The 2023-24 campaign opened very positive for me as I went 13-4 (76 percent) last week.
TUESDAY
Cassopolis (0-0) at Adams (1-0): Kenny May accounted for 10.2 points a game for the Rangers (18-5) last season. KJ Johnston tallied 10 points in the Eagles’ 68-53 win over Victory Christian. Matt’s pick: Adams 69, Cassopolis 62.
Elkhart (0-2) at Washington (0-1): The Panthers cruised to an 83-47 win over Elkhart a year ago. The Lions are off to a 0-2 start for the second straight campaign. Da’Kori Parker’s 18 points were not enough for Washington in a 54-48 loss to Lake Central. Matt’s pick: Washington 65, Elkhart 50.
Goshen (1-0) at Marian (0-0): The Knights crowned Goshen, 48-34, last season. Andre Williams racked up 12 points in the RedHawks’ 59-51 win over Fairfield. Zion Rhoades managed 7.4 points a contest a season for Marian (23-3). Matt’s pick: Marian 57, Goshen 52
Glenn (0-1) at Clay (1-0): The Colonials downed Glenn, 75-63, last year. Chase Miller ended with 17 points in the Falcons’ 59-43 loss to Plymouth. Ahmad King recorded 15 points in Clay’s 90-56 win over Highland. Matt’s pick: Clay 60, Glenn 56.
Riley (1-0) at Jimtown (0-0): The Wildcats clawed their way to 65-21 win over Jimtown during the 2022-23 season. Payton Baird poured in 27 points in Riley’s 81-51 win over LaPorte. Jackson Clapton chipped in 10.4 points a contest for the Jimmies (5-18). Matt’s pick: Riley 81, Jimtown 61.
Saint Joseph (0-0) at Concord (1-0): The Minutemen edged Saint Joseph, 45-41, in their last matchup. Brashaun Woods managed 12 points per game for Saint Joe (12-15). Andrew Kavanagh came up with nine points and four rebounds in Concord’s 64-13 win over Prairie Heights. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 64, Concord 59.
THURSDAY
Plymouth (2-0) at LaPorte (0-2): The Slicers claimed a 63-40 win against Plymouth a season ago. Coby Walters finished with 18 points in the Pilgrims’ 80-52 win over Career Academy. Rylan Kieszkowski led the way with 13 points in LaPorte’s 72-31 loss to Fishers. Matt’s pick: Plymouth 51, LaPorte 45.
Bremen (1-0) at LaVille (0-0): The Lancers managed a 42-37 win over Bremen last year. Chase Devine accounted for 13 points in the Lions’ 53-45 win over Argos. Michael Good amassed 11.9 points a game for LaVille (15-10). Matt’s pick: LaVille 40, Bremen 36.
FRIDAY
Adams (2-0) at Saint Joseph (1-0): The Eagles suffered an 84-80 loss to No. 8 Saint Joseph last season. Amari Wesson managed 14 points in Adams’ 76-27 win over Cassopolis. Jayce Lee recorded 13 points in Saint Joe’s 74-45 win at Concord. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 72, Adams 64.
Clay (2-0, 1-0 NIC) at Penn (1-0): The Kingsmen crowned Clay, 92-58, a year ago. Brad Hicks’ 13 points lifted the Colonials to an 87-64 win over Glenn. Maverick Brown poured in 25 points in Penn’s 72-66 win over Carroll (Fort Wayne). Matt’s pick: Penn 70, Clay 58.
Glenn (0-2, 0-1 NIC) at Elkhart (0-3, 0-1 NIC): The Falcons soared to a 58-24 win over Elkhart in their last matchup. Carson Krueger finished with eight points for Glenn against Clay. Tumarye Morris paced the Lions with 14 points in an 87-66 loss to Washington. Matt’s pick: Glenn 44, Elkhart 40.
Homestead (1-0) at Warsaw (1-0): The Spartans downed Warsaw, 56-39, a season ago. Payton Rhinehart chipped in 12 points in Homestead’s 54-40 win over Huntington North. Brandt Martin ended with 19 points in the Tigers’ 58-55 win over Columbia City. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 53, Homestead 50.
Jimtown (0-1) at Concord (1-1): The Jimmies edged Concord, 50-48, last year. Former Jimtown standout Tyler Leighton replaced Matt Stoll as the top man. Branden King came up with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the Jimmies’ 71-61 loss to Riley. Lucas Prough mustered eight points for the Minutemen against Saint Joseph. Matt’s pick: Concord 49, Jimtown 47.
Manchester (2-0) at Wawasee (2-0): The Squires slipped past Wawasee, 57-55, last season. Gavin Betten accounted for 25 points in Manchester’s 75-36 win against Lakewood Park Christian. Myles Everingham canned 14 points in the Warriors’ 64-62 overtime win against Angola. Matt’s pick: Wawasee 48, Manchester 44.
