On The Court

GOSHEN AT NO. 10 (4A) WARSAW

Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. Saturday in Warsaw

Coaches: Brian Bechtel (Goshen), Al Rhodes (Warsaw)

Records: Goshen 0-6, 0-0 NLC; Warsaw 7-2, 1-1

Last Game: Elkhart Central 68, Goshen 50; Warsaw 78, Withrow 64

Last Year: Warsaw 43, Goshen 39

Matchup: Goshen is no longer coached by Mike Sorrell, he of the deliberate offense that often frustrated Warsaw. After starting the season with a 4-2 record, Warsaw is in the midst of a three-game upswing. Goshen, on the other hand, is looking for its first win of the season under first-year coach Brian Bechtel. Three Tigers come in averaging in double figures, and another is at 9.5 points per game. Steve Siebenmorgen leads the way with 13.6 points per game. Chris Wiggins and Zach Nelson add 13.0 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Siebenmorgen pulls down an averge of 5.3 boards per game. Nelson adds 4.0. The Redskins are led in the scoring column by Josh Keister and Jeremiah Gamauf.

Bechtel: "I know Warsaw is big and talented, of course. They are getting healthy, and they will be playing their best basketball of the year. They will definitely make it a tough game. They take good shots and move the ball down the floor. We need to try to not give up transition baskets."

Rhodes: "This game concerns me because Goshen has competed pretty well. They had NorthWood beat in the Goshen Tournament, so they are improving. It's important that our players show up to play and not just look at Goshen's record. Goshen has a good mixture of size, and they have been playing at a much faster tempo than they had before. The thing about Goshen is, they haven't quit, and if they're ready to go and we're not, they have the athletic ability to cause us problems.

WAWASEE AT WEST NOBLE

Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. Saturday in Ligonier

Coaches: Robb Berger (Wawasee), Tom Schermerhorn (West Noble)

Records: Wawasee 1-7, West Noble 3-4

Last Game: Wawasee 58, Goshen 54; NorthWood 77, West Noble 70

Last Year: West Noble 84, Wawasee 77

Matchup: The Warriors enter this game after notching their first regular season win in 28 attempts. Senior Jeremy High leads the Warrior offense with 13.1 points per game. Drew Gradle and R.J. Wilson add 7.1 and 6.4 points per game, respectively. West Noble's offense is led by Jeff Burns and his 14.6 points per game average. Justin Blotkamp chips in 12.5 points per contest and Toby Steele adds 10.5. Blotkamp leads the team in rebounds with nine per game. Beau Adair and Steel chip in with eight and seven boards per game, respectively.

Berger "West Noble is an outstanding team. They are very big and experienced. They've brought back most of their kids from last year. We have to make sure we're out on their perimeter shooters. Rebounding will be a big factor."

Schermerhorn: "One thing that has impressed me is the intensity level they play with. Berger really has them going at it defensively. They're are doing a good job offensively of what their role is and what it takes to be a success at this level. We're looking to take care of some things we do. There's three or four kids that could hurt you on any given night. They have a number of kids that are playing good basketball right now. And they play an absolutely brutal schedule."

TIPPECANOE VALLEY AT ARGOS

Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. Saturday in Argos

Coaches: Bill Patrick (Valley), Doug Snyder (Argos)

Records: Valley 5-3, Argos 3-3

Last Game: Valley 59, John Glenn 57; Argos 61, River Forest 53

Last Year: Valley 61, Argos 59

Matchup: The Vikings will enter this game after a tough conference game at Southwood Friday. Senior Brandon Eaton paves the way for the Viking offense, having scored 40 or more points twice this season. The three-year starter comes in averaging 23.5 points per game. Senior Dax Snyder, the only other Viking averaging in double figure scoring, adds 10.1 points per game. Snyder leads the team with 6.6 boards per game. Freshman Trey Eaton adds 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Senior Craig Kuhn, a 6-5 center who would have been a starter, returns this weekend after an ACL injury in the football season. Argos is led in the scoring column by Josh VanVactor and Bill Robertson.

Patrick: "It's at Argos, and that's a tough place to play. I've seen some of their scores and they seem to be doing well. We're looking at Southwood right now. We'll come in Saturday and get ready for Argos."

Snyder: "I know Valley is a very good team. They are much bigger than us. Our biggest guys is 6-1 and they start as couple of 6-5 guys along with some who are 6-2 and 6-3. Size is definitely a concern. Last they were successful and they are playing with confidence right now. The key for us will be to control Brandon Eaton, rebound and keep turnovers to a minimum."

CMA AT TRITON

Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. Saturday in Bourbon

Coaches: C.J. Kersey (CMA), Joe Bennett (Triton)

Records: CMA 3-2, Triton 4-4

Last Game: CMA 58, Gary Wirt 55; Knox 69, Triton 64

Last Year: Triton 61, CMA 53

Matchup: Triton enters this non-conference matchup on the heels of Friday's Northern State Conference clash at John Glenn. In the Trojan's last game, three players scored in double figures, Brandon Zeider (27), Jake Burnett (12) and Austin Unterbrink (11). Eagle center Jackson Atoyebi averages 24 points and 14 rebounds per game. Cole Herr adds 14 points per game for C.M.A.

Kersey: "Against Triton, we are going to concentrate on two things. One, stopping the penetration of Unterbrink, and two, finding a way to stop Zeider. We have a game Friday as well, and we are going to worry about ourselves. We want to play well against the pressure and try to do a good job of eliminating turnovers."

Bennett: "Everything starts with their big guy in the middle. We've played some good big men this year, and he's every bit as good as (Bremen's Adam) Mark and (Knox's Adam) Webb."

WHITKO AT WABASH

Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. in Wabash

Coaches: Steve Pickett (Whitko), Mike Noszka (Wabash)

Records: Whitko 0-7, Wabash 0-9

Last Game: Churubusco 65, Whitko 60; Manchester 76, Wabash 34

Last Year: Whitko 80, Wabash 67

Matchup: Somebody will walk away from this game with their first win of the season. Four Wildcats average in double figure scoring, led by Bryan Howard at 11.1 points per game. Shane Henderson and Brandon Waller add 10.4 and 10.3 points, respectively. Ben Ryan leads the Wildcats with 5.4 rebounds per game. Wabash will look to Jeremy Landis, a 5-10 sophomore to lead the scoring drive. The Apaches will also look to Mike Palaszak, their leading rebounder and defensive man, to give them the spark they need.

Pickett: "My understanding is that as many as four of their guys were suspended and are now eligible to play. I don't know if I've seen the true Wabash team. It's a difficult assessment not seeing their full team."

Noszka: "We know the kind of offensive and defensive schemes they run. We have a conference game Friday night so we have kind of put Whitko on the back burner for now. I know Waller and Henderson are good players, and Whitko's record is not indicative of their talent. They have played close games against Churubusco and Plymouth, two very good teams. We'll have our hands full. The key for us will be getting defensive rebounds and taking care of the basketball."