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WAWASEE AT WARSAW
Tipoff: 8 p.m. at the Tiger Den
Coaches: Jerry Davis (Wawasee); Al Rhodes (Warsaw)
Records: Wawasee 0-3, 0-0 NLC; Warsaw 3-1, 1-0 NLC
Last Game: DeKalb 51, Wawasee 46; Valparaiso 49, Warsaw 47
Matchup: This year's Wawasee-Warsaw matchup has probably more meaning since it will be the only time this year these two teams will play each other, now being in separate sectionals. Both teams enter this game after losses, but a more experienced Wawasee team seems to be struggling more early in the year than a relatively inexperienced Warsaw squad. Jay Haugh leads the Warriors with 14.7 points per game, while Jared Mahnensmith is adding 10.7. Warsaw is led by Andy Plank's 12.3 ppg, Chris Wiggins' 11.3 and Luke Reed's 10.8. Reed has also been a monster on the boards, gathering 10 a game.
Davis: "We know (our record) is a combination of good teams and us not playing up to our potential. DeKalb is a solid program and Elkhart Central has a lot of good athletes ... Warsaw is a program that reloads. They are solid in the post. (Luke) Reed is good inside and they have a good supporting cast of (Chris) Hill and (Steve) Siebenmorgen. They are very capable of getting the job done."
Rhodes: "Their record has more to do with who they have played. Their quickness with their guards is going to give us trouble. Our guards are going to have to handle the ball well. They usually get out and really hustle and get after it. This is always a big game for them. Every game in the NLC is a big game. They're usually close games. They get up for Warsaw. It might be even more of a big game this year because we will only face them once. ... Probably the loss was good for us in the respect that we have the players' attention. There might not have been the same sense of urgency with us if we were undefeated."
TIPPY VALLEY AT WHITKO
Tipoff: 8 p.m. at South Whitley
Coaches: Gregg Sciarra (Valley); Fred Fields (Whitko)
Records: Valley 0-3, 0-1; Whitko 1-3, 1-0
Last Game: North Miami 68, Valley 55; Central Noble 37, Whitko 36
Matchup: Both of these teams are still hungry for wins. Whitko got its first against Northfield two games ago, but came up just a bit short against Central Noble. Valley, on the other hand, is still struggling to find the rhythm. Besides still being winless, the Vikings have extra incentive. Dropping to 0-2 in the conference would put Valley virtually out of the race for the TRC championship. The key for the Vikings could be getting good looks for senior Eric Love. He has scored just five points in each of the last two games.
Sciarra: "We have to not turn the ball over so much. Shooting-wise, we've been horrible. We haven't put one phase of the game together yet. We've had pretty good practices this week and the kids are working hard. (Brandon) Eaton twisted an ankle (Wednesday), but it didn't look too bad .. I think a lot of our players are frustrated. Any time you are a senior it's your job to get the team started and that hasn't been happening."
Fields: "We have to play like we've played our last two games. More than physical problems, we're just making poor decisions. We're making the improvement, but it takes time to get them thinking like we want them to."
MANCHESTER AT ROCHESTER
Tipoff: 8 p.m. at Rochester
Coaches: Gary Goshert (Manchester), Scott Newcomb (Rochester)
Records: Manchester 3-0, 1-0 TRC; Rochester 3-0, 0-0 TRC
Last game: Manchester 47, Southwood 30; Rochester 68, Winamac 64
Matchup: After going 0-21 last year, the Rochester Zebras are 3-0 this year. Several coaches say the Zebras have some of the best young talent around. They played a lot of freshmen on varsity last year. They took their lumps, but things are starting to even out this year. Kyle Schnitz leads Rochester with 17.7 points per game off the bench, and point guard Deric Beck adds 10 ppg. Manchester and Rochester are guard-oriented teams that handle the ball well. The Squires may have a slight edge inside with 6-foot-5 senior post player Chris Enyeart.
Goshert: "The Rochester kids are a year older, a year stronger and a year more confident. They are maturing physically and mentally. They gained a lot of experience last year, but they were probably playing a couple levels above their grade level. They may have been outmatched physically, but this year things are evening out. Newcomb has them getting up and down the floor, using their athletic skills, handling the basketball well and driving the basketball, which puts pressure on your defense. Not being able to contain their dribble penetration could cause all kinds of problems. Rochester has extraordinarily good shooters."
Newcomb: "Not winning last year, I think our kids came into this year with a chip on their shoulder. Last year we not only played kids with little varsity experience, it seems like every team we played was senior-dominant. Put those two things together, that's a tough combination ... Manchester has a lot of guards, a lot of very interchangeable players. Other than Enyeart inside, they mainly have quick kids who handle the basketball well. I think we're very similar teams. We have kids who are very interchangeable. We start three kids who are 6-0 who can play guard or post up. Enyeart is strong, but we have Bob Prater, a kid doing a nice job inside. This will come down to who takes care of the basketball and who hits their free throws."
PLYMOUTH AT TRITON
Tipoff: 8 p.m. at Bourbon
Coaches: Jack Edison (Plymouth), Kevin O'Rourke (Triton)
Records: Plymouth 3-0; Triton 1-2
Last game: Elkhart Baptist 87, Triton 70; Plymouth 76, Mishawaka 48
Matchup: Despite losing two three-year starters to graduation -ÊNick Wise (23 ppg) and Matt Cramer - the Pilgrims are as good as ever. The Pilgrims, ranked No. 4 in the latest Class 3A poll, have all the parts. They have a strong inside game and a strong perimeter game. Brian Wray leads Plymouth with 28.5 ppg.
Edison: "Kevin's just a great coach whose teams are well-disciplined and fundamentally sound. His players play the game with a purpose... They play hard and are well-disciplined. They are always a real threat from the perimeter, and that poses a concern for us."
O'Rourke: "Plymouth is extra tough this year. Wray, in the past, was a catch and shoot player. This year he's added the ability to shoot off the dribble and penetrate. (Joel) Grindle (6-6) has put on some more beef and will present us with problems inside. Plymouth has good height at the guard position with Nick Chaney (6-2) and (Chris) Davis (6-2). The thing Plymouth does so well, every player knows his role, and that's what makes it so tough to guard them. Grindle and (6-3 Cam) Collins know their job is to screen. They get their points off offensive rebounds. We hope to take away some of Plymouth's strengths and make them rely on some other areas. We're looking to take care of the basketball and hopefully get quality looks."
EAST NOBLE AT NORTHWOOD
Tipoff: 8 p.m. at Nappanee
Coaches: Marty Johnson (East Noble), Dan Gunn (NorthWood)
Records: East Noble 1-1; NorthWood 1-0
Last game: NorthWood 50, Triton 37; East Noble 49, Lakeland 31
Matchup: East Noble went 25-2 and advanced to the semistate last season, but only one starter returns. This is one of Johnson's most inexperienced teams in years, as nine of his top 10 kids are playing varsity for the first time. Only one is a senior. Four of the top six are sophomores.
Johnson: "NorthWood's experienced, physically strong and skilled. They have a good inside/outside game. (Gunn's) teams always play well defensively and do a good job of executing the offense. You can't go in with the idea if you stop (leading scorer Bobby) Brown, you win. (Aaron) Huber can score. (Jake) Yoder can score. Others can score. They have all the tools."
Gunn: "The effort was certainly there (last week against Triton). We need to relax, play with confidence. We've scouted them twice. They're not as strong as in the past. Their point guard has experience and is a very good player. They have good size, but they are sophomores. We're going to have to contend with a good team."