Marian (1-0) at Riley (2-0, 1-0 NIC): The No. 5 (Class 3A) Knights rolled to a 78-50 win against Riley a year ago. Elias Norgaard registered 15 points in Marian’s 47-36 win over Goshen. Jaylen Barbara contributed nine points for the Wildcats against Jimtown. Matt’s pick: Riley 74, Marian 65.
New Prairie (0-0) at Washington (1-1, 1-0 NIC): The Panthers cruised to a 67-34 win over New Prairie during the 2022-23 campaign. Ben Wiginton takes over for Mike Bauer on the Cougars’ bench. Trenton Klute is one of the leaders for New Prairie (9-14). Donovan Johnson recorded 17 points for Washington against Elkhart. Matt’s pick: Washington 68, New Prairie 50.
Northridge (2-0) at Culver Academy (1-1): The Raiders posted a 50-48 win against Culver Academy last year. Gideon Campbell added 12 points in Northridge’s 65-54 win over Westview. The Eagles were limited to four points in the third quarter of their 56-38 loss to LaLumiere. Matt’s pick: Northridge 61, Culver Academy 57.
SATURDAY
Bremen (2-0) at Tippecanoe Valley (0-2): The Vikings registered a 64-45 win over Bremen a season ago. Camden Hickman came up with eight points in the Lions’ 52-45 win over LaVille. Ian Cooksey tallied 19 points in Tippecanoe Valley’s 64-55 loss to Fort Wayne South. Matt’s pick: Bremen 42, Tippecanoe Valley 39.
Concord (2-1) at Angola (0-2): The Minutemen squeezed by Angola, 38-37, a year ago. Parker McCuen ended with seven points for Concord in a 45-30 win against Jimtown. Ryan Stuckey managed 18 points for the Hornets against Wawasee. Matt’s pick: Concord 50, Angola 43.
Huntington North (0-2) at Warsaw (2-0): The Vikings suffered a 49-35 loss to Warsaw last year. Zach Nash contributed 12 points in Huntington North’s 47-39 loss to Mississinewa. Luke Bricker recorded 20 points off the bench in the Tigers’ 62-56 win over Homestead. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 61, Huntington North 55.
Marian (1-1) at Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (0-0): The No. 5 (Class 3A) Knights tallied an 86-60 win over Bishop Luers last season. Paxan Sullivan’s 19 points were not enough for Marian in a 52-48 loss to Riley. Isaac Zay averaged 9.7 points for the Knights (9-15). Matt’s pick: Marian 68, Bishop Luers 64.
Merrillville (0-0) at Riley (3-0): The Wildcats cruised past Merrillville, 76-51, during the 2022-23 campaign. Kelvion Brown is one of the leaders for the Pirates (8-15). Manny Hill chipped in 13 points for Riley against Marian. Matt’s pick: Riley 71, Merrillville 57.
New Prairie (0-1) at LaPorte (1-2): The Slicers claimed a 66-37 win over New Prairie in their last matchup. Brody Wiginton notched 15 points in the Cougars’ 75-62 loss to Washington. Rylan Kieszkowski’s 32 points lifted LaPorte to a 74-59 win over Plymouth. Matt’s pick: LaPorte 77, New Prairie 68.
Penn (2-0) at Crown Point (1-0): The Kingsmen raced past Crown Point, 70-49, a year ago. Trey Miller poured in 19 points in Penn’s 73-53 win over Clay. Lucas Underwood racked up 14 points in the Bulldogs’ 59-44 win over Illiana Christian. Matt’s pick: Penn 58, Crown Point 54.
Saint Joseph (2-0) at Chesterton (2-0): The Trojans came away with a 69-61 win over Saint Joseph during the 1997-98 season. Nick Shrewsberry finished with 13 points for the Indians in their 76-52 win against Adams. Tobias Ray accounted for 15 points in Chesterton’s 90-65 win over Hammond Morton. Matt’s pick: Chesterton 70, Saint Joseph 62.
Valparaiso (1-1) at Northridge (2-1): The Raiders were a 53-51 winner against Valparaiso last year. Jack Smiley scored 26 points in the Vikings’ 71-65 win over East Chicago Central. Mason Bales poured in 24 points in Northridge’s 65-54 win over Westview. Matt’s pick: Northridge 54, Valparaiso 50.
Washington (1-1) at Goshen (1-1): Mike Stuckey amassed 10 points for the Panthers against Elkhart. Levi Sawatzky accounted for 13 points for the RedHawks against Marian. Matt’s pick: Washington 62, Goshen 52.
Wawasee (2-1) at West Noble (1-1): The Chargers needed overtime to post a 59-51 win over Wawasee a season ago. Weston DeLong contributed 10 points in the Warriors’ 60-44 loss to Manchester. Bradyn Barth netted 21 points in West Noble’s 45-41 win over Bethany Christian. Matt’s pick: West Noble 47, Wawasee 44.