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WARSAW AT GOSHEN (NLC)
Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Goshen
Coaches: Al Rhodes (Warsaw), Brian Bechtel (Goshen)
Records: Warsaw 7-3, 2-0 NLC; Goshen 5-5, 2-0 NLC
Last game: Goshen 62, Concord 55; Warsaw 60, Northridge 40
Last year: Warsaw 62, Goshen 25
Matchup: Two hot teams clash in this game. Warsaw started the season 1-2 but has won four straight in upping its record to 7-3. Goshen started the season 1-4 but has won four of its last five to reach .500. This is a big NLC game as the two teams are tied for first with 2-0 records. Of Goshen's five losses, only one was by more than 10 points. The Redskins are a veteran team as they return four players, guards Jeremiah Gamauf and Jeremiah Latham, center Andrew Hershberger and forward Brandon Hughes, who started last year. Warsaw has had success recently by causing teams to turn the ball over against its traps and full-court defense, but Gamauf and Latham are veteran guards who take better care of the ball than they did last year. Gamauf leads Goshen with 15.4 points per game, while Hughes adds 14, Hershberger 13 and Latham 8.0. Hershberger averages 10 rebounds per game, and Gamauf averages 6.0 assists per game. Josh Buck leads Warsaw with 17.5 points per game, and Greg Clay adds 10.1. Buck leads Warsaw with 5.3 rebounds per game, and Brad Seiss leads the Tigers with 3.6 assists per game. Clay sprained his ankle in practice this week, and Rhodes was unsure of his playing status as of this morning. While he could be out, the Tigers will be helped by the return of Paul Finnegan, who has completed his suspension. Finnegan should be in the starting lineup.
Rhodes: "I think Goshen has shown a lot of improvement. They have revamped their team a bit. They played well against Concord and have shown improved half-court defense. This is a big game conference-wise, we're going on the road, and Goshen has always been a tough place for us to play. They have had four regular starters, but now they have moved Jamie Graber, a 6-2 junior forward, into the starting lineup, and that has seemed to help them. I think Goshen is starting to put it together."
Bechtel: "We played a pretty strong schedule at the beginning of the season, and now we're getting a lot of people playing well on the same night. Warsaw is very fundamentally sound. We have to stop their transition game as they score several points per game in the open court. We have to handle their pressure. Presses definitely hurt us last year, but we're handling them better this year."
TIPPECANOE VALLEY AT ROCHESTER (TRC)
Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Rochester
Coaches: Bill Patrick (Valley); David Burkett (Rochester)
Records: Valley 8-2, 2-0 TRC; Rochester 3-5, 1-1 TRC
Last game: Valley 65, Northfield 44; Whitko 68, Rochester 54
Last year: Valley 70, Rochester 62
Matchup: These teams met once before this season in the Tippecanoe Valley Holiday Tourney when the Vikings topped the Zebras 81-57. In that game, Valley team leaders Trey Eaton (17.5 ppg) and Cody New (23.7 ppg) combined for 55 of Valley's 81 points. New leads the TRC in scoring as well as rebounding (8.8 rpg). New and Andy Martin lead the Valley squad in steals with 1.6 per game. Anthony Domenico leads the TRC in assists with 5.9 per contest, while Drew Shafer is near the top in three-point field goals with 8 of 16 for 50 percent. Nick Patterson leads Rochester's offense. Patterson averages 20.7 ppg overall this season, but his average jumps up to 29.5 ppg in TRC play. Billy Newton also scores in double figures for the Zebras with 12.1 ppg, while Landon Barts adds 10.5 ppg. Barts also leads Rochester in rebounding with 5.0 rpg.
Patrick: "We played Rochester in our four-way tournament, and that game was not as close as we thought it would be. They have played a full-court press every game. They play man-to-man and zone defense, and they push the ball up the court. All five starters shoot the three, and their kids shoot the ball and handle the ball well. Rochester plays a lot better at home than they do on the road. If we can handle the press and cut down on their transition baskets, I think we'll be OK. This is a big rivalry, Valley and Rochester. It doesn't make a difference what the records are, it's always a good game. And it's a conference game, so it should be a very good game."
Burkett: "Well, losing [to Valley] last time figures in a lot this time for us. Valley played us very well in a game they dominated from the start. We did fairly well on New, but Eaton and Shafer took care of us from the start. Valley's physical play took us out of the game underneath the basket. Eaton especially took us out of the game with his play underneath. We think we can improve in that area of the game for this next matchup."
