On The Court Basketball Previews

MANCHESTER AT CARROLL

Tip-off: 6:15 p.m. tonight in Fort Wayne

Coaches: Gary Goshert (Manchester), Rob Irwin (Carroll)

Records: Manchester 7-4, Carroll 8-2

Last game: Manchester 58, Wawasee 46; Carroll 59, New Haven 29

Last year: Carroll 65, Manchester 51

Matchup: If one is looking to watch a game with a couple teams on a roll, this is the one. Manchester and Carroll combined have won their last 14 games. After starting the season with losses to Marion, last year's Class 4A state champ, and Huntington North, Carroll has won eight straight. The Squires were once 1-4 but are now 7-4. If Carroll has a clear-cut advantage over the Squire's it's the size factor. The Chargers starting front line goes 6-foot-7, 6-7 and 6-5. The tallest guy on Manchester's roster is 6-3 senior center Klint Rupley. Gabe Miller, a 6-7 senior, leads Carroll's offense with 25 points per game, while 6-7 senior Scott Bushong adds 10 points and seven rebounds per game. Six-foot-5 senior Matt Ogle adds 10 ppg. Five-foot-9 senior guard Anthony Frieden paces Manchester with 12.2 ppg, while Klay Becthold and Nate Kerr chip in with 10 ppg. Rupley scored 11 points in the first quarter of Manchester's game with Wawasee Saturday and finished with a game-high 19.

Goshert: "When you think about the offense, or really the defensive end, you have to be able to handle (Carroll's) pressure. They put a lot of pressure on you. We have to handle their pressure so we don't get in bad situations, and then we have to be able to score. The other thing is their size. They are extremely tall and extremely talented, and they like to crash the boards offensively. They've been giving themselves two and three opportunities per shot. We have to slow them down on the boards and handle their pressure, then we might have a chance to do some things we want to do. We don't think we're as good as we're gonna be. I think the kids have good focus on what they need to do. We feel good about ourselves right now. We feel good, but we're still looking to improve and be the team we can be eventually. There's nothing wrong with what we're doing, we just need to do a couple little things better."

Irwin: "(Manchester) shoots the ball well. I saw them play Saturday, and they were able to put the ball in the hole. We want to make sure we don't give them a bunch of threes."

CHURUBUSCO AT WHITKO

Tip-off: 6 p.m. tonight in South Whitley

Coaches: James Perlich (Churubusco); Steve Pickett (Whitko)

Records: Churubusco 1-7; Whitko 5-5

Last game: Fairfield 62, Churubusco 47; Southwood 68, Whitko 63

Last year: Churubusco 65, Whitko 60

Matchup: Churubusco is coming off a loss to Fairfield in the NECC Tournament this weekend. Dustin Beucher leads Churubusco. He averages 15.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg. Ryan Doster leads Churubusco in rebounding with 7.8 rpg, and he also scores in double figures with 12.1 ppg. Dan Burkhart pulls down 6.3 rpg for the Eagles, while Preston Oler grabs 2.0 steals per contest. Whitko is coming off a close loss to Southwood that stopped a four-game win streak for the Wildcats. Josh Hoffman and Alex Frantz lead Whitko's offense. Hoffman averages 14.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, and Frantz pitches in 14.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 2.0 steals per game. Ben Garber is nearing a double-figure average with 9.6 ppg. Against Southwood, Adam Wendel broke out for 22 points.

Perlich: "Whitko is a very good team. They have good perimeter people, and we will probably try to concentrate on them. I think their weak point is their inside game, and that is where we are strong. We are going to try to exploit that. Another key for us will be to stop Wendel and Frantz. They are going to get their points, but we are going to try to contain them."

Pickett: "Churubusco is young. They have one senior, Ryan Doster, and he is very good. They like to run, and thier offense is much more open than last year. Last year they were more patient. They play a 1-3-1 in the zone, and the kids really shoot well from the outside. We are still having problems giving up offensive rebounds, and that is a big concern. Friday night we learned that our defense against the dribble penetration is a problem. Help-side defense and rebounding are still a bit of concern."

TIPPECANOE VALLEY AT CASTON

Tip-off: 6 p.m. tonight in Fulton

Coaches: Bill Patrick (Valley); Doug Hicks (Caston)

Records: Valley 9-2; Caston 7-2

Last game: T. Valley 76, Rochester 74, OT; Caston 64, North Judson 55

Last year: Valley 53, Caston 44

Matchup: Valley is coming off a dramatic two-point overtime win against Three Rivers Conference opponent Rochester. Cody New and Trey Eaton lead Valley's offense. New leads the Valley squad with 24.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 1.6 steals per game. Eaton is shooting a blazing 89.2 percent (66 of 74) from the free throw line, while averaging 18.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg as well. Anthony Domenico passes out 5.8 assists per game, while Andy Martin snatches 1.6 steals per game. Caston is coming off a nine-point win over North Judson. The Comets will look to Eric Walsh and his 24 ppg and 9.0 rpg to lead them. Scott Boldry and Aaron Wilson each average 12 ppg for Caston.

Patrick: "Caston is 7-2 and they are big. They start guys that are 6-foot-5, 6-5, 6-2, 6-3, and depending on who the other starter is, 5-8 or 6-0. They have good size. They have probably the best player in the area with Eric Walsh. He's 6-5 and a good all-around player. Scott Boldry is 6-3 and he is a good outside shooter, he shoots the three very well. Their 6-5 center Wilson is a good outside player. Those are three very good players, and the other two guys are good role players on the team. They have everything you need for a good basketball team. If you want to compare scores, they beat Winamac by 22, we beat Winamac by four. We may be quicker, but their size is going to give us problems. They have three really good scorers, so we can't concentrate on just one or two. That will be a real challenge for us. We have to be able to stop Boldry and Wilson. Walsh is going to get his points, but we want to be able to stop the others from having a big scoring night."

Hicks: "Obviously, Valley is an excellent team. Cody New is their top guy, and Trey Eaton is second. They are two very talented players who will play at the college level, possibly Division I. Drew Shafer and Anthony Domenico are good guards, and Andy Martin is an all-around good athlete. They also have a good group off the bench. We have to prepare for a variety of defenses, 2-3, 1-3-1 and man-to-man. We have had just one day to prepare, and I like our plan, but honestly I think we are outmanned. We can't do much wrong or we will have problems. We also hope they have an off night and we are hot shot-wise. That might put us in it in the fourth quarter, and if we get some breaks we might have a chance."