On The Court

NORTHWOOD AT 2A No. 1 WESTVIEW

Tip-off: 6:15 p.m tonight in Topeka

Coaches: Dan Gunn (NorthWood); Troy Neely

Records: NorthWood 5-0; Westview 6-0

Last Game: NorthWood 77, West Noble 70; Westview 67, Goshen 45

Last Year: Westview 66, NorthWood 57

Matchup: This game is a battle of unbeaten teams, but one team's perfect record will fall tonight after the matchup. NorthWood is off to a strong start with five straight this season. Football standout Charlie Roeder has made the transition to basketball and is leading the Panthers in scoring and rebounding with 19 points and seven rebounds per game. Brock Doty adds an average of 17.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Two other Panthers also average in double figures in scoring. Rory Clouse and Ian Reed average 10 points per game each. Clouse also pulls down 5.3 rebounds and grabs 2.7 steals per game. Westview is looking to continue its run for back-to-back state championships. After winning the Class 2A title last year, the Warriors are hungry for more. With seven seniors, the Westview squad returns an experienced team to the floor. Jeff Nelson, Derek Yoder, Mark Miller, Jason Yoder, Eric Yoder, Adam Bontreger and Jeff Fought have picked up where last year's team left off by winning six straight contests.

Gunn: "Elson, the post man, is a very good player. He's good without the ball. Westview has several shooters. They are good at moving the ball and they play aggressive defense. They press on the ball half court as well as full court. The key to this game will be handling the ball and not making turnovers. We need to be sure we put pressure on their three-point shooters. And we have to score because Westview can put points on the board."

OAK HILL AT MANCHESTER

Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. Wednesday in North Manchester

Coaches: Gary Goshert (Manchester); Flava Sirk (Oak Hill)

Records: Manchester 3-2, 2-0 TRC; Oak Hill 5-1, 2-0 TRC

Last Game: Columbia City 58, Manchester 27; Oak Hill N/A

Last Year: Manchester 64, Oak Hill 35

Matchup: After starting the season 3-0, Manchester has lost two games in a row to Homestead and Columbia City. Klay Bechtold leads the Squires in scoring, averaging 10 points per game. David Bazzoni dishes out 2.5 assists per game, while Anthony Frieden grabs two steals per game as well. After finishing the season 9-13 last year, Oak Hill is expected to improve that mark by returning six seniors and three starters from last year's team. Ty Henderson is the team's leading scorer with around 26 points per game, while Marcus Hall adds about 20 points per game for the Eagles.

Goshert: "Oak Hill was picked in the preseason as one of the top teams in the conference. They are 2-0 in the TRC and 5-1 overall. The only team they have lost to is undefeated Maconaquah. They have good size and can shoot the ball well. They are a quick and talented team. They like to play an uptempo game offensively and defensively."

3A No. 8 PLYMOUTH VS. TIPPECANOE VALLEY

IN PLYMOUTH TOURNEY

Tip-off: 8 p.m. Wednesday in Plymouth

Coaches: Jack Edison (Plymouth); Bill Patrick (Valley)

Records: Plymouth 5-2; Valley 4-2

Last Game: Penn 70, Plymouth 66; Valley 61, Wawasee 59

Last Year: Plymouth 53, Valley 33

Matchup: Brandon Eaton is leading the area in scoring with 26.8 points per game and steals with 2.8 per game. Valley also will look to Justin Ross, who averages 10.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, for leadership. With 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, Dax Snyder is another force on the Valley squad. After last year's 18-6 season, Plymouth lost several players to graduation. However, the Pilgrims started the season on the right foot with five straight wins. After losing two games to Bremen and Penn last weekend, Plymouth stands at 5-2. Plymouth will look to leading scorer John Pettibone to lead the offensive push. In the first game, John Glenn (5-1) meets Rochester (3-2) at 6:30 p.m.

Patrick: "It's a typical Plymouth team. They handle the ball well and have one player who has really been a standout in a couple of games, John Pettibone. They have good size and they can shoot the ball well. Plymouth is down a little bit compared to the past couple years, but they are a solid basketball team. Edison teams are always well-coached and fundamentally sound."