It proved to be another average performance as I went 14-4 (78 percent) last week. With just two weeks left in the regular season, my overall record is 191-62, which keeps me at 75 percent for the year.
FEBRUARY 12
Elkhart Memorial (9-9. 4-2 NLC) at NorthWood (11-5, 3-3 NLC): The Chargers posted a 59-52 win over NorthWood a year ago. Trey Gallope netted 14 points in Memorial’s 58-43 win over Portage. Caleb Lung tallied 15 points in the Panthers’ 60-33 win over Bethany Christian. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 60, Elkhart Memorial 57.
FEBRUARY 13
Bethany Christian (3-15) at Jimtown (3-15): The Jimmies posted a 41-20 win over Bethany Christian a year ago. Seth Brenneman netted 20 points for the Bruins against NorthWood. Caaden Beck and Jimtown were outscored 25-5 in the second quarter of its 89-26 loss to Marian. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 38, Elkhart Christian 32.
Bremen (4-14, 0-10 NIC) at Adams (8-10, 3-5 NIC): The Eagles soared past Bremen, 60-36, a season ago. Evan Mangas tallied six points in the Lions’ 74-39 loss to Washington. Rico Swanson poured in 14 points in Adams’ 70-67 overtime loss to Saint Joseph. Matt’s pick: Adams 65, Bremen 45.
Clay (2-15) at Concord (6-10): The Minutemen dropped a 52-47 contest to Clay last season. Jackson Jones contributed eight points in Clay’s 59-42 loss to Elkhart Central. Luke Shoemaker managed just three points for Concord in a 51-24 loss to NorthWood. Matt’s pick: Concord 51, Clay 44.
Elkhart Central (8-10, 4-5 NIC) at Penn (10-7, 5-4 NIC): The Blazers earned a pair of wins over Penn last year, including a 75-73 triple overtime decision in the sectional opener. Richard Wayker chipped in 11 points for Elkhart Central against Clay. Drew Lutz tallied 21 points for the Kingsmen in a 72-46 win at Crown Point. Matt’s pick: Penn 64, Elkhart Central 57.
Elkhart Memorial (9-10) at Saint Joseph (13-6): The Indians suffered a 55-41 loss to Elkhart Memorial in their last meeting. Jose Soto netted 15 points in the Chargers’ 53-41 loss to NorthWood. J.R. Konieczny contributed 11 points in Saint Joe’s 66-51 victory at Glenn. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 63, Elkhart Memorial 58.
Lakeland (12-7) at Northridge (10-7): The Raiders needed four overtimes to claim a 74-69 win against Lakeland a season ago. Cameron Bontrager racked up 37 points for the Lakers in their 62-60 win at Goshen. Jackson Erekson recorded 24 points for Northridge in a 64-45 win at Fort Wayne Snider. Matt’s pick: Northridge 60, Lakeland 55.
Lakeshore (9-6) at Marian (14-3): The Knights crowned Lakeshore, 49-43, last year. Austin Kiser finished with 16 points in the Michigan-based Lancers’ 49-43 win over Mattawan. Zach Lattimer netted 22 points for Marian in its 63-60 win at Michigan City. Matt’s pick: Marian 67, Lakeshore 56.
New Prairie (7-9) at Westville (11-6); The Cougars claimed a 66-57 win over Westville last season. Jacob Tuttle came up with just four points in New Prairie’s 49-31 loss at Mishawaka. Cade Albers recorded 34 points for the Blackhawks in their 85-62 loss to Gary 21st Century. Matt’s pick: New Prairie 59, Westville 57.
NorthWood (12-5) at Tippecanoe Valley (4-14): The Vikings came up on the short end of a 60-50 contest to NorthWood in the 2016 sectional tournament. DeAndre Smart tallied eight points for the Panthers against Elkhart Memorial. Wes Melanson had 11 points in Tippy Valley’s 60-45 win over North Miami. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 61. Tippecanoe Valley 51.
Plymouth (12-6, 4-2 NLC) at Warsaw (10-9), 4-2 NLC): The Tigers roared past Plymouth, 51-40, a season ago. Garrett Tharp tallied four points in the Pilgrims’ 44-32 win over Goshen. Blake Marsh contributed only four points in Warsaw’s 62-48 loss at Merrillville. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 44, Plymouth 42.
