On The Court

GARY WIRT AT WARSAW

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday

COACHES: Omar Vazquez (Gary Wirt), Al Rhodes (Warsaw)

RECORDS: Wirt 4-11, Warsaw 15-3

LAST GAME: Andrean 62, Wirt 38; Warsaw 81, NorthWood 67

MATCHUP: ...Warsaw, already having clinched at least a tie for the Northern Lakes Conference championship, starts getting ready for the state tournament with two non-conference tuneups, starting with Gary Wirt. The Troopers started the season like the Tigers in having lost all five of their starters from a year ago. Unlike most Gary teams, Wirt teams are patient and deliberate on offense. The big concern for Warsaw will be handling Wirt's 6-10 Brandon Donaldson (9.6 points per game) in the middle.

GAME TALK:

Rhodes... "They have a big kid in the middle who is an excellent defender. They are very quick and very disciplined. It won't be a racehorse game, they don't really play that way, not like (Gary) Wallace. It will almost be that we will be trying to make it go more uptempo than what they will. Senior night is always a night I look forward to, but also it is always a difficult night. We will start our five seniors, and play on from there. It is always a concern because it scrambles up your player rotation."

WHITKO AT TRITON

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday at Bourbon

COACHES: Dave Henson (Whitko), Kevin O'Rourke (Triton)

RECORDS: Whitko 7-9, Triton 13-3

LAST GAME: Whitko 81, Oak Hill 67; Triton 81, John Glenn 65

MATCHUP:... OK, let's get this straight. Whitko loses 70-48 to North Miami last Wednesday. Two days later, Whitko beats Oak Hill 81-67. Which Whitko team will show up against Triton? Henson confirmed that 6-foot-1 senior forward Jason Ayres has been kicked off the team permanently. Triton has won 13 of its last 14 home games, dating back to last season. In their 16th game of the season, the Trojans allowed more than 59 points for the first time. John Glenn scored 65 in an 81-65 Tuesday loss to Triton.

GAME TALK:

Henson... "They're the type of team that has caused us problems all year. They're small, quick, good outside shooters who penetrate well. Cory Monesmith and Philip Reed can shoot the ball. They run a little more than they have in years past. They've played a lot of ball together for a long time. If you win a few early, you get confidence and get on a roll, and that's happened with them."

O'Rourke... "Whitko will be a huge challenge for us. They're big, and that presents problems. Zach Henson can score 35 or 40 on any given night. He's hard to contain. They have a number of other players who are pretty good. We'll have our hands full."

BREMEN AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY

TIPOFF 8 p.m. Friday at Mentone

COACHES Gary Hudson (Bremen), Gregg Sciarra (Valley)

RECORDS Bremen 12-4, Valley 9-7

LAST GAME: Bremen 68, New Prairie 61; Valley 73, Wabash 48

MATCHUP:...Two games down, two games to go. Valley has gone 1-1 without starters Jeff Brown and Nick Stutzman, who are still suspended for two games this weekend. The Vikings lost to Manchester 75-41, then punished Wabash 73-48. Bremen is one of the hottest teams in the greater South Bend area. The Lions recently won the Bi-County Tournament, and they have won eight in a row.

GAME TALK:

Hudson... "Valley is still a dangerous team. Darren Parker is a very good ballplayer. Eric Love has a great shooting touch. Bryan Lenfestey and JayDee Parker are pretty good players. We kind of like to play zone, but this game presents us with a dilemma. Valley has so many good shooters."

Sciarra... "When you can put only six or seven guys on the floor, you have to play a little differently. We'll have to control the tempo both games this weekend. Bremen's Shane Libey does a little bit of everything. He can hit some threes. Bremen is the least of our worries. We're worried about us. Our kids are playing better. Brandon Eaton is playing better, and we think he can become a player for us. Scott Cooksey can help us."

NORTHWOOD AT WAWASEE

TIPOFF 8 p.m. Friday at Syracuse

COACHES Dan Gunn (NorthWood), Jerry Davis (Wawasee)

RECORDS: NorthWood 7-10, 1-4; Wawasee 5-12, 0-5 NLC

LAST GAME Warsaw 81, NorthWood 67; Wawasee 46, Manchester 30

MATCHUP:...The Warriors are still searching for their first win in the conference. They may be 5-12, but their track record proves they are dangerous. Add to that Davis sees his team starting to come together here at the end of the season. They beat Triton (13-3) 54-51 in Bourbon and beat Manchester (10-7) 46-30 in North Manchester. The Panthers have a short week, having played Warsaw Wednesday night.

GAME TALK:

Gunn... "Wawasee's three guards have a lot to do with the success of their team. I think they are a fairly young team, and like young teams do, they have improved a lot since the beginning of the season. They have very good perimeter shooters. They put a lot of pressure on the basketball. They are doing a nice job."

Davis... "We are looking to break into the win column in the NLC. NorthWood is a team that has a good inside player and some good outside shooters. They play very stingy defense, and they are going through a motion offense where they set a lot of back screens... We have to understand that it is our defense that helped us do that (beat Manchester). We still turned the ball over 20 times. That is something we are not pleased with at this time of the year. I think we need to try to build on some good things we did last weekend. We have been improving the last three weeks with leaps and bounds, and I am hoping we can continue to do that."

MANCHESTER AT ELMHURST

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday at Fort Wayne

COACHES: Gary Goshert (Manchester), Dave McKinnis (Elmhurst)

RECORDS: Manchester 10-7, Elmhurst 7-9

LAST GAME: Wawasee 46, Manchester 30; Concordia 57, Elmhurst 55

MATCHUP:...Throw out Elmhurst's 7-9 record. It's deceiving. The Elmhurst Trojans have lost by five or fewer seven times. The Trojans forced South Side, arguably the best team in Fort Wayne, into overtime before losing. In that game, Elmhurst's 6-3 Darnell Vinson had 20 points and 17 rebounds. He was matched up against Mr. Basketball candidate Cameron Stephens. The Warriors are coming off of a dreadful 14-of-50 (28 percent) shooting performance against Wawasee.

GAME TALK:

Goshert... "Elmhurst played South Side to an overtime game. They have good size, good athletes and a dynamite point guard. He's good. Vinson and James are kids we will have to focus on defensively. We'll have to double on Vinson inside when he gets the ball. But we will still have to be tuned in on the point guard, contain him and contest his shots. I know he's quick and can shoot and is one of the toughest point guards we've faced this year. Those two boys give them a pretty lethal one-two punch."

McKinnis... "Darnell inside at 6-3, 215 has really been dominating. He's improved his strength and his inside game, and he can take it to the hoop. He had 20 points and 17 rebounds against South Side, and that was going up against Cameron Stephens. Dan Davis, 6-4, is a guard/forward type who has been playing well. He has a nice shot. He has improved ball-handling skills and can go to the hoop. Trent James does a good job at point guard, getting the ball where it needs to go. Sometimes he's too fast for the rest of us...I like Manchester's discipline and patience. I know they always have a winning record. They always want to beat us. Croner injured, and I think that might be a factor for them."