The Christmas holidays proved to be festive as I went 15-3 (83 percent) last week. Going into the final week of 2025, my overall record is now 69-23, which has me at 75 percent.
MONDAY
HUNTINGTON NORTH TOURNAMENT
Columbia City (6-0) vs. Adams (5-0): Landon Richmond racked up 35 points in No. 6 (Class 3A) Columbia City’s 59-43 win over Fort Wayne Blackhawk. BJ Neal had two points in the Eagles’ 69-49 win over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix. Matt’s pick: Columbia City 65, Adams 60.
Marian (4-2) vs. Fort Wayne Wayne (2-2): Brandon Foster contributed five points in the Knights’ 57-33 win over Portage Central. LaShawn Green came up with 18 points in the Generals’ 66-40 win over Leo. Matt’s pick: Marian 56, Fort Wayne Wayne 51.
Marian (4-2) at Huntington North (5-1): Eric Unwin’s three points lifted the Knights to an 81-38 win over Career Academy. Dalton Husband’s 12 points lifted the Vikings to a 68-32 win over defending Class 2A state champion Manchester. Matt’s pick: Marian 54, Huntington North 53.
Adams (6-0) vs. Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (2-3): The Eagles flew past Bishop Dwenger, 61-54, during the 2020-21 season. Jalen McCollum added three points in Adams’ 90-37 win over Victory Christian. George Poiry recorded 33 points in the Saints’ 68-52 win over DeKalb. Matt’s pick: Adams 63, Bishop Dwenger 58.
KOKOMO TOURNAMENT
Northridge (6-1) vs. Merrillville (1-4): Freeman Schlabach ended with four points in the No. 10 (Class 4A) Raiders’ 53-47 loss to Goshen. Josiah Jones canned 19 points in the Pirates’ 66-62 win over Andrean. Matt’s pick: Northridge 71, Merrillville 52.
New Haven (5-1) vs. Riley (5-0): Daylen Jackson’s 12 points were not enough in the Bulldogs’ 74-70 loss to Fort Wayne Wayne. Tyrese Jones finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the No. 11 (Class 4A) Wildcats’ 64-57 win over Fort Wayne Snider. Matt’s pick: Riley 75, New Haven 64.
RICHMOND TOURNAMENT
Purdue Englewood (3-4) vs. NorthWood (3-4): Jaceon Long finished with 16 points in the Techies’ 70-64 win over University. Isaac Bell was limited to one point in the Panthers’ 44-38 loss to South Haven. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 46, Purdue Englewood 41.
NorthWood (4-4) vs. Valparaiso (5-3): Matt’s pick: NorthWood 57, Valparaiso 56.
TUESDAY
Warsaw (4-5) vs. Providence (4-2) (Hoosier Gym): Drew Jones finished with 10 points in the Tigers’ 48-37 loss to Homestead. Duke Beckort’s 13 points lifted the Pioneers to a 42-40 win over Floyd Central. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 45, Providence 43.
HUNTINGTON NORTH TOURNAMENT
Columbia City (7-1) vs. Marian (5-3): Ian St. John’s six points were not enough in the Eagles’ 60-57 loss to Adams. Terrence Lane chipped in four points in the Knights’ 59-58 win over Huntington North. Matt’s pick: Columbia City 55, Marian 50.
Adams (7-0) at Huntington North (5-2): The Vikings dropped a 63-42 decision to Adams last year. Drew Dixon poured in 30 points for the Eagles against Columbia City. Titus Schultz amassed 14 points for Huntington North against Marian. Matt’s pick: Adams 66, Huntington North 57.
KOKOMO TOURNAMENT
Northridge (7-1) at Kokomo (6-1): Brady Scholl erupted for a career-high 40 points in the Raiders’ 76-64 win over Merrillville. D.J. Nash chipped in 15 points in the Wildkats’ 66-45 win over Indianapolis Bishop Chatard. Matt’s pick: Kokomo 64, Northridge 62.
Riley (6-0) vs. Lawrence North (6-0): Isaiah Packer tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds in the No. 9 (Class 4A) Wildcats’ 55-54 win over New Haven. Duke Karnes recorded 14 points and eight rebounds in No. 9 (Class 4A) Lawrence North’s 75-58 win over Charlestown. Matt’s pick: Lawrence North 76, Riley 69.
