Bi-County Tournament championship game. Ty’ronn Larkin added four points in the Falcons’ 59-38 win at New Prairie. Anthony Schuh came up with 22 points in Triton’s 61-59 win over Jintown. Matt’s pick: Glenn 44, Triton 42.
Mishawaka (9-2, 1-0 NLC) at Plymouth (5-4, 0-1 NLC): The Pilgrims came up on the short end of a 47-42 decision to Mishawaka a season ago. Brady Fisher accounted for 14 points for the Cavemen against Elkhart. Easton Strain returned from an injury to net 15 points in Plymouth’s 44-37 win over Lewis Cass. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 61, Plymouth 56.
Northridge (7-4, 1-0 NLC) at Warsaw (5-4, 1-0 NLC): The Tigers posted a 61-47 win over Northridge last season. The Raiders registered just four points in the third quarter of their 53-33 loss to Chesterton. Drew Heckaman finished with 13 points for Warsaw against Washington. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 50, Northridge 47.
Wawasee (4-6, 0-1 NLC) at NorthWood (9-2, 1-0 NLC): The Warriors lost 40-23 to No. 2 (Class 3A) NorthWood in last year’s Class 3A Wawasee sectional final. Carson Smith came up with seven points in Wawasee’s 55-43 loss to Woodlan. Ian Raasch’s 19 points propelled NorthWood to a 70-44 win over Columbia City. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 72, Wawasee 54.
SATURDAY
Bremen (0-8) at Bethany Christian (6-4): The Bruins recorded a 39-35 win over Bremen a year ago. Camden Hickman mustered three points in the Lions’ 42-41 loss to New Prairie. Tyson Chupp mustered nine points in Bethany Christian’s 38-36 loss to Lakeland Christian. Matt’s pick: Bethany Christian 41, Bremen 32.
Tippecanoe Valley (8-3) at Plymouth (5-5): The Vikings claimed a 61-46 win over Plymouth a season ago. Nolan Cumberland poured in 22 points in Tippecanoe Valley’s 59-52 win over Hanover Central. Davis Wray scored 19 points in the Pilgrims’ 56-34 win over Winamac. Matt’s pick: Tippecanoe Valley 50, Plymouth 47.
Valparaiso (7-5) at Penn (7-1): The Vikings edged No.3 (Class 4A) Penn, 74-73, last season. Mason Jones scored 22 points in Valparaiso’s 49-45 win over Hamilton Southeastern. Joe Smith netted 14 points in the Kingsmen’s 61-45 win over No. 3 (Class 3A) North Daviess. Matt’s pick: Penn 71, Valparaiso 65.
Wawasee (4-7) at Homestead (10-1): Collin Ziebarth scored seven points in the Warriors’ 50-16 win over Trinity (Greenlawn). Kyron Kaopuiki’s 20 points helped the No. 5 (Class 4A) Spartans past Marian. Matt’s pick: Homestead 66, Wawasee 51.