The 2025-26 campaign opened on a positive note as I went 5-1 (83 percent) last week. This past Saturday’s inclement weather forced some of the scheduled contests to be postponed until later this year. Records are final from the 2024-25 season unless noted.
MONDAY
Westview (1-0) at Northridge (1-0): The Raiders posted a 68-61 victory against Westview last year. Kaden Grau scored 19 points in the Warriors’ 70-23 win over Bethany Christian. Hayden Johnson added 16 points for Northridge in its 65-44 win against Elkhart. Matt’s pick: Northridge 63, Westview 57.
TUESDAY
Angola (15-8) at Wawasee (0-1): The Hornets stung Wawasee, 45-40, a year ago. Ryan Stuckey tallied 9.4 points per contest for Angola. Stephen Akase had 14 points in the Warriors’ 54-38 loss to Fairfield. Matt’s pick: Angola 49, Wawasee 41.
Goshen (14-10) at Marian (0-1): The Knights downed Goshen, 60-47, a year ago. Senior Carter Marcum chipped in 9.2 points and 9.2 rebounds a game for Goshen. Andre Wells netted 17 points in Marian’s 77-58 loss to Fort Wayne Blackhawk. Matt’s pick: Marian 60, Goshen 53.
Niles (12-11) at Adams (13-11): The Eagles soared to a 58-43 win against Niles a season ago. Senior Brenden Olsen is back for the Vikings. Senior Jarvis Tolbert notched 20 points and four rebounds a game for Adams. Matt’s pick: Adams 57, Niles 51.
Plymouth (1-0) at Triton (1-0): The Trojans edged Plymouth, 46-43, last year. Dan Nyguen racked up 18 points in the Pilgrims’ 55-43 win over Glenn. Julian Swanson totaled 18 points in Triton’s 68-35 win against Oregon-Davis. Matt’s pick: Triton 47, Plymouth 42.
WEDNESDAY
Glenn (0-1) at New Prairie (0-1): The Cougars downed Glenn, 49-41, in the 2025 Class 3A sectional opener. Jude Nicks’ 15 points were not enough for the Falcons against Plymouth. Dylan Bishop mustered seven points in the Cougars’ 50-44 loss at Mishawaka. Matt’s pick: New Prairie 43, Glenn 39.
THURSDAY
LaLumiere Regional (3-0) at Washington (16-8): The Panthers earned a 74-62 win over LaLumiere last season. The Lakers are coming off an 81-52 win over Noble-Whitney. Mo Scott replaces Ryan Varga on the Washington bench. Mike Stuckey mustered 5.3 points a game for the Panthers. Matt’s pick: Washington 70, LaLumiere 67.
New Prairie (1-1) at Marquette Catholic (0-1): The Blazers were a 53-36 winner over New Prairie a season ago. Hunter Nelson contributed eight points in the Cougars’ 52-48 win over Glenn. Aleks Pecoski drained six three-pointers and finished with 20 points in Marquette Catholic’s 61-55 loss to Victory Christian. Matt’s pick: Marquette Catholic 55, New Prairie 45.
Tippecanoe Valley (0-1) at NorthWood (19-5): The Vikings suffered a 48-39 loss to NorthWood during the 2022-23 campaign. William Mellott canned eight points in Tippecanoe Valley’s 67-43 loss to DeKalb. Caleb Vincent hopes to improve on his averages of four points and three rebounds per game for NorthWood. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 50, Tippecanoe Valley 44
FRIDAY
Carroll (Fort Wayne) (1-0) at Penn (16-9): The Kingsmen edged Carroll, 39-31, a season ago. Brody Fisher chipped in 21 points and seven rebounds in the Chargers’ 67-44 win over Bellmont. Senior Ben Murphy netted 4.3 points per game for Penn. Matt’s pick: Penn 61, Carroll (Fort Wayne) 59.
Elkhart (0-1) at Concord (13-10): The Minutemen came up with a 74-64 win against Elkhart last year. Tyler Leighton comes over from Jimtown to take over for Derek DeShone at Concord. Samarcus Gipson paced the Lions with 11 points in a 65-44 loss to Northridge. Senior Parker Schrock provides some experience off the bench for the Minutemen. Matt’s pick: Concord 57, Elkhart 53.
Homestead (1-0) at Warsaw (25-5): The Tigers went to overtime to claim a 62-60 win over Homestead a year ago. Mack Welker and the Spartans cruised to an 82-23 win over defending Class 2A state champion Manchester. Sophomore Sam Lara will be counted on to help Warsaw. Matt’s pick: Homestead 64, Warsaw 60.
LaPorte (0-1) at Plymouth (1-1): The Slicers carved up Plymouth, 62-54, last season. Tim Knoll’s seven points was not enough for the Slicers in their 70-42 loss to Riley. Kyleb Ellery totaled six points in the Pilgrims’ 49-26 loss to Triton. Matt’s pick: LaPorte 65, Plymouth 58.
Manchester (0-2) at Wawasee (0-2): The defending Class 2A state champion Squires clobbered Wawasee, 65-44, in their last matchup. Manchester was limited to seven points in the first quarter against Homestead. Nolan Holzwart’s seven points were not enough in the Warriors’ 48-41 loss to Angola. Matt’s pick: Wawasee 52, Manchester 49.
