Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
ELKHART CENTRAL AT NO. 6 (4A) WARSAW
Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. Saturday in Warsaw
Coaches: Mike Drews (Elkhart Central), Al Rhodes (Warsaw)
Records: Elkhart Central 1-2, Warsaw 4-1
Last Game: E. Central 59, Mich.City 54; Fort Wayne North 64, Warsaw 60
Last Year: Warsaw 69, Elkhart Central 53 (regular season); Elkhart Central 53, Warsaw 51 (sectional champsionship)
Matchup: The Tigers will enter this home contest after a huge conference game with Northridge. Warsaw topped the Blazers by 16 in the regular season before falling to them 53-51 in the sectional championship. Elkhart Central finished its season last year with a loss to Indianapolis North Central in the Class 4A state championship. Warsaw is led in the scoring column by Chris Wiggins' 12.6 points per game, but with an ankle injury in Warsaw's loss to Fort Wayne North, his status is uncertain. Steve Siebenmorgen and Zach Nelson add 11.8 and 9.4 points per game, respectively. Willie Edwards spearheads the Blue Blazer offensive attack with his 13 points per game. Antwaan Cassell and Brad Pompey chip in 12 and 11.8 points per game respectively. Cassell also averages 9.0 rebounds per game.
Drews: "(Warsaw is) very big and they have two big kids inside that play well together. They are a good, solid team. We have to defend well. They usually run their offensive sets to perfection. We have to block out and get on the backboards."
Rhodes: "(Elkhart Central) is an improved team and kind of rebuilding. They do put on excellent defensive pressure. We have to take care of the ball and play with a low percentage of errors."
SOUTH BEND RILEY AT WAWASEE
Tipoff: 6:15 p.m. Saturday in Syracuse
Coaches: Tom DeBaets (Riley), Robb Berger (Wawasee)
Records: Riley 2-2, Wawasee 0-4
Last Game: Riley 71, Glenn 65; Warsaw 61, Wawasee 40
Last Year: Riley 48, Wawasee 45
Matchup: In the Warriors' last game they dealt with two 6-6 Warsaw post players. This week Wawasee will have the task of containing 6-9 Riley senior center Ronald Dokes. Dokes leads the Wildcats with 16.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Martel Taylor adds 14.5 points per game. Darrell Foster adds 12.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Wawasee's offensive attack is led by senior Jeremy High and his 13 points per game. R.J. Wilson, Drew Gradle and Travis Klenke each contribute nearly 7.0 points per game.
DeBaets: "I saw them play against Angola (Wawasee loss in 2 OT). It was a game I expected. I expected the things Wawasee did. I'm very familiar with Burger. He's doing some of the same things he did at (Mishawaka) Marian. We don't see a lot of zones. They do some things different than what we usually see."
Burger: "They're very much improved over the last couple of years. They are very quick on the perimeter and they have a 6-9 kid in Dokes, who is going to Ball State. I saw them play against Glenn, and that was the best I've seen them in a while. We have to stop their penetration and take away the inside. We have to handle pressure full court and half court."
WEST NOBLE AT NORTHWOOD
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Nappanee
Coaches: Tom Schermerhorn (West Noble); Dan Gunn (NorthWood)
Records: West Noble 2-3; NorthWood 3-0
Last Game: Westview 66, West Noble 57, NorthWood 70, Fairfield 66
Last year: Westview 66, NorthWood 57
Matchup: West Noble will be looking to improve its 2-3 record to 3-3. The Chargers will look to Jeff Burns and his 13-point-per-game average to lead the scoring drive. Three other West Noble players also average in double figures. Toby Steele, Clay Sprunger and Justin Blottkamp score and average of 12, 11 and 10 points per game respectively.
Schermerhorn: "One thing you notice about NorthWood is that they are a very athletic team. They have some good kids who are playing well and playing with confidence right now. They are a well-coached team. Coach Gunn does a great job, and we are just preparing for a good game that will be physical and fun."
Gunn: "West Noble has four of their five starters returning from last year, and last year they had a very good team. Blottkamp shoots the ball well inside and outside. Burns is an aggressive guard who can score well. They play a lot of 2-3 zone."
MANCHESTER AT COLUMBIA CITY
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Columbia City
Coaches: Gary Goshert (Manchester); Chris Benedict (Columbia City)
Records: Manchester 3-1; Columbia City 1-4
Last Game: Homestead 59, Manchester 46; Angola 57, Columbia City 55
Last Year: Manchester 48, Columbia City 42
Matchup: After winning the first game of the season, Columbia City has struggled. The Eagles defeated Whitko but have lost four straight games since. Columbia City will look to Mike Schumaker to lead the scoring attack. Sean Boylan is also playing well for the Eagles this season. The Squires are coming off a tough loss to Homestead Saturday, their first of the season. David Bazzoni led the Squires in the Homestead game with 11 points, while Nate Kerr added seven points. Klay Bechtold and Lee Shafer added six points each in the loss.
Goshert: "Coach Benedict year in and year out has a fundamentally sound team. Any time you play a fundamentally sound team, you need to play you best. They are also a guard-oriented team. They have players who can shoot from the perimeter or they can drive and score. Columbia City has a nice team, and they handle the basketball well. Defensively they are a scrappy bunch of kids."
Benedict: "Manchester is a very well-coached team that can put a lot of points on the board. They have several kids who are capable of scoring. This will be a difficult test for us in terms of coming back after a tough Friday night game and playing well Saturday night. We are in search of something to give us a little more confidence."