Wawasee (5-13) at Westview (18-1): The No. 2 (Class 2A) Warriors marched past Wawasee, 58-52, last year. Cayden Wegener chipped in eight points in the Warriors’ 51-48 overtime victory over Goshen. Josh Hostetler poured in 16 points in Westview’s 68-45 win over West Noble. Matt’s pick: Westview 62, Wawasee 48.
FEBRUARY 14
Wawasee (5-14) at Mishawaka (10-7): The Cavemen earned a 62-58 win over Wawasee in their last meeting. Charlie Yoder tallied nine points for the Warriors in their 51-37 loss to Westview. Sam Shively scored eight points for Mishawaka against New Prairie. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 53, Wawasee 41.
FEBRUARY 15
Concord (7-10, 2-4 NLC) at Northridge (10-8, 4-2 NLC): The Minutemen went to overtime to post a 68-59 win over Northridge a year ago. Grant Magnuson poured in 25 points in Concord’s 69-35 win over Clay. Nick Yoder recorded 17 points in the Raiders’ 64-52 loss to Lakeland. Matt’s pick: Northridge 46, Concord 40.
FEBRUARY 16
Adams (9-10, 4-5 NIC) at Riley (19-0, 9-0 NIC): The No. 2 (Class 4A) Wildcats slipped past Adams, 63-59, on December 15. Nick Fulmer scored four points for the Eagles in their 71-44 win over Bremen. Jalen Jennings tallied five points in Riley’s 71-62 win over No. 6 (Class 4A) Indianapolis Cathedral. Matt’s pick: Riley 75, Adams 65.
Clay (2-16, 1-9 NIC) at Jimtown (4-15, 1-9 NIC): The Colonials downed Jimtown, 66-54, last season. Jackson Jones managed eight points for Clay against Concord. Preston Phillips poured in 10 points in the Jimmies’ 46-33 win over Bethany Christian. Matt’s pick: Clay 69, Jimtown 51.
Glenn (12-6, 7-3 NIC) at Mishawaka (11-7, 6-3 NIC): The Cavemen were a 52-36 winner over Glenn last year. Zac Mago netted eight points for the Falcons in their 66-51 loss to Saint Joseph. Peyton Johnson chipped in nine points in Mishawaka’s 41-31 win over Wawasee. Matt’s pick: Mishawaka 60, Glenn 56.
New Prairie (8-9, 2-6 NIC) at Bremen (4-15, 0-11 NIC): The Cougars clawed past Bremen, 61-43, a year ago. Bryce Bloode racked up 21 points in New prairie’s 41-28 win at Westville. Ryan Caldwell contributed 15 points for the Lions against Adams. Matt’s pick: New Prairie 54, Bremen 41.
NorthWood (13-5) at Elkhart Christian (14-5): The Eagles suffered a 77-54 setback to NorthWood a season ago. Nick Bean tallied five points for the Panthers in a 53-37 win at Tippecanoe Valley. Luke Burns finished with six points in Elkhart Christian’s 50-43 loss to Fairfield. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 51, Elkhart Cnristian 47.
Penn (11-7, 6-4 NIC) at Marian (15-3, 7-2 NIC): The Knights needed three overtimes to post a 72-69 win at Penn last year. Noah Applegate poured in 13 points for the Kingsmen in a 58-43 win over Elkhart Central. Jerry Bracy had five points in Marian’s 60-21 win over Lakeshore. Matt’s pick: Marian 66, Penn 61.
Plymouth (12-7) at Huntington North (15-6): The Pilgrims edged Huntington North, 45-40, a season ago. Clay Hilliard contributed 17 points in Plymouth’s 53-43 loss at Warsaw. Mitchell Geller tallied 24 points for the Vikings in a 57-52 loss to Fort Wayne Wayne. Matt’s pick: Huntington North 42, Plymouth 39.
Washington (13-7, 7-3 NIC) at Elkhart Central (8-11, 4-6 NIC): The Blazers roared past Washington, 46-34, a year ago. Mario Henderson came up with two points for the Panthers against Bremen. Keldon Warrell netted nine points for Elkhart Central against Penn. Matt’s pick: Washington 65, Elkhart Central 58.
