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WARSAW AT CONCORD
Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Dunlap
Coaches: Al Rhodes, Ryan Culp
Records: Warsaw 9-3, 2-2; Concord 4-6, 1-2
Last Game: NorthWood 75, Warsaw 66; SB St. Joe 81, Goshen 79 4OT
Last Year: Warsaw 67, Concord 46
Matchup: With two losses in the NLC, the Tigers have been all but eliminated in the NLC race. NorthWood has beaten Northridge and Warsaw and is leading the NLC with a 3-0 record. At this time, Ricky McKenzie is not playing for Concord. Warsaw 6-foot-6 senior frontcourt player Steve Siebenmorgen missed the NorthWood game. Siebenmorgen, who suffered a concussion in a December game, hit his head in practice again last week. He missed the NorthWood game after losing his balance during the NorthWood/Warsaw junior varsity game. Doctors have diagnosed him as having a second concussion. He will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. He definitely will miss the Concord game.
Rhodes: "(Concord) has played pretty well. They have had some turnover with their team, and they have a new coach and a new system. (John) Morningstar has good size. This game is big for us because it is a potential sectional opponent and because we need to get back on track. ... It's been a very good week of practice. Without Steve, we're not as good of a basketball team. Steve is a big key to our interior defense. We need him taking up space around the basket. We had not time to prepare our team to play against NorthWood without Steve. We had some good minutes in the NorthWood loss, but it showed what we need to work on, and that's our defense. Our defense has been up and down. NorthWood played at 1.19 points per possession, which is extremely high."
Culp: "First of all, I think they're experienced. What's been established there has to be considered. We're a young team trying to think. They're playing. Obviously they pose a lot of concern inside. They pose a threat inside and outside. The big thing for us is to take care of ourselves, basically just do what we've learned."
ROCHESTER AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY
Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Akron
Coaches: David Burkett (Rochester), Bill Patrick (Tippecanoe Valley)
Records: Rochester 5-5, 1-2 TRC; Tippecanoe Valley 9-3, 4-0 TRC
Last Game: Plymouth 70, Rochester 68; Tippecanoe Valley 53, Caston 44
Last Year: Tippecanoe Valley 90, Rochester 83 OT
Matchup: With a Manchester loss to North Miami, Valley is now the only undefeated team in the Three Rivers Conference. A matchup between Rochester and Valley a year ago saw then-senior Jarvis Shepherd hit a three to send the game into overtime. Rochester is led by double-figure scorers Deric Beck, Nick Bowers and Nick Patterson. Bowers and Patterson also lead the team in rebounds. Senior Brandon Eaton spearheads the Viking attack with his 21.7 points per game average. He also pulls down 5.4 rebounds per game. Freshman Trey Eaton contributes 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Burkett: "They have super shooters in the Eaton boys. (Brandon, Trey) can score at will, it seems like. Always in the past their guards have scored good against us. We've played No. 1 Maconaquah, we've had Southwood, we've played Plymouth twice in the last two weeks. It's just another quality team. I think we have some good qualities. I hope we can play with them. We have a couple boys out with the flu."
Patrick: "It's a big game. They're playing well at this point. They led Plymouth by 11 in the fourth quarter. Newton has gotten 25 since he's been back. Newton, Patterson, Beck, all of the above have scored 20 points. Defense will be a key because they like to get the ball up and down the floor and they can shoot. There could be a lot of scoring so rebounding will be key. They like to use the zone and press, turnovers will be key. We'll have our hands full. It should be a fun game to watch."
GOSHEN AT WAWASEE
Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. Friday in Syracuse
Coaches: Brian Bechtel (Goshen), Robb Berger (Wawasee)
Records: Goshen 1-9, 0-2 NLC; Wawasee 2-9, 1-2 NLC
Last Game: Elkhart Memorial 60, Goshen 50; Northridge 74, Wawasee 57
Last Year: Goshen 64, Wawasee 49
Matchup: These two teams met in the Goshen Holiday Tournament back in December, with Wawasee picking up its first win of the season. Goshen picked up its first win of the season last Friday and is now searching for its first victory in the Northern Lakes Conference. Josh Keister leads the Goshen offense with 11 points per game. Andy Hershberger pulls down an average of five rebounds per game for the Redskins. Wawasee is led in the scoring column by senior Jeremy High, who averages nearly 14 points per game. High also leads the team in rebounds with nearly six per contest.
Bechtel: "We're looking for a little revenge. We thought we should have won the last time. We're kind of anxious to go steal one on their court. Like us, they haven't had a lot of success. They have improved a lot. They are a better team than last time. We have to take care of the ball and limit turnovers. Defensively we feel like we can pressure them into some turnovers."
