On The Court

WAWASEE AT WARSAW

Tip-Off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Warsaw

Coaches: Robb Berger (Wawasee), Al Rhodes (Warsaw)

Records: Wawasee 0-3, 0-0 NLC; Warsaw 3-0, 0-0 NLC

Last Game: DeKalb 56, Wawasee 36; Warsaw 51, Valparaiso 44

Last Year: Warsaw 86, Wawasee 59

Matchup: Warsaw is looking for its first Northern Lakes Conference win of the season against Wawasee. Chris Wiggins leads the Tiger offensive attack with 13.7 points per game. Zach Nelson and Steve Siebenmorgen average 11.7 and 10.0 points per game for Warsaw. Nelson leads the team in rebounding with seven per game. Wawasee is looking to end its three-game losing streak and get the first win of the season. The Warriors will look to five players, Jeremy High, Andrew Packer, Travis Klenke, R.J. Wilsonand Drew Gradle, to lead the scoring attack. Each of these players is averaging between 7.0 and 15 points per contest. Jeremy High also leads the Warriors in rebounding with 7.7 per game.

Rhodes: "Wawasee seems to be a team that is working very hard to learn a new system with their new coach. The Warsaw game is always a big game on their schedule, and we always seem to receive Wawasee's best game. They have a lot of team quickness. We will try to press a lot and take care of the basketball. We also need to execute in our zone offense."

Berger: "Obviously, Warsaw is one of the top teams in the state. We've seen them play several times. They are big, disciplined and well-coached. We will try to put some pressure on their guards and make them handle the ball. We will also try to contain their outside shooting and concentrate on blocking out."

TIPPECANOE VALLEY AT WHITKO

Tip-Off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in South Whitley

Coaches: Bill Patrick (Valley); Steve Pickett (Whitko)

Records: Valley 2-1, 1-0 TRC; Whitko 0-4, 0-1 TRC

Last Game: Valley 74, North Miami 49; Cental Noble 48, Whitko 34

Last Year: Valley 66, Whitko 51

Matchup: Bill Patrick and his Tippecanoe Valley Vikings will travel to Patrick's old stomping ground for a classic Friday matchup. Valley is coming off a double- overtime loss to Warsaw, a win over Columbia City and a sloppy win over North Miami. After scoring 40 points against Warsaw, 18 against Columbia City and 17 against North Miami, Brandon Eaton leads the Viking scoring drive. After losing the first four games of the season, Whitko is looking for it first win at home over Valley. The Wildcats will look to Shane Henderson to lead the offensive attack. Henderson is averaging 13.5 points per game. Brandon Waller and Bryan Howard are also scoring in double figures with 10.8 and 11.3 points per game respectively. Howard also pulls down 3.5 rebounds per game.

Pickett: "First, I know coach Bill Patrick is a tremendous coach with great assistants. They have the team playing well, especially the Eaton boys. We will try to be competitive with them. They are obviously a tremendous team. I think we just need to focus on trying to play a complete defense. We have been giving up an average of 61.5 points per game. That's too high. We need to turn that around and focus on trying to stop Valley."

Patrick: "Basically we have been trying to correct the things we didn't do Saturday against North Miami. We are working on (cutting down) turnovers, blocking out and making our offense more smooth. We are concentrating on the things we need to work on. Whitko has got some good outside shooters. They have shot 27 threes. They played Homestead within eight or nine, and they played Columbia City tough. They also played well against Northfield except for one quarter."

