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.