Berger: "Goshen has made some personnel changes. They've also made a change with their defense. They're playing a 2-3 zone type defense. Keister will be a key because he's a good shooter. Hughes is playing real well right now. We have to get out on them."
PERU AT MANCHESTER
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. Friday in North Manchester
Coaches: Terry Heavilon (Peru), Gary Goshert (Manchester)
Records: Peru 9-1, Manchester 6-5
Last Game: Maconaquah 90, Peru 66; Bishop Dwenger 62, Manchester 53
Last Year: Peru 92, Manchester 69
Matchup: Both teams enter this contest after a loss. Manchester lost its first TRC game in four years Friday and followed that up with a loss to Bishop Dwenger Saturday. Peru won its first nine games of the season before falling last week to Class 3A No. 1 Maconaquah. Brandon Jones leads Peru in scoring with nearly 21 points per game. Also scoring in double figures are Michael Fuller, Steve Smiley and Jason Hatch. Jones also pulls down an average of eight rebounds per contest. Lee Shafer scores an average of 15.9 points per contest to lead the Squires. David Bazzoni also scores in double figures with 10.3 points per contest. Shafer leads the team in rebounding with 5.5 per game.
Heavilon: "They have size and quickness. Who has size could be a problem on the boards for us. We do a lot of pressure offensively and defensively. I hope that will neutralize that. Over the course of a game that tends to wear some teams down."
Goshert: Goshert could not be reached for comment.
JIMTOWN AT NORTHWOOD
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. Friday in Nappanee
Coaches: Randy DeShone (Jimtown), Dan Gunn (NorthWood)
Records: Jimtown 3-6, NorthWood 9-2
Last Game: Triton 67, Jimtown 39; NorthWood 75, Warsaw 66
Last Year: NorthWood 66, Jimtown 62
Matchup: NorthWood enters this contest ranked No. 6 in Class 3A. Charlie Roeder leads the Panther offense with nearly 16 points per game. He also pulls down five rebounds per game. Ian Reed averages nearly 10 points per game for NorthWood. Jimtown is led by 6-5 center David Sharpe, Billy McClendon and Ryan Secor.
DeShone: "They are very talented and they play well together. They're not going deep into their lineup yet. All of them can score. A big key will be Charlie Roeder. He's a leader and a competitive kid. Typically they're very agressive. Right now we're awful young and we're not very tall. We'll probably have 5-8 kids guarding their big guys. The thing about NorthWood is that they're so good at every aspect. I don't think they have any weaknesses. The key for us will be handling Gunn: "I watched them play Triton Saturday night. They play hard and (David) Sharpe takes up a lot of space in the middle. They've had some tough times, but they certainly play hard. We have to be careful with a team like this. They can be dangerous. We just need to come out and play well and not take them lightly. We have to do the things that have put us in the position we're in."
WHITKO AT FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. Friday in Fort Wayne
Coaches: Steve Pickett (Whitko), Bruce Robbins (Canterbury)
Records: Whitko 1-10, Canterbury 6-2
Last Game: Bluffton 76, Whitko 59; FW Elmhurst 61, FW Canterbury 42
Last Year: Whitko 62, Canterbury 40
Matchup: The Wildcats are searching for their second win of the season and are on a two-game skid. Canterbury enters after a 19-point loss to Elmhurst. Shane Henderson leads Whitko in scoring with his 12.1 points per game average. Henderson also dishes out close to 4.0 assists per game. Bryon Howard is averaging nearly 11 points for the Wildcats. Canterbury is led by a trio of double figure scorers, Chris Blackburn (16), Chad Cunningham (13) and Chris Johnson (11). Blackburn leads Canterbury in rebounding with eight per contest.
Pickett: "I know they have a good record and they are very good at home. They are very well-coached. For the weekend, I'm challenging our players to play and exhibit spirit and emotion. I feel that that has been lacking throughout the season. Ultimately our main concern is playing with some passion. Definately rebounding and turnovers will be key."
Robbins: "They have several kids that are good shooters and that can shoot the three. Anytime kids can shoot the three, you have to get out and guard that. That opens up other things. The Henderson kid is a pretty good athlete. He's one that will be tough to deal with."
Culp: "First of all, I think they're experienced. What's been established there has to be considered. We're a young team trying to think. They're playing. Obviously they pose a lot of concern inside. They pose a threat inside and outside. The big thing for us is to take care of ourselves, basically just do what we've learned."