SOUTHWOOD AT WHITKO (TRC)
Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in South Whitley
Coaches: Steve McClure (Southwood); Steve Pickett (Whitko)
Records: Southwood 6-2, 1-1 TRC; Whitko 5-4, 1-1 TRC
Last game: Southwood 74, Lakeview Christian 42; Whitko 74, Canterbury 37
Last year: Southwood 72, Whitko 56
Matchup: Whitko looks to extend its three game win streak to four as it faces Three Rivers Conference opponent Southwood. Josh Hoffman and Alex Frantz lead Whitko's offense. Hoffman averages 13.8 ppg. Frantz, who averages 13.8 ppg overall, has exploded in conference play and averages 20 points per TRC contest. Adam Wendel is sneaking up on double figures with 9.8 points per game. Hoffman leads the Wildcats in rebounding with 7.4 rpg, and Brad Walpole dishes out 4.4 assists per game for Whitko. Southwood has three players who average in double figures. Shawn Zellers (13.9 ppg), Branden Ehret (11.9 ppg) and Brady Elzroth (11.0 ppg) lead the Knights' offense. Brian Bassett (6 of 16, 37.5 percent) and Ehret (18 of 54, 33.3 percent) are Southwood's perimeter threats. Elzroth leads the Knights in rebounding with 7.6 rpg, while Zellers pulls down 6.7 per contest. Ehret also leads the team with 5.9 apg and 2.0 spg.
McClure: "Whitko is a talented team with a lot of youth. I think they have improved. We are working on our team right now. Our half-court defense has been solid all year, and we are trying to extend that defense. We are also working on our transition defense as well. Offensively, we have been working on ball movement."
Pickett: "Southwood is very well-coached. They have good senior leadership, and offensively they are very patient. They like to get the ball into the paint and score. They are very quick. They also shoot accurately from the outside. They play very good defense and force turnovers. The keys for us will be to block out, get back on offense and on defense, run the help-side. We also need to cut down on turnovers."
WAWASEE AT ELKHART MEMORIAL (NLC)
Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Elkhart
Coaches: Phil Mishler (Wawasee), Steve Johnson (Memorial)
Records: Wawasee 3-6, 0-2 NLC; Memorial 3-8, 1-1 NLC
Last game: NorthWood 69, Wawasee 63; Penn 68, Memorial 49
Last year: Did not play
Matchup: This marks the first meeting with Elkhart Memorial for the Warriors in Northern Lakes Conference action as the Crimson Chargers have left the Northern Indiana Conference for the NLC. Wawasee is trying to bring a four-game losing streak to a halt. After starting the season 3-2, the Warriors fell twice to Warsaw and then lost to Goshen and NorthWood. Senior center Andrew Packer leads Wawasee in the scoring column with 12.0 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounds with 8.8 per game. Brian Adkins adds 8.8 ppg, while Scott Beasley and Travis Klenke add 7.0 ppg each. Juniors Quennel Young and Erik Smith average 14 ppg for the Crimson Chargers, while Tristan Miller pulls down 7.0 rpg.
Mishler: "We know [Elkhart Memorial] has a lot of patience offensively. They like to pressure the ball and crash the boards. Our biggest concern is probably being able to handle their ball pressure. We need to be able to keep things spread out and maintain some patience on offense. There are some unknowns. The first couple of minutes the coaches and players will have to get acclimated to these two teams playing."
Johnson: "Wawasee is 3-6, they're a lot better than that. They play hard, play deep, and from what I've seen, they come to play. We've got our hands full, no question about that. The biggest concern for us is their team balance. We can't really think about stopping one person because they spread things out so well."
CULVER AT TRITON (NSC)
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. Friday in Bourbon
Coaches: Brett Berrant (Culver), Joe Bennett (Triton)
Records: Culver 1-7, 0-3 NSC; Triton 4-3, 1-1 NSC
Last Game: New Prairie 77, Culver 39; Glenn 65, Triton 46
Last Year: Triton 57, Culver 40
Matchup: After Culver finished last season with a 1-19 mark, three-year assistant Brett Berrant takes over for Brian Disney. The Cavaliers boast height in 6-foot-7 junior center Greg Lee and 6-4 senior forward Adam Loehmer but have struggled handling the ball thus far. The Cavaliers average 25 turnovers per game. Junior Ryan Egger leads the Cavaliers in the scoring column with 12 points per game. Lee and Loehmer add 11 and 10 points, respectively, per game. Lee leads the team in rebounds with 7.0 per game, while Loehmer adds 6.0. Triton hopes to rebound from a 19-point loss to Northern State Conference rival Glenn. Rebounding may be how the Trojans get the job done. Triton outrebounds its opponents by an average of 29-19 per game. Senior Jim Read leads Triton in scoring with 11.9 points per game and in rebounding with 7.1 boards per game. Classmate Joey Potter adds 9.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest, while Tyson Blackford and Steven Boyer average 8 points per game for the Trojans.
Berrent: "First of all, Triton is a well-coached and very balanced team. They play as a team and play hard. They are very physical and get after it. It's the same concept of us getting ready for New Prairie. We have to try and get ready for Triton's pressure. When I think of a Triton team, their defense makes their offense. We have some height in 6-foot-7 Greg Lee and 6-4 Adam Loehmer, but we have to try and slow things down and take care of the ball. Our biggest concern is that we average 25 turnovers per game. That's not always due to the other team's pressure but also silly passes. You can't beat anybody playing like that."
