Some improvement took place last week as I posted a 22-4 (85 percent) record. Heading into the final week of the regular season, my overall record is now 232-72, which keeps me at 76 percent.
TUESDAY
Adams (8-13) at Elkhart Christian (12-8): Amari Wesson tallied nine points in the Eagles’ 66-55 loss to Riley. LJ Bevier finished with 14 points in the Eagles’ 74-71 win over LaVille. Matt’s pick: Adams 64, Elkhart Christian 59.
Bowman Academy (10-11) at Riley (19-4): The Wildcats went to overtime a year ago to claim a 61-59 win at Bowman Academy. Lamonte Cross accounted for 22 points in the Eagles’ 63-60 loss to Griffith. Jaylen Barbara finished with 10 points for Riley against Adams. Matt’s pick: Riley 79, Bowman Academy 67.
Career Academy (4-16) at Washington (9-11): Mykel Jackson registered eight points in the Trailblazers’ 81-36 loss to Mishawaka. Donovan Johnson’s seven points were not enough in the Panthers’ 93-59 loss to Saint Joseph. Matt’s pick: Washington 77, Carrer Academy 58.
Concord (16-3) at Glenn (10-11): The Minutemen earned a 60-48 win over Glenn last season. Jake DeShone recorded two points in Concord’s 51-32 win over Clay. Kadem Lang was limited to two points in the Falcons’ 49-36 loss to Bremen. Matt’s pick: Concord 54, Glenn 50.
Elkhart (3-17, 2-8 NIC) at Marian (14-8, 8-1 NIC): The Knights crowned Elkhart, 66-41, a season ago. Will Cochrane totaled three points in the Lions’ 55-49 loss to Penn. Paxan Sullivan ended with 12 points in Marian’s 53-46 win over Jimtown. Matt’s pick: Marian 61, Elkhart 45.
Fairfield (17-4) at Northridge (17-4): The No. 9 (Class 3A) Falcons suffered a 66-54 loss to Northridge in their last meeting. Tyson Frey’s 14 points helped Fairfield to a 61-50 win over Churubusco. Luke Mann racked up two points in the Raiders’ 66-40 win over Columbia City, Matt’s pick: Northridge 68, Fairfield 63.
Goshen (8-12) at West Noble (7-13): The Chargers marched past Goshen, 52-44, during the 2022-23 season. Merrill Weddell amassed 11 points in the RedHawks’ 50-47 win over Westview. David Slone chipped in eight points in West Noble’s 49-46 overtime loss to Angola. Matt’s pick: Goshen 47, West Noble 45.
Penn (15-5) at Mishawaka (15-6): The Kingsmen cruised to an 85-44 win against Mishawaka last year. Nolan McCullough added two points for Penn against Elkhart. Anthony Nelson registered three points in the Cavemen’s 54-51 loss to Wawasee. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 59, Penn 57.
Saint Joseph (14-8) at Plymouth (8-13): The Pilgrims downed Saint Joseph, 58-56, last season. Jayce Lee scored 23 points for Saint Joe against Washington. Parker Wolfe finished with three points in Plymouth’s 55-44 win at Triton. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 72, Plymouth 61.
Triton (14-5) at Bremen (8-12): The No. 8 (Class 1A) Trojans edged Bremen, 43-42, in their previous matchup. Gage Riffle’s 13 points were not enough for Triton against Plymouth. Cam Hickman logged six points for the Lions against Glenn. Matt’s pick: Triton 40, Bremen 36.
Warsaw (16-5) at Tippecanoe Valley (14-7): The Vikings claimed a 57-56 win over Warsaw a season ago. Brandt Martin’s 13 points lifted the Tigers to a 63-59 win at Hammond Morton. Ian Cooksey mustered 18 points in Tippecanoe Valley’s 59-37 loss to No. 5 (Class 4A) Kokomo. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 51, Tippecanoe Valley 49.
THURSDAY
Jimtown (11-10) at Argos (10-10): The Dragons slipped past Jimtown, 53-51, a year ago. Bishop Willams recorded 13 points for the Jimmies against Marian. Sean Richard poured in 24 points for Argos in a 55-49 win over North Newton. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 46, Argos 42.
FRIDAY
Bremen (9-12) at Culver (9-12): The Cavaliers are looking to avenge a 35-32 loss to Bremen a season ago. Julian Alvarado tallied 12 points in the Lions’ 51-45 win against No. 8 (Class 1A) Triton. Jack Rodgers ended with 16 points in Culver’s 41-36 loss to Triton. Matt’s pick: Bremen 38, Culver 35.
Concord (17-3) at Westview (16-5): The Warriors came away with a 40-36 win against Concord last year. Jalen Bolen finished with 13 points for the Minutemen in their 48-29 win over Glenn. Luke Helmuth chipped in 19 points in Westview’s 56-46 win at Fremont. Matt’s pick: Concord 47, Westview 45.
