Things were a little better the second time around as I went 18-8 (69 percent) last week. This leaves me with an overall mark of 30-13, which has me at 68 percent.
DECEMBER 10
Adams (2-0) at Elkhart Central (0-3): The Eagles flew past Elkhart Central, 71-48, a season ago. Sydney Jeffries managed eight points in Adams’ 66-54 win over Fort Wayne Northrop. Isaiah Chandler tallied eight points in the Blazers’ 67-56 loss to Elkhart Memorial. Matt’s pick: Adams 72, Elkhart Central 54.
Elkhart Memorial (2-0) at Mishawaka (0-1): The Chargers held on for a 50-49 win over Mishawaka last year. Malachi Emmons contributed six points for Elkhart Memorial against Elkhart Central. Alex Boggs chipped in eight points for the Cavemen in their 56-43 loss to Goshen. Matt’s pick: Elkhart Memorial 61, Mishawaka 53.
Glenn (2-0) at Bremen (2-1): The Falcons soared to a 52-29 win against Bremen in their previous meeting. Jack Porter had four points in Glenn’s 75-26 win over Oregon-Davis. Ty Feldman recorded seven points in the Lions’ 65-57 win over South Central. Matt’s pick: Glenn 54, Bremen 46.
New Prairie (2-1) at Marian (0-1): The Cougars suffered a 49-33 loss to No. 5 (Class 3A) Marian a year ago. Rylan McBride ended with 11 points in New Prairie’s 58-42 loss to LaPorte. Kaleo Kakalia came up with 11 points in the Knights’ 52-48 loss at Fort Wayne Bishop Luers. Matt’s pick: Marian 60, New Prairie 57.
Penn (0-2) at Clay (2-1): The Kingsmen crowned Clay, 86-44, last season. Carter Hickey finished with 15 points in Penn’s 61-57 loss to Crown Point. Tim Kranke poured in 14 points in Clay’s 58-32 win over Trinity. Matt’s pick: Penn 69, Clay 60.
Riley (1-2) at Saint Joseph (2-0): The Wildcats slipped past Saint Joseph, 64-55, during the 2018-19 campaign. Jackson Copley’s four points were not enough for Riley in a 64-55 loss to Merrillville. Will Terry racked up 20 points in the Indians’ 102-52 win over Marquette Catholic. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 73, Riley 70.
Washington (1-1) at Jimtown (1-0): The Jimmies used a last-second shot to earn a 60-59 win at Washington last year. Jason Jones recorded 17 points in the Panthers’ 69-44 win over LaPorte. Bill Pawlak’s five points helped Jimtown to a 42-34 win over Concord. Matt’s pick: Washington 62, Jimtown 58.
Winamac (0-2) at Plymouth (1-3): The Warriors claimed z 50-43 win over Plymouth a year ago. Will Larkin finished with eight points in Winamac’s 50-41 loss to Rochester. Easton Strain had two points in the Pilgrims’ 60-41 loss to Adams. Matt’s pick: Plymouth 45, Winamac 40.
DECEMBER 11
West Noble (1-2) at Concord (0-3): The Minutemen dropped 51-50 contest to West Noble during the 1977-78 season. Breckon Miller scored 11 points in the Chargers’ 53-44 loss to Wawasee. Payton Fish was help to two points for Concord against Jimtown. Matt’s pick: Concord 39, West Noble 37.
DECEMBER 12
NorthWood (3-1) at Westview (1-1): The No. 4 (Class 2A) Warriors were a 61-48 winner over NorthWood last season. Ben Vincent tallied six points in the Panthers’ 65-47 win over Triton. Blake Egli managed seven points in Westview’s 56-50 loss to Churubusco. Matt’s pick: Westview 65, NorthWood 62.
DECEMBER 13
Clay (2-3, 0-1 NIC) at Washington (1-2, 0-1 NIC): The Panthers roared past Clay, 72-61, last season. Tomias Hunt netted eight points in the Colonials’ 72-59 loss to Penn. Jylen Petty had 23 points in Washington’s 55-54 loss to Jimtown. Matt’s pick: Washington 70, Clay 60.
Concord (0-4) at Penn (1-2): The Kingsmen crowned Concord, 78-40, a year ago. Jack D’Arcy scored four points in the Minutemen’s 46-34 loss to West Noble. Tobias Patton ended with 14 points for Penn against Clay. Matt’s pick: Penn 66, Concord 51.
Elkhart Central (0-4, 0-1 NIC) at Glenn (3-0, 1-0 NIC): The Blazers used a last-second shot to claim a 45-42 overtime win over Glenn last year. Joe Richardson’s two points were not enough for Elkhart Central in its 62-49 loss to Adams. Khori Barker recorded 10 points in the Falcons’ 70-30 win over Bremen. Matt’s pick: Glenn 62, Elkhart Central 51.
Elkhart Memorial (3-0) at LaPorte (2-2): The Chargers posted a 53-45 win over LaPorte a season ago. Titus Rodgers finished with 19 points in Elkhart Memorial’s 74-62 win over Mishawaka. Ethan Osowski racked up 11 points for the Slicers against New Prairie. Matt’s pick: Elkhart Memorial 69, LaPorte 56.
