WARSAW AT FW NORTH

Tipoff: 8 p.m. at Fort Wayne

Coaches: Al Rhodes (Warsaw); Glenn Heaton (Fort Wayne North)

Records: Warsaw 3-1; Fort Wayne North 3-0

Last Game: Valpo 49, Warsaw 47; Fort Wayne North 64, H. North 57

Matchup: Fort Wayne North is playing well to start the season, winning the first three games of the year. However, North will have a grueling game with Harding tonight that could play a factor. Vernard Hollins is leading the North attack at 23 points per game.

Rhodes: "I don't know a lot about their team this year, but I know they have one outstanding player (Hollins). They had a kid that was a move in, and then he decided to go back to Texas. So they had to adjust to that. Their place is always tough to play in because of the walls being so close and the atmosphere. They are always quick, and they will trap us halfcourt and fullcourt. We are working a lot this week on individual skills among the players. We spent a lot of time in the preseason on team, but now we see some things individually we need to work on."

Heaton: "Warsaw is a good team. They're balanced. (Chris) Wiggins we've been impressed with, and (Andy) Plank has done a nice job of leading the team and hitting clutch shots for them. Warsaw does not beat themselves. We have to play the same way and not make turnovers. Defensively, we need to be sharp because they do so many different things. We need to play four good quarters of basketball and try to make the plays down the stretch."

PLYMOUTH AT WHITKO

Tipoff: 8 p.m. at South Whitley

Coaches: Jack Edison (Plymouth); Fred Fields (Whitko)

Records: Plymouth 3-0; Whitko 1-3

Last game: Plymouth 76, Mishawaka 48; Cent. Noble 37, Whitko 36

Matchup: This looks like a mismatch, but maybe not quite as bad as some would think. Whitko is playing better in its last two games, going 1-1 with a one-point loss. And with head coach Fred Fields, the Wildcats have a good chance of hanging in the game. However, for that to happen, Whitko must find a way to contain Brian Wray, who has become one of the better players in the area.

Edison: "This will be the first time in five games that we will see a team that is very inside-conscious. Whitko is very strong inside and wants to get the ball in there. We'll find out a lot about our interior defense, which hasn't really been tested yet."

Fields: "They're probably as good as they have been in the past, but they are more perimeter oriented. In the past, they have had a blend of inside and outside ... We have to contain Wray. He is probably one of the top shooters in the state. But we did a nice job against (Ryan) Bricker of Central Noble. We held him to five points. For us to say that we're the same caliber of Plymouth at this point would be ludicrous, but we're moving that way."

FAIRFIELD AT NORTHWOOD

Tipoff: 8 p.m. at Nappanee

Coaches: Scott Miller (Fairfield); Dan Gunn (NorthWood)

Records: Fairfield 3-0; NorthWood 1-0

Last game: Fairfield 67, Prairie Heights 49; NorthWood 50, Triton 37

Matchup: The NorthWood Panthers are still finding out what kind of team they have after playing just one game so far (before tonight). This game will be a good test to see just how strong the Panthers are. They will be playing a half-court offense in East Noble tonight and then play a running, full-court team like Fairfield.

Miller: "NorthWood's big and strong with a lot of talent. A couple of kids pose problems. Bobby Brown goes 6-4, 200 pounds. He's probably their best offensive player. (Gunn's) going to mix it up to make you make decisions. His defensive pressure is the most impressive thing about his teams. I think we will probably have to play through some runs NorthWood makes. NorthWood usually makes some 10-point runs, and we may not be capable of answering that. We don't have the scorers they have. We may be a little quicker, but their size will be a factor. NorthWood's a good team that's capable of smacking somebody."

Gunn: "(Fairfield) is one of the hardest playing teams. They play at a frantic pace. They don't have any really big people. We work on and against the press every day, so we'll be ready. Usually, the only difference (between presses) is personnel differences. They may play more zone than East Noble. Most of our emphasis is on what we are or are not doing, not what they are or are not doing."

MANCHESTER AT HOMESTEAD

Tipoff: 8 p.m. at Fort Wayne

Coaches: Gary Goshert (Manchester); Don Lines (Homestead)

Records: Manchester 3-0; Homestead 1-1

Last game: Manchester 47, Southwood 30; FW South 63, Homestead 57

Matchup: Manchester's interior defense will be tested against Homestead, which has 6-foot-6 senior center Pete Lougheed (a Division I football prospect) and three other players 6-3 or taller. Ryan Morris leads Homestead in scoring at 17 points per game. The Squires are essentially a team of guards with one post player, Chris Enyeart.

Goshert: "Homestead is similar to Rochester (the team Manchester plays tonight) in that a lot of things they do are predicated on dribble penetration. Homestead passes the ball extremely well. They have a 6-6 player (Lougheed) who's extremely strong and efficient inside. They have another 6-4 kid who's good in the post. For us, more than anything else, the important thing is to defend and box out and contain the dribble penetration. Dribble penetration has been important in every game we've played so far."

Lines: "It has been a typical first two games for us. We have played well at times. I am not happy with the way we played in the fourth quarter against South. We let it get away from us. ... I know Manchester is highly ranked in their class. They are always a tough team to play. Defensively we are trying to be a better team this year. We have always been a good offensive team. We try to play the whole court and create our offense from our defense." [[In-content Ad]]