Northridge (8-1) vs. Riley (7-0): Matt’s pick: Riley 62, Northridge 61.
RICHMOND TOURNAMENT
NorthWood (4-5) vs. Fort Wayne Snider (3-5): Caleb Vincent came up with 10 points in the Panthers’ 50-34 win over Purdue Englewood. Jordan Woods registered seven points for the Panthers against Riley. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 47, Fort Wayne Snider 46.
NorthWood (4-6) vs. Fort Wayne North (1-6): Matt’s pick: NorthWood 41, Fort Wayne North 40.
FRIDAY
PLYMOUTH TOURNAMENT
Twin Lakes (3-5) vs. Huntington North (5-3): Keaton Miller accounted for 17 points in the Indians’ 58-51 win over Frontier. Grant Campbell ended with 16 points in the Vikings’ 59-52 loss to Adams. Matt’s pick: Huntington North 60, Twin Lakes 58.
New Prairie (2-4) at Plymouth (2-5): The Pilgrims cruised to a 69-35 win over New Prairie last season. Hunter Nelson’s 13 points vaulted the Cougars to a 49-36 win over Oregon-Davis. Grayson Terrone contributed four points in Plymouth’s 48-20 loss to NorthWood. Matt’s pick: Plymouth 59, New Prairie 51.
WAWASEE TOURNAMENT
Elkhart Christian (3-1) at Wawasee (4-3): The Warriors edged Elkhart Christian, 46-39, a year ago. Reid Hoober mustered 22 points in the Eagles’ 57-24 win over Lakeland Christian. Grayson Lashley netted four points in Wawasee’s 42-33 win over Warsaw. Matt’s pick: Wawasee 56, Elkhart Christian 47.
Glenn (1-7) at Wawasee (5-3): The Falcons soared to a 67-53 win over Wawasee during the 2015-16 campaign. Jude Hicks poured in 20 points in Glenn’s 47-45 win over Wheeler. Easton Rollins finished with five points in the Warriors’ 46-38 win over Whitko. Matt’s pick: Wawasee 53, Glenn 41.
SATURDAY
Concord (1-4) at Fairfield (5-0): The Minutemen needed overtime to earn a 53-47 win over Fairfield last year. Dylan Miller canned eight points in Concord’s 44-43 loss to Mishawaka. Drew Beachy totaled 24 points in the Falcons’ 68-36 win over Jimtown. Matt’s pick: Fairfield 55, Concord 52.
Elkhart (4-3) at Fort Wayne North (2-6): The Lions roared past Fort Wayne North, 55-54, a season ago. Landon Baker came up with just one point in Elkhart’s 57-49 loss to Chesterton. Romon Pearson tallied 12 points in the Legends’ 60-55 win over NorthWood. Matt’s pick: Elkhart 61, Fort Wayne North 58.
Washington (1-5) at Portage (9-0): The Panthers posted a 59-48 win over Portage during the 2022-23 season. Mike Stuckey’s 25 points were not enough in Washington’s 83-57 loss to Benton Harbor. Karter Kobe’s 25 points helped the Indians to a 78-62 win over Bowman Academy. Matt’s pick: Portage 72, Washington 57.
PLYMOUTH TOURNAMENT
Consolation: Twin Lakes (3-6) vs. Plymouth (2-6): The Pilgrims claimed a Class 3A regional crown in 2005 with a 67-56 win over Twin Lakes. Ethan Need amassed 14 points in the Indians’ 75-45 win over North White. Parker Wolfe’s six points were not enough in Plymouth’s 41-36 loss to New Prairie. Matt’s pick: Twin Lakes 40, Plymouth 35.
Championship: Huntington North (6-3) vs. New Prairie (3-4): Blaine Freiburger canned 12 points in the Vikings’ 55-39 win over Twin Lakes. Evan Chelminiak knocked down a three-pointer for the Cougars against New Prairie. Matt’s pick: Huntington North 50, New Prairie 43.
WAWASEE TOURNAMENT
Career Academy (4-6) at Wawasee (6-3): Davion Mitchell closed with 12 points in the Trailblazers’ 77-44 loss to Jimtown. Mason Worrell chipped in six points in the Warriors’ 61-28 win over Elkhart Christian. Matt’s pick: Wawasee 65, Career Academy 46.
LaVille (7-3) at Wawasee (7-3): Matt’s pick: Wawasee 62, LaVille 59.