Gary Roosevelt (1-2) at Plymouth (2-3): The Pilgrims captured the 1982 state championship with a 75-74 double-overtime win against Gary Roosevelt. The Panthers got in the win column for the first time with an 85-35 decision over Hammond Clark. Dylan Gamble’s six points lifted Plymouth to a 54-29 win over Winamac. Matt’s pick: Plymouth 48, Gary Roosevelt 40.
Jimtown (2-0, 1-0 NIC) at New Prairie (2-2, 0-1 NIC): The Jimmies escaped with a 35-30 victory against New Prairie in their previous meeting. Blake Garretson’s rebound basket as time expired lifted Jimtown past Washington. Brayden Flagg registered 13 points in the Cougars’ 65-47 loss to Marian. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 55, New Prairie 49.
Marian (1-1, 1-0 NIC) at Adams (3-0, 1-0 NIC): The Knights held on for a 63-61 win over Adams in the 2018-19 campaign. Jerry Bracey accounted for 20 points for Marian against New Prairie. Lynn King contributed 12 points for the Eagles against Elkhart Central. Matt’s pick: Adams 75, Marian 72.
Mishawaka (0-2) at Riley (1-3, 0-1 NIC): The Wildcats clawed by Mishawaka, 62-50, last year. Donovan Snyder scored eight points for the Cavemen against Elkhart Memorial. Klay Coleman tallied five points in the Wildcats’ 70-57 loss to Saint Joseph. Matt’s pick: Riley 64, Mishawaka 53.
Saint Joseph (3-0, 1-0 NIC) at Bremen (2-2, 0-1 NIC): The No. 8 (Class 3A) Indians earned a 59-51 win over Bremen a season ago. Adam O’Dell poured in 11 points for Saint Joseph against Riley. Reece Willis managed only six points for the Lions against Glenn. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 61, Bremen 47.
Warsaw (3-1) at Lake Central (3-1): The Tigers were a 50-35 winner over Lake Central a year ago. Brock Poe added six points in Warsaw’s 57-52 win over Huntington North. Kyle Blum chipped in 14 points in the Indians’ 55-50 loss to Gary West. Matt’s pick: Lake Central 54, Warsaw 50.
DECEMBER 14
Chesterton (3-0) at Elkhart Memorial (3-1): This marks the first meeting on the hardwood between the Trojans and Elkhart Memorial. Travis Grayson managed 16 points in Chesterton’s 64-40 win over Lowell. D’Arjon Lewis tallied 13 points in the Chargers’ 71-68 loss at LaPorte. Matt’s pick: Chesterton 72, Elkhart Memorial 67.
Crown Point (2-1) at Warsaw (4-1): The Bulldogs came away with a 48-41 win over Warsaw in their last matchup. Ty Smith wound up with 18 points in Crown Point’s 65-59 win over East Chicago Central. Blake Marsh poured in 24 points in the Tigers’ 71-61 win at Lake Central. Matt’s pick: Warsaw 59, Crown Point 57.
Fairfield (1-3) at NorthWood (4-1): The Falcons saw their season come to an end last year with a 53-33 setback to NorthWood in the Class 3A sectional opener. Jamarr Jackson registered 11 points in the Panthers’ 66-53 win over Westview. Matt’s pick: NorthWood 61, Fairfield 48.
Fort Wayne Wayne (1-1) at Washington (2-2): The Generals cruised to a 63-43 win against Washington last season. In their 58-36 loss to No. 7 (Class 4A) Culver Academy, Fort Wayne Wayne managed only four points in the second quarter. Cortez Redmond chipped in four points for the Panthers against Jimtown. Matt’s pick: Washington 74, Fort Wayne Wayne 71.
Glenn (3-1) at Tippecanoe Valley (2-2): The Vikings are looking to make amends for a 56-37 setback to Glenn a year ago. The Falcons mustered just seven points in the fourth quarter in their 49-41 loss to Elkhart Central. Paul Leasure netted 23 points in Tippecanoe Valley’s 65-43 win over Oregon-Davis. Matt’s pick: Glenn 51, Tippecanoe Valley 45.
Jimtown (3-0) at Argos (2-2): The Dragons needed two overtimes to come away with a 49-46 win against Jimtown last year. Clay Campbell ended up with eight points for the Jimmies against Washington. Sam Manikowski poured in 23 points in Argos’ 60-57 double-overtime win over LaVille. Matt’s pick: Jimtown 39, Argos 37.
Northridge (2-1) at Angola (3-1): The Hornets stung Northridge, 50-37, a season ago. Trevor Brown tallied six points for the Raiders in their 68-62 win against Riley. Joel Knox racked up 16 points in Angola’s 45-36 win over Wawasee. Matt’s pick: Northridge 46, Angola 45,
Saint Joseph (4-0) at Goshen (3-0): The RedHawks claimed a 46-41 win against Saint Joseph in the 2018-19 season. The Indians rolled up 24 second-quarter points in their 78-34 win over Bremen. Ryan Harmelink registered six points for Goshen against Mishawaka. Matt’s pick: Saint Joseph 58, Goshen 51.
Wawasee (2-2) at Whitko (1-1): The Warriors rolled to a 59-41 win over Whitko a year ago. Austin Miller accounted for 26 points for Wawasee against West Noble. William Rickerd had 12 points in the Wildcats’ 76-67 loss to Bellmont. Matt’s pick: Whitko 49, Wawasee 48.