MANCHESTER AT ROCHESTER

Tip-Off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Bourbon

Coaches: Gary Goshert (Manchester); David Burkett (Rochester)

Records: Manchester 2-0, 1-0; Rochester 2-0, 0-0 TRC

Last Game: Manchester 64, Southwood 39; Rochester 77, Winamac 61

Last Year: Manchester 62, Rochester 52

Matchup: Manchester is off to a 1-0 start in the Three Rivers Conference this season. Klay Bechtold (14.5 points per game), Lee Shafer (7.5 points per game), David Bazzoni (7.0 points per game) and Nate Kerr (6.5 points per game) are the Manchester offensive leaders. Shafer and Kerr pull down 4.5 and 4.0 rebounds respectively per contest. Rochester is playing without two starters this week. Blake Newton, who averaged 21 points per game last year, is out with a broken hand, while Landon Barts, another Zebra starter, is out with a dislocated shoulder. Because of those injuries, B.J. Swank, Nick Patterson, Deric Beck, Nick Bowers and Shane Reasoner will make up the starting five for the Zebras. Beck is one of the top 10 scorers in the state at 28 points per game.

Goshert: "Rochester has a great player in Deric Beck. He averages 28 points per game, and he can do it all. He also has a good supporting cast. Patterson plays tenacious defense. Newton led the TRC in three point shots. Bowers is back from last year in the post position, and he is physically strong and a good rebounder. Rochester was good last year, but they are bigger and better this year. They are a tremendous team."

Burkett: "Manchester is 2-0. They are quick and very fast. Even though they graduated people, they have come back well. They play tough defense and have high scoring games. They like to move the ball up and down the floor. They also have three players in double figures scoring and one who averages nine so they can score well."

PLYMOUTH AT TRITON

Tip-Off: 6:30 p.m. Friday in Bourbon

Coaches: Jack Edison (Plymouth), Joe Bennett (Triton)

Records: Plymouth 3-0, Triton 2-2

Last Game: Plymouth 59, Mishawaka 48; Triton 60, Elkhart Baptist 49

Last Year: Plymouth 81, Triton 52

Matchup: The Trojans brought their season to an even .500 Tuesday with a win at Elkhart Baptist. Plymouth comes in 3-0 and No. 6 in Class 3A. Triton is led by Brandon Zeider, Jim Read and Austin Unterbrink. The trio combined for 40 of Triton's 60 points against Elkhart Baptist. The Pilgrims are led by John Pettibone and his 13 points per game. Jeff Stetler adds 8.0 points per contest, and Brent Houlian is averaging 8.0 rebounds per game.

Edison: "Triton is a very experienced team. They have three starters back from last year, and their point guard (Unterbrink) has played all four years and is a great leader. Their big scorer Zeider does some great things. He has great body control and finishes inside as well as anybody. He's as good around the basket as anyone that size. Read is a solid, consistent post player. They create problems for us because they drive to the basket so well."

Bennett: "Plymouth is very well-coached and disciplined. They handle the ball well and play excellent defense. We have to contain John Pettibone, though they have been balanced. I imagine they'll try and stop our penetration with Zeider and Unterbrink."

EAST NOBLE AT NORTHWOOD

Tip-Off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Nappanee

Coaches: Marty Johnson (East Noble), Dan Gunn (NorthWood)

Records: East Noble 2-1, NorthWood 1-0

Last Game: Fort Wayne Snider 68, East Noble 66; NorthWood 67, Triton 53

Last Year: East Noble 47, NorthWood 25

Matchup: With the success of its football team, NorthWood has played just one game: a 14-point win at Triton. Seniors Ian Reed and Charlie Roeder scored 17 points each in the win. Normally East Noble is led in the scoring column by Kevin Longfellow and Matt Holbrook, but they each injured an ankle in practice Wednesday and most likely won't suit up. For now, the Knights are led by Sean Gabbard and his 7.0 points per game.

Johnson: "They're putting five good offensive players on the floor. They're playing well defensively, hard and physical, but they've always done that. Their offensive skills are the best I've seen them in the last three or four years. I don't think you can give just one name or number and say stop him and we'll be successfu.l. They all handle it well, shoot it and take it to the basket."

Gunn: "For quite some time they've been a team that takes care of the basketball, plays hard-nosed defense and is well-coached. I believe they're off to a 2-1 start. They could easily be 3-0. They lost in the final minute to (Fort Wayne) Snider. If at all possible, we'd like to speed up the pace of the game. That'll be pretty difficult. They're good ball handlers."