Clay (11-10) at LaPorte (10-12): The Slicers raced past Clay, 85-45, a year ago. Tyrese Jones netted 25 points in the Colonials’ 70-38 win against New Prairie. Malik Corley tallied 14 points in LaPorte’s 76-66 overtime loss to Michigan City. Matt’s pick: LaPorte 64, Clay 60.
Elkhart (3-18) at NorthWood (13-8): The defending Class 3A state champion Panthers rolled to a 61-30 win over Elkhart last season. Christian Bloch accounted for two points in the Lions’ 57-40 loss at Marian. Keegin Stats had four points in NorthWood’s 43-32 loss to defending Class 2A state champion Fort Wayne Blackhawk. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 62, Elkhart 51.
Glenn (10-12) at Goshen (9-12): The RedHawks posted a 66-41 win at Glenn in their last meeting. Braxton Cline’s 10 points lifted Goshen to a 45-44 win at West Noble. Carson Krueger’s seven points were not enough for the Falcons against Concord. Matt’s pick: Goshen 50, Glenn 46.
Marian (15-8, 9-1 NIC) at Adams (9-13, 5-5 NIC): The Eagles cane up on the short end of a 68-57 decision against No. 10 (Class 3A) Marian a year ago. Ben Warnell added four points for the Knights against Elkhart. Terron Johnson’s nine points lifted Adams to a 49-37 win over Elkhart Christian. Matt’s pick: Marian 69, Adams 64.
Merrillville (15-7) at Penn (16-5): The Pirates suffered a 94-49 loss to Penn to close the 2022-23 regular campaign. Preston Saia recorded 11 points in Merrillville’s 69-28 win over Hobart. Ethan Good came up with eight points in the Kingsmen’s 52-47 win at Mishawaka. Matt’s pick: Penn 65, Merrillville 63.
Northridge (18-4) at DeKalb (8-13): The Raiders managed a 45-35 win over DeKalb last year. Hayden Johnson amassed nine points in Northridge’s 64-49 win over No. 9 (Class 3A) Fairfield. Caden Pettis came up 15 points in the Barons’ 53-50 win over Heritage. Matt’s pick: Northridge 70, DeKalb 57.
Saint Joseph (15-8) at Mishawaka (15-7): The Cavemen needed overtime to earn a 63-60 victory against Saint Joseph a season ago. AJ Boone amassed 11 points in Saint Joe’s 98-57 win at Plymouth. Cooper Pritchett ended with 13 points for Mishawaka against Penn. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 55, Saint Joseph 52.
Washington (10-11) at Tippecanoe Valley (14-8): The Panthers posted a 69-61 win over Tippecanoe Valley during the 1999-2000 campaign. Mike Stuckey scored eight points in Washington’s 93-42 win over Career Academy. Riley Shepherd registered 20 points in the Vikings’ 62-50 loss to Warsaw. Matt’s pick: Washington 64, Tippecanoe Valley 58.
Wawasee (7-14) at East Noble (12-9): The Warriors recorded a 62-46 win over East Noble last season. Weston DeLong scored seven points for Wawasee against Mishawaka. Ryker Quake notched 12 points in the Knights’ 52-43 win over Angola. Matt’s pick: East Noble 48, Wawasee 41.
SATURDAY
GIRLS’ STATE FINALS
CLASS 1A: No. 1 Lanesville (28-1) vs. No. 4 Marquette Catholic (24-4): Shelby Allen poured in 27 points in the Eagles’ 68-33 win over North Central (Farmersburg). Marissa Pleasant had 10 points, including the buzzer-beating three-pointer in the Blazers’ 72-70 win over No. 2 Clinton Central. Matt’s pick: Lanesville 65, Marquette Catholic 61.
CLASS 2A: Brownstown Central (20-9) vs. No. 10 Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (19-6): The Knights claimed the 2011 Class 2A state title with a 59-46 win over Brownstown Central. Harley Toppe netted 19 points in the Braves’ 45-29 victory against No. 3 Eastern Hancock. Addie Shank came up with 11 points in Bishop Luers’ 49-36 win over Andrean. Matt’s pick: Bishop Luers 48, Brownstown Central 44.
CLASS 3A: No. 3 Gibson Southern (25-4) vs. No. 2 Norwell (23-4): Paige Schnaus came up with 22 points in the Titans’ 63-48 win over Danville. Mackenzie Fuess accounted for 17 points in the Knights’ 64-20 win over Bremen. Matt’s pick: Norwell 60, Gibson Southern 56.
CLASS 4A: No. 1 Lawrence Central (29-1) vs. Lake Central (26-4): The Bears downed Lake Central, 51-38, on December 22. Jaylah Lampley recorded 18 points in Lawrence Central’s 53-40 win over No. 2 Center Grove. Aniyah Bishop finished with 13 points in the Indians’ 52-36 win over Noblesville. Matt’s pick: Lawrence Central 59, Lake Central 54.