Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WARSAW AT HUNTINGTON NORTH
Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. today in Huntington
Coaches: Al Rhodes (Warsaw), Eric Foister (Huntington North)
Records: Warsaw 12-6, Huntington North 11-7
Last game: Plymouth 48, Warsaw 43; Brownsburg 63, H. North 62
Last year: Warsaw 72, Huntington North 57
Matchup: Indiana Mr. Basketball candidate Sean Kline leads Huntington North with 20.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He shoots 58 percent (102 of 176) from the field. Last year he was the Vikings' only real scoring threat, but this year, they have more options. Matt Blackburn scores 11.4 ppg, and Bart Mitchell adds 10.9. Six of Huntington North's seven losses have been by four points or fewer. Only one team has dominated Huntington North, and that's Indianapolis Pike, which won 97-68. Outside of that loss, Huntington North has lost 52-49 to Marion, 62-58 to South Bend Clay, 61-57 to Homestead, 71-69 to South Bend Washington, 58-57 to Muncie South and 63-62 to Brownsburg. Warsaw tries to rebound from a tough loss to Plymouth. Warsaw led 27-19 against Plymouth with 5:56 left in the third quarter, but the Pilgrims outscored Warsaw 29-16 the rest of the way. Josh Buck leads Warsaw with 14.7 ppg, and Greg Clay adds 9.4, Chris Clay 8.1 and Paul Finnegan 7.5.
Rhodes: "I saw Huntington at Brownsburg, and they are so much better than a year ago. The cast of characters around Kline have improved their ability to shoot. Matt Blackburn is an excellent player. We kind of helped off people against Kline last year. I don't think we can do that this year, so that leaves guarding him up to Josh Buck. Mitchell and (Casey) Mast are solid catch-and-shoot three-point shooters. They are very physical, and I'm concerned about their rebounding as I have been against any team we've played this year, because we are a good rebounding team. I imagine Pike was able to really get after their guards, but Pike can do that to anyone. We hope Brad Seiss and Greg Clay can do some of the same things as well against their guards, which is keep the ball out of their attack areas and keep it from always being thrown to Kline. If we can do that, we will greatly increase our chances to win."
Foister: "Defensively, Warsaw will be as good as any team we've played all year. The Clay twins are strong, and then they have Josh Buck. I've made the comment to our kids all week that Josh Buck is the Brian Cardinal of high school basketball. Warsaw always puts five kids on the floor who pass the ball well. We've worked hard over the spring and summer and into the season at being able to get our kids to shoot better. Now we have three kids in double figures, and that's taken pressure off Sean. He doesn't have to score 24 points every night. His numbers are down, but we're a better team this year."
TIPPECANOE VALLEY AT TRITON
Tip-off: 6 p.m. Thursday in Bourbon
Coaches: Bill Patrick (Valley); Joe Bennett (Triton)
Records: Valley 12-5; Triton 11-4
Last game: Valley 74, Peru 69; Triton 51, Bremen 40
Last year: Valley 70, Triton 61
Matchup: Last week's loss to North Miami made the Vikings share the Three Rivers Conference title with Manchester and Oak Hill as each went 5-2. Cody New leads the Vikings with 24.4 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. Trey Eaton is next on the Valley squad with 17.4 ppg and 8.2 rpg. Anthony Domenico leads the team in assists with 5.1 assists per game. Triton comes in on a four-game win streak and has won seven of its last eight games. A balanced Triton scoring attack is led by senior Jim Read's 11.5 ppg. Jake Burnett and Tyson Blackford add 9.1 ppg each, while Joey Potter and Steven Boyer chip in with 8.4 ppg. Read and Potter average 5.7 and 4.5 rpg, respectively.
Patrick:Ê"Triton is is 11-4, and they have been beaten by two of the same teams, Glenn and Caston. They have several seniors who have played three years, Blackford, Burnett, Boyer and Read. They don't have any one player who scores lots of points. Five or six different players have led the team in scoring this year. They have five or six players averaging right around nine to 10 points per game. They are pretty well balanced. They handle the ball well and shoot the ball well. Defensively they play pressure man-to-man. Basically they are a solid team. The big thing for us will be rebounding. We did a good job rebounding against Peru. We have to stop the penetration and push the ball up the floor. It should be a good game."
Bennett: "We have to be balanced offensively and not just have one or two kids scoring, but five or six kids scoring. (Valley's) aggressiveness and talent really sticks out. Rebounding is always a key, but defensively we have to match their aggressiveness, on defense, when rebounding and when we're screening."
