On The Court

NO. 19 WARSAW AT PLYMOUTH

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday

COACHES: Al Rhodes (Warsaw), Jack Edison (Plymouth)

RECORDS: Warsaw 14-2, 4-0, Plymouth 12-2, 2-1

LAST GAME: Warsaw 100, E. Memorial 66; Plymouth 67, LaPorte 57

MATCHUP: ...This one is big with a capital B. Two peaking teams face each other in a game that will go a long way in deciding the Northern Lakes Conference title this year. With a win, the Tigers could at least tie for the NLC crown, while Plymouth could move into a position for the top spot. Both teams come off their best performances of the season , with the Pilgrims beating then-No. 19 LaPorte by 10 points. Warsaw hit the century mark against a good Elkhart Memorial team. Nick Wise, who scored 72 points in two games last weekend, leads Plymouth with 19 points a game, while Brian Wray is adding 18 ppg. For Warsaw, Tom Krizmanich is at 20.8 ppg after averaging 30 ppg over his last four games. The game will be televised by Channel 46 WHME out of South Bend.

GAME TALK:

Rhodes... "It really is a conference championship game. We can earn at least a share, and they can keep their hopes alive. You put that combined with the fact both teams are playing very well. It certainly sets the stage for a great evening. Wray was their leading scorer for awhile until Wise was unstoppable last weekend. We have to concentrate on them, but the dangerous thing about that is you can't lose sight that Coach Edison always has a well-rounded team, and any of his players can hurt you. ... We have been on an upswing now. And of course, Plymouth has a tendancy to make teams play not so well because they play great halfcourt defense. This is the only game of the weekend, and it is for the conference championship. I am proud of the way these players, led by the seniors, have stepped up their performance in the conference games and the holiday tourney games. Our team is very interested in being a championship team."

Edison..."It is interesting how this game has developed. With Ault being a big part of their system for the last century or so, it has taken them time to develop. They were winning early with good fundamentals, but not by large margins. But now, they have improved by leaps and bounds. They are a well-oiled machine. They may be better than last year's team. At least, they are harder to prepare for. Last weekend was certainly a challenge for us. We felt like the win over NorthWood (Friday) was every bit as important as LaPorte. The rest of the team has been looking for them (Wise & Wray) more and more. The key, though, for us will be other people really have to step up for us. Other people have to pick up some scoring. ... Warsaw is a good enough team to make it one-sided. Hopefully, we can make it into a good game or a classic game."

CHURUBUSCO AT MANCHESTER

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday at North Manchester

COACHES: Ross Hales (Churubusco), Gary Goshert (Manchester)

RECORDS: Churubusco 3-10, Manchester 9-6

LAST GAME: Angola 85, Churubusco 64; Manchester 75, T. Valley 41

MATCHUP:... The Squires have rolled their last two games, beating Whitko by 18 and Tippecanoe Valley by 34. The Squires have had pretty good guard play all season, but now their frontcourt is putting it together, too. Six-foot-four junior center Chris Enyeart had 42 points and 18 rebounds in the two games against Valley and Manchester. Churubusco may have only three wins, but the Eagles have been competitive in almost every game except the last one against Angola. Post players are Churubusco's strength. Six-foot-three center Josh Kirchner averages 16 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Forward Todd Fleetwood adds 12 ppg.

GAME TALK:

Hales... "This should be a good matchup. Manchester has solid guards, but now their two post players (Enyeart, Jake Peden) are coming along. They complement the guards well and will test us. We have to have strong post play this game...I'm very pleased with the effort we have shown. It's unfortunate the close games haven't come out in our favor. Our effort's there. Like Manchester, we're improving."

Goshert... "They are deliberate with the basketball. They run people through screens and try to get the ball inside. They have two quality post players. They are a post-oriented team. They are below .500, but they are competitive."

OAK HILL AT WHITKO

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday at South Whitley

COACHES: Bryan Alexander (Oak Hill), Jerry Davis (Wawasee)

RECORDS: Oak Hill 8-7, 3-1 TRC; Whitko 6-9, 1-3 TRC

LAST GAME: Oak Hill 86, Peru 76; North Miami 70, Whitko 48

MATCHUP:...Oak Hill's Jarrad Odle is the leading scorer in the state. The 6-foot-8 junior forward, who is scoring 31 ppg, has verbally committed to play basketball at Indiana University. Oak Hill starting guard Jamey Arrick missed the last four games with an injury, but he is expected to return this weekend. Henson went with a new lineup last week, and after a win at Wawasee, he stuck with it. Henson now starts three guards, sophomore Josh Gonzalez, sophomore Ben Mohr and junior Chad Schipper. He also starts senior forward Zach Henson and junior center Kevin Miller. Whitko beat Wawasee, and Henson said afterward he expected the new lineup to be inconsistent with two sophomores starting. He was right. North Miami drubbed Whitko 70-58 Wednesday night.

GAME TALK:

Alexander... "No question, Zach Henson is one of the better players in the conference. We have to try to contain him. He'll get his points, but we can't let him have a career night. Whitko has good size to match up with our size. They have a lot of different kids who can hurt you on a given night...We've been up and down. Just last week, we probably played the worst game of the season against Taylor. Then we followed that with a good game against Peru."

Henson... "Odle's obviously a good offensive player since he's leading the state in scoring. But at times, he's been about all they've had. We have to try to contain him and hold the others down. Their guard play has been suspect, but they have kids who can shoot it if they are spotted up. They like to play a transition game, so we have to get back defensively. We've gone with a smaller, quicker lineup with better ball handlers. We started two sophomores, and they did a nice job. It gives us more firepower off the bench. Of course, when you start two sophomores, the consistency won't always be there."

WABASH AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday at Mentone

COACHES: Larry Rans (Wabash), Gregg Sciarra (Valley)

RECORDS: Wabash 2-11, Valley 8-7

LAST GAME: Northfield 60, Wabash 43; Manchester 75, Valley 41