Bennett: "I hope we can help each other out in the post. We can't let them play man-to-man. They have the advantage there. I think the key to the game is turnovers. We have to handle the ball against their defense and get some good shots. We'd like to force them into some tough shots and some turnovers. [Culver] is young, and sometimes when you start young kids like they do, you turn the ball over. It'd be nice to use a bigger rim or a smaller ball. Against Glenn, we shot just 27 percent from the floor. When you don't put the ball in the basket you don't look good. Other than that, we looked good. We rebounded reasonably well. We outrebounded them. Glenn just had a lot more defensive rebounds to get because we missed so many more shots. We lost by 19, but it wasn't that bad, we just didn't shoot the ball well. If we'd shot 40 percent on two-point field goals and 33 percent on three-point field goals, it would have been a two-point game."
OAK HILL AT MANCHESTER (TRC)
Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in North Manchester
Coaches: Flava Sirk (Oak Hill), Gary Goshert (Manchester)
Records: Oak Hill 6-3, 2-0 TRC; Manchester 5-4, 1-1 TRC
Last game: Oak Hill 69, Southwood 66; Manchester 68, North Miami 60 OT
Last year: Manchester 59, Oak Hill 50
Matchup: Oak Hill enters after a three-point win over Three Rivers Conference rival Southwood, the lone team to beat Manchester in conference play. At the beginning of the season, Oak Hill, which finished second in the TRC a year ago with a 5-2 record, was tabbed a conference contender. The Eagles are 2-0 against TRC opponents, and Valley at 2-0 is the only other team undefeated in the conference. Oak Hill coach Flava Sirk calls Manchester one of the tougest places to play in the TRC, right alongside Valley. Sirk's teams are 0-2 when playing at Manchester in his four years as coach of the Eagles. Six-foot-7 senior center Marcus Halls leads the Eagle offense with his 20.7 points per game, which is second in the conference behind Valley's Cody New. In Oak Hill's two conference games, Hall averaged 29.5 points per game. Senior Ty Henderson adds 16.1 points per game for the Eagles. Hall pulls down an average of 8.0 rebounds per game, while Henderson is at five boards per contest. Manchester comes in on the heels of an eight-point overtime win over North Miami and is led in the scoring column by Klay Bechtold and Anthony Frieden at 11.6 and 11.4 points per game, respectively. Anthony Sorg shoots 42.9 percent (6-14) from beyond the three-point arc for Manchester, while Bechtold is at 39.3 percent (24-61). Nate Kerr leads Manchester in rebounding with 5.9 per game, while Klint Rupley adds 5.1 boards per game.
Sirk: "Manchester is very similar to Southwood - they have very good shooting guards. I like think they have three players that can really shoot the three, with Klay Bechtold being the best. Nobody on the team scores a lot, but their starters all have a nice average. We expect a real sticky defense. We have to come in and get good start and dictate the tempo. Teams I've coached have never played well at Manchester."
Goshert: "I think there's three teams that are the cream of the crop in the TRC, and that would be Oak Hill along with Southwood and Valley. Oak Hill has an excellent post person inside that has good skills and can finish from 15 feet on in. The reason they're so good is not just him. They have other kids that can shoot. They get good pressure defense from their kids. They like to push it up the floor, and they score inside or kick it outside. I guess you could say they have the total offensive package. There's a reason why they're so good. We try to take advantage of any opportunities we have. We're gonna try and push the ball up the floor when the opportunity is there. A big key for us will be the defensive end of the floor and not letting them have their way."
NORTHWOOD AT NORTHRIDGE (NLC)
Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Middlebury
Coaches: Dan Gunn (NorthWood); Steve Austin (Northridge)
Records: NorthWood 5-2, 1-1 NLC; Northridge 5-5, 0-2 NLC
Last Game: NorthWood 69, Wawasee 63; Warsaw 60, Northridge 40
Last Year: NorthWood 66, Northridge 57
Matchup: NorthWood is coming off a close win over Northern Lakes Conference rival Wawasee Saturday. In that victory, Ryann Bradley, Rory Clouse and Willy Will all scored in double figures. Will had 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals, while Bradley tossed in 23 points and Clouse added 20. Robbie Lightfoot added nine in the win. Northridge is coming off two straight losses to Warsaw, one in the Northern Lakes Conference Tournament and the other in regular-season NLC play. Ryan Crawford and Justin Gingerich lead a young Northridge team. Against Warsaw Friday night, Crawford had 16 points, while Gingerich added 12. The Raiders had 16 rebounds, and Eric Eaton had seven of those.
Austin: "I think NorthWood is very similar to Warsaw. They are aggressive on the defensive end. They are a typical Dan Gunn team. They run a lot on offense. We'll have to be ready to handle the press and not allow a lot of turnovers."
Gunn: "Northridge is a young team, but they are improving every game. Their team has good size and quickness, and they can shoot the ball well. I think we have to be good with our perimeter defense. The key for us in this basketball game will be to put pressure on the basketball. Offensively we need to be more consistent."