Westview (19-1) at Goshen (7-11): The No. 2 (Class 2A) Warriors claimed a 42-29 victory over Goshen last year. Dennis Wingard scored eight points in Westview’s 51-37 win over Wawasee. Eric Newell was limited to three points for Goshen against Wawasee. Matt’s pick: Westview 54, Goshen 42.
FEBRUARY 17
Carmel (13-6) at Warsaw (11-9): The Greyhounds squeezed past Warsaw, 54-52, a year ago. Jalen Whack netted 18 points in Carmel’s 53-42 win over Carroll (Fort Wayne). Nolan Groininger had nine points against Plymouth to help the Tigers claim a share of the Northern Lakes Conference title. Matt’s pick: Carmel 50, Warsaw 46.
Columbia City (8-13) at Northridge (11-8): The Raiders earned a 50-45 win over Columbia City last season. Mitchell Wilson finished with 19 points in the Eagles’ 64-46 loss to Homestead. Connor Utley poured in 24 points to help Northridge earn a piece of the NLC championship with a 63-48 win over Concord. Matt’s pick: Northridge 64, Columbia City 53.
Elkhart Memorial (9-11) at Clay (2-16): The Chargers went to overtime to earn a 60-59 win over Clay last season. Jai-Veon Qaiym tallied 10 points in Elkhart Memorial’s 69-64 loss to Saint Joseph. Allan Prestly finished with three points for the Colonials against Concord. Matt’s pick: Elkhart Memorial 62, Clay 52.
LaPorte (5-13) at Goshen (7-11): The Slicers cruised to a 57-40 win over Goshen a year ago. Garrott Ott-Large chipped in 15 points in LaPorte’s 66-55 loss to Merrillville. Phillip Wertz ended up with six points for the RedHawks against Wawasee. Matt’s pick: Goshen 49, LaPorte 41.
Oregon-Davis (10-7) at NorthWood (13-5): Jon Clark poured in 27 points, but the Bobcats still came up on the short end of a 65-63 decision to LaPorte. Brad Delio tallied 19 points for the Panthers against Tippecanoe Valley. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 61, Oregon-Davis 54.
Plymouth (12-7) at Penn (11-7): The Kingsmen suffered a 61-51 loss at Plymouth last year. Benji Nixon came up with five points for the Pilgrims against Warsaw. Drew Schneider contributed six points for Penn against Elkhart Central. Matt’s pick: Penn 59, Plymouth 55.
Riley (19-0, 9-0 NIC) at New Prairie (8-9, 2-6 NIC): The Wildcats escaped with a 59-57 win over New Prairie in their last meeting. Marlon Taylor recorded 11 points for Riley against Indianapolis Cathedral. Cade Boniface had only one point for the Cougars against Westville. Matt’s pick: Riley 75, New Prairie 57.
Triton (6-11) at Glenn (12-6): The Falcons are looking to make amends for a 39-35 loss to Glenn last year. Ross Johnson accounted for 20 points in the Trojans’ 54-43 loss to Rochester. Nate Yung recorded five points for Glenn against Saint Joe. Matt’s pick: Glenn 46, Triton 40.
Valparaiso (15-4) at Concord (7-11): The Vikings managed a 61-60 win over Concord last season. Nate Aerts poured in 16 points in Valparasio’s 49-38 win against Crown Point. Grant Lucchese racjed up 11 points for the Minutemen against Northridge. Matt’s pick: Valparaiso 54, Concord 45.
Washington (13-7) at Lighthouse CPA (5-15): The Panthers claimed a 72-60 win over Lighthouse a season ago. Cade Walberg netted eight points for Washington against Bremen. Timothy Mays finished with 17 points in the Lions’ 65-62 loss to East Chicago Central. Matt’s pick: Washington 73, Lighthouse CPA 56.
Wawasee (5-15) at East Noble (18-1): The Knights edged Wawasee, 41-40, a year ago. Ryan Edington scored a career-high 14 points for the Warriors against Mishawaka. Brent Cox helped East Noble capture the Northeast 8 Conference crown with 18 points in a 61-55 win against New Haven. Matt’s pick: East Noble 57, Wawasee 42.