On The Court

MANCHESTER AT COLUMBIA CITY

Tipoff: 8 p.m. at Columbia City

Coaches: Gary Goshert (Manchester), Chris Benedict (Col. City)

Records: Manchester 4-1, Col. City 4-1

Last game: Homestead 54, Manchester 45; Col. City 68, Angola 44

Matchup: In Columbia City's five games, opponents have scored more than 50 points against the Eagles only once, and that was Warsaw's 73-65 overtime win. Besides that game, the 45 points scored by Whitko are the most any team has scored against Columbia City. On offense, once the Eagles get the ball inside, they're tough to stop. Forward Dave Richmond leads Columbia City with 17 points per game, while center Jason Elkins adds 13.

Goshert: "We've come back in the right direction. We learned a lot from that (Homestead) game as far as mental preparation. It was beneficial. We're counting on playing good basketball. (Columbia City) is patient, plays with a lot of discipline and is extremely physical. We have to defend their screen situations very well. The fundamentals on defense become very important to contest their shots. We need to defend (Jason) Elkins in the low post. He's a load down there. Columbia City is very good from the low post. Richmond has the ability to do a little bit of everything. He has the ability to drive, to flash in the lane, to catch and shoot. We're not in Columbia City's sectional anymore (but) the fact they beat us twice last year and that they're a good basketball team is incentive enough."

Benedict: "We are getting contributions from a lot of different people and good pressure defensively. We're holding teams under 50. We're getting about eight or nine guys every night with good contributions. Manchester is very well coached, shoots well and handles the ball well. We have to defend the whole game of things. Sizewise, we match up well. Hopefully, we won't have to talk much to get guys up for the game. If we can get to the free-throw line and pound the ball inside, we'll be OK."

SOUTH BEND RILEY AT WAWASEE

Tipoff: 8 p.m. at Syracuse

Coaches: Tom DeBaets (Riley), Jerry Davis (Wawasee)

Records: Riley 1-3, Wawasee 0-4

Last game: Riley 66, John Glenn 49; Warsaw 71, Wawasee 50

Matchup: This game features a Wawasee team with talented guards against a South Bend Riley team with talented inside players. Six-foot-6 center Steve Reynolds averages 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game for Riley. Guards Jay Haugh and Jared Mahnensmith combine for ??? points for Wawasee. Riley's biggest key to win is to keep Haugh and Mahnensmith from driving to the basket. Wawasee will want to force Riley to prove it can hit outside shots.

Davis: "I think Riley obviously has a very fine player inside in the Reynolds kid. He's a 6-6 forward who plays well inside but also steps out and hits the three. I think Riley is a more disciplined half-court team than they were a year ago. (Riley) has been patient on getting good shots in the paint ... We still have the elements to put some things together. I think the combination of playing Elkhart Central and DeKalb and Warsaw back-to-back has had a lot to do with where we're at. We played at the level we need to play at for three of four quarters in those game. But there's been one quarter each of those games that has been our downfall."

DeBaets: "You definitely have to look at Wawasee's little guards (Haugh and Mahnensmith). We need to slow them down on their penetration and ability to shoot the ball. This game isn't a real good matchup because of their quick guards and our size. We have to take full advantage of our size and get the ball inside and then kick it out for the three-pointer. We've had trouble against smaller, quicker teams."