WESTVIEW AT WAWASEE
Tip-off: 6:15 Thursday in Syracuse
Coaches: Troy Neely (Westview), Phil Mishler (Wawasee)
Records: Westview 9-7, Wawasee 4-12
Last game: Westview 50, Prairie Heights 48; Goshen 55, Wawasee 41
Last year: Westview 64, Wawasee 56
Matchup: One thing is for sure in this game, the Warriors will win. Westview's Warriors have won the past two Class 2A state titles, but the graduation of nine players from last year's team has them at 9-7 currently. The Wawasee Warriors halted an eight-game skid recently with a win over Northridge and are coming in after a 14-point loss to Northern Lakes Conference rival Goshen. Senior center Andrew Packer leads Wawasee with 12 ppg, while Scott Beasley chips in with eight. Packer is second in the area in rebounds, averaging just under nine per contest. Westview, which lost 60 ppg of scoring from last year's team, is led this year by Chris Ponce (17 ppg) and Ryan Yoder (11.5 ppg). James Canzoneire leads Westview with 5 rpg, and adds Ponce 4.9 rpg.
Neely: "First of all, Wawasee is probably the best 4-12 team in the area. Their record doesn't indicate at all how good they are. They play a very tough schedule. They're like us in they like to pressure the ball. They shoot the ball well from the perimeter and they have a go-to guy inside. We'll have our hands full."
Mishler: "Westview is rebuilding, and I think we matchup with them. Obvioulsy, they have a lot of tradition and a great coach. What he teaches is always gonna be an advantage for them, but I feel we matchup athleticly. We need to take care of the ball and make good decisions. If we don't take care of the ball, Westview is a team that can take advantage of all your errors."
COLUMBIA CITY AT MANCHESTER
Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. Thursday in North Manchester
Coaches: Chris Benedict (Columbia City), Gary Goshert (Manchester)
Records: Columbia City 6-9, Manchester 11-6
Last game: Carroll 48, Columbia City 44; Manchester 53, Harding 50
Last year: Carroll 65, Manchester 51
Matchup: Both these teams enter after a close game. Manchester edged Harding, while Columbia City fell by four to a taller, talented Carroll team. Senior center Klint Rupley has continued to step up his game for Manchester and is leading the team with 11.6 ppg. Classmate Anthony Frieden chips in with 11.2 ppg, while Nate Kerr is at 10.1 ppg. Rupley is currently third in the Three Rivers Conference in shooting percentage at 61.3 percent, making 76 of 124 field goals. Columbia City enters this game having won but three of its last 10 games. The Eagles' scoring attack is led by 5-9 guard Trevor Shively's 15.8 ppg. Bob Dye is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 ppg and first in rebounds with five per contest.
Benedict: "Manchester is awfully solid at both ends of the floor. Coach Goshert does a great job teaching the game. That's half the battle, his team is so prepared and plays the game very hard. They are all good basketball players. The Rupley kid is someone we have to be concerned about inside. He's had a couple real good games lately. Their guards handle the ball and are good shooters. It's gonna be a tough game for us."
Goshert: "To me Columbia City is a team that has gotten better each month of the season. The last month they have really made some progress. Their conference is as good this year as it has been in a long time. They have a tremendous schedule. I think they are very well coached and are about as disciplined a team as we have on our schedule year in and year out. Their guards are the key to their
team. Shively, Boylan and Schmitt do a great job. They don't make many mistakes, and they are extremely solid as a unit defensively. Dye at 6-3 is well skilled as a post player. He's not anchored to the blocks, he can step out and shoot it. They definitely have weapons. They have real nice depth. They're gonna be a handful."
NORTHWOOD AT BREMEN
Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. Thursday in Bremen
Coaches: Dan Gunn (NorthWood); Gary Hudson (Bremen)
Records: NorthWood 11-5; Bremen
Last game: Lakeland 54, NorthWood 50
Last year: Bremen 69, NorthWood 68, OT
Matchup: Willy Will, Rory Clouse and Ryan Bradley lead NorthWood. Clouse leads the Panthers with 16.5 ppg, while Bradley adds 14.6 and Will 14.1. Clouse also leads NorthWood in rebounding with 5.9 rpg, while Will pulls down 5.3 rpg. Bremen has several players who score, but none average in double figures. Kevin Faulstich and Greg Neeley lead the Lions with 9.0 ppg each, and Nick Bragg adds 7.5 ppg. Tony Alvarado and Alex Bryant score 6.0 ppg for Bremen. Faultstich pulls down 4.5 rpg.
Gunn: "Bremen has nice-sized players overall. They rebound well and play hard defense. They are very aggressive offensively. We need to handle the ball well, not turn over the ball, take our time shooting and hit free throws."
Hudson: "NorthWood is a very talented basketball team. They've got a pair of good sophomore guards who play like they are seniors. They are good outside and they are intelligent. They are a very talented basketball team. We're struggling offensively. We are working on trying to get good shots. That has been our point of emphasis for a long time now."