Mishawaka (1-0) at Bethany Christian (0-2): Brayshawn Echols helped the Cavemen get past New Prairie. Trea Caffee posted 17 points in the Bruins’ 63-43 loss to West Noble. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 46, Bethany Christian 42.
Northridge (2-0) at Culver Academy (1-0): The Raiders downed Culver Academy, 59-30, during the 2024-25 campaign. Hayden Gorball accounted for nine points in the Raiders’ 68-56 win over Westview. Aiden Sampson and the Eagles soared to a 67-57 win over Indianapolis Home School. Matt’s pick: Northridge 61, Culver Academy 54.
NorthWood (1-0) at Triton (2-0): The Panthers roared past Triton, 62-25, a season ago. Brogan Ferrell poured in a career-high 13 points in NorthWood’s 66-28 win over Tippecanoe Valley. Brady Wood contributed 10 points for the Trojans against Plymouth. Matt’s pick: Triton 50, NorthWood 45.
Saint Joseph (27-3) at Chesterton (15-9): The defending Class 3A state champion Huskies clawed past Chesterton, 77-55, last season. Junior Elijah King tallied 14 points a game for Saint Joseph. Senior Logan Pokorney registered 15.5 points per contest for the Trojans. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 75, Chesterton 62.
Washington (1-0) at Goshen (1-0): The RedHawks suffered a 60-58 loss to Washington a year ago. The Panthers opened their season with a 63-57 win over LaLumiere Regional. Ryen Diaz registered nine points in Goshen’s 51-41 win at Marian. Matt’s pick: Goshen 56, Washington 53.
SATURDAY
Adams (1-0) at Merrillville (7-19): The Eagles flew past Merrillville, 73-58, during the 2024-25 season. Drew Dixson netted 16 points in Adams’ 81-62 win over Niles. Sophomore Charles Hardiman paced the Pirates with 15.5 points a game last year. Matt’s pick: Adams 60, Merrillville 59.
Concord (0-1) at Angola (2-0): The Hornets are hoping to make amends for a 52-41 loss to Concord in their last meeting. The Minutemen suffered a 70-62 loss to Elkhart in their opener. Niles Knox poured in 21 points for Angola in its 66-40 win over Central Noble. Matt’s pick: Concord 55, Angola 53.
Huntington North (1-0) at Warsaw (0-1): The Vikings dropped a 77-53 decision to Warsaw last year. Titus Schultz accounted for 22 points in Huntington North’s 73-31 win over Northfield. Drew Jones finished with 10 points and five rebounds in the Tigers’ 48-37 loss to Homestead. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 53, Huntington North 52.
Indianapolis Tindley (0-3) at Riley (1-0): Jordan Yates registered 15 points in the Tigers’ 65-52 loss to Phalen Academy. Isiah Packer managed 10 points for the Wildcats against LaPorte. Matt’s pick: Riley 75, Tindley 54.
Marian (0-2) at Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (21-7): The Knights crowned Marian, 61-55, a year ago. Prescott Horvath tossed in 18 points for the Knights against Goshen. Senior Ayle Taylor managed 8.7 points per game for Bishop Luers. Matt’s pick: Bishop Luers 66, Marian 56.
New Prairie (1-2) at LaPorte (1-1): The Cougars came up on the short end of a 55-33 contest to LaPorte a season ago. Jagger Daniels came up with 16 points in New Prairie’s 64-57 loss to Marquette Catholic. Reed Raymond accounted for 14 points in the Slicers’ 60-44 win at Plymouth. Matt’s pick: LaPorte 58, New Prairie 47.
Penn (1-0) at Crown Point (23-3): The Bulldogs registered a 66-46 victory against Penn last season. Christian Bonner added six points in the Kingsmen’s 63-53 win over Carroll (Fort Wayne). Senior Dikembe Shaw notched 16.2 points a game for Crown Point. Matt’s pick: Crown Point 63, Penn 54.
Saint Joseph (0-1) at Indianapolis Cathedral (2-0) (Brownsburg): Nick Shrewsberry mustered just three points in the Huskies’ 73-55 loss at Chesterton. Keaton Aldridge racked up 13 points for the Irish in their 76-63 win over defending Class 4A state champion Jeffersonville. Matt’s pick: Cathedral 69, Saint Joseph 65.
Valparaiso (2-0) at Northridge (3-0): The Raiders rolled to a 65-36 win over Valparaiso in their previous matchup. Northridge claimed a 61-42 win at Culver Academy. J.J. Jankowski ended with 20 points in the Vikings’ 78-65 win over East Chicago Central. Matt’s pick: Northridge 67, Valparaiso 62.
Wawasee (1-2) at West Noble (1-1): The Warriors cruised to a 52-28 win against West Noble a year ago. Jack Shoemaker amassed 10 points in Wawasee’s 59-36 win over Manchester. Nolan Kelly chipped in 20 points for the Chargers against Bethany Christian. Matt’s pick: Wawasee 51, West Noble 50.