On The Court...Friday

MANCHESTER AT NORTHFIELD

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. at Wabash

COACHES: Gary Goshert (Manchester), Chris Keisling (Northfield)

RECORDS: Manchester 11-8, 5-1 TRC; Northfield 13-5, 5-1 TRC

LAST GAME: Manchester 68, Harding 46; Northfield 90, Rochester 63

MATCHUP: ...This is Indiana high school basketball at its finest - a conference title on the line in the last game of the regular season. Goshert has compared playing this big high school conference game before the sectional to college teams playing conference tournaments before the NCAA tournament. When the Norsemen have gotten the ball inside to 6-foot-7 senior center Dewayne Krom, they've been OK. At times earlier this season, the Norsemen strayed from that game plan and fell in love with the three-pointer. No longer. Krom, an All-State candidate averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds per game, has scored 30 or more in three of the last five games.

GAME TALK:

Goshert... "You have to be careful how much you sell out to stop their go-to man, Krom. A lot of people get tuned in to Jarrad Odle at Oak Hill or Zach Henson at Whitko. But you have to be pretty darn careful that you don't ignore some other people that have pretty good skills. With Coley Schenkel, Darin Mirante and Bernie Schuck, if you put all your eggs in one basket toward Krom, you could be in trouble. There's a reason they are as good as they are. It's not just Dewayne Krom."

Keisling... "Manchester seemed to break out of its shooting slump against Harding. They have quick guards, and they do a nice job of playing defense in the paint. Their two 6-4 kids, Jake Peden and Chris Enyeart, can cause problems. They mix their defense with a lot of trapping and sideline stuff. On their traps, we have to make sure we look for Dewayne. We know our team can score. We have to make sure we do what we can defensively. Krom is starting to dominate. When he scores 25, and the rest have 13 or 14, we're probably at our best."

OAK HILL AT TIPPY VALLEY

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday at Mentone

COACHES: Bryan Alexander (Oak Hill), Gregg Sciarra (Tippecanoe Valley)

RECORDS: Valley 9-10, 3-3 TRC; Oak Hill 9-9, 4-2 TRC

LAST GAME: Plymouth 61, Valley 55; Oak Hill 51, Southwood 48

MATCHUP:... Oak Hill has the leading scorer in the state, 6-7 junior forward Jarrad Odle. Odle, who has verbally committed to Indiana University, averages 30 points and 10 rebounds per game. Oak Hill wants to get the opponent into a transition, full-court game.

GAME TALK:

Alexander... "Valley has had a good season this year. Jeff Brown has had a great season, but a lot of their players can hurt you. We've played some good perimeter shooting teams this year, and I count Valley as being one of the better ones."

Sciarra... "There's a little mismatch both ways. They're a difficult team to play with 6-9, 6-7 players. I'm guessing Jeff Brown will be a little quicker, and he'll be able to do something down low. We'll have to stop (Jamey) Arrick outside. He's a pretty good shooter. For the most part, yes, we're better being a patient team. We have spot-up shooters and quickness, so we're gearing toward that."

TRITON AT KNOX

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday at Knox

COACHES: Kevin O'Rourke (Triton), Bob Blaydes (Knox)

RECORDS: Triton 14-5, 6-0 NSC; Knox 3-13, 0-4 NSC

LAST GAME: Bethany Christian 50, Triton 47; New Prairie 58, Knox 53

MATCHUP:...Triton is already guaranteed a share of the Northern State Conference title. Bremen went 6-1 in the NSC, and if Triton loses this game, the Trojans will share the title with Bremen. If they win, they will hold the title all to themselves. They have won the NSC title once, the 1990-1991 season. The Trojans have had an outstanding year, but they've slipped twice in their last three games. Both times, their shooting deserted them, and that has been a strength all year. They shot 33 percent in a 65-59 loss to Whitko. They shot 42 percent in the Tuesday loss to Bethany Christian.

GAME TALK:

O'Rourke... "Knox is winless in the conference, but they've been playing better basketball at times recently. A win over us could help validate their season. They push the ball up the floor, and they don't hesitate to put the shot up. Brandon Webb, a freshman, is one of the leading players in the area."

Blaydes... "This is a very good Triton team. They shoot well and take care of the basketball. They penetrate and get to the free throw line. You have to keep them off the free throw line, get a hand in their face and not let them get the lead. Once they get a lead, they sit on it. They either work the ball well and make open shots, or they get to the free-throw line."

SOUTHWOOD AT WHITKO

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday at South Whitley

COACHES: Steve McClure (Southwood), Dave Henson (Whitko)

RECORDS: Southwood 6-12, 3-3 TRC; Whitko 9-9, 3-3 TRC

LAST GAME: Southwood 48; Whitko 75, Rochester 56

MATCHUP:...Don't look now, but the Whitko Wildcats look like they're starting to put it together, just in time for the tournament. At one time they were sitting at 5-8, and any thoughts of a .500 season appeared laughable. Look who's laughing now: the Wildcats. They have won three in a row since their 70-48 loss in the North Miami debacle.

GAME TALK:

McClure... "Whitko obviously has all the pieces to have an outstanding team. Their size poses the biggest problems for us. When their good team shows up is when they are all involved. Zach Henson is a good player, but he has some good people around him. When they show up, that makes Whitko difficult to defend. We've faced every kind of challenge this year, and we haven't backed down yet."

Henson.... "Southwood is obviously an improved team. Last year at this time they had won only a couple of games. (McClure's) done a good job keeping them motivated. Their weak point is inside. They rely heavily on the perimeter shot. Defensively they have trouble stopping the inside game."

WESTVIEW AT WAWASEE

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Friday at Syracuse

COACHES: Troy Neeley (Westview), Jerry Davis (Wawasee)

RECORDS: Westview 8-9, Wawasee 6-13

LAST GAME: Angola 78, Westview 60; Wawasee 50, Bremen 36

MATCHUP:...Westview started the season 0-3, but Neeley brought up some freshmen, and the Warriors have gone 8-6 since. They start a freshman point guard, Eric Yoder, and a freshman shooting guard, Adam Bontrager. Marion Hostetler leads Westview with 15 points per game, and Kevin Miller adds 13. Wawasee is 3-5 at home this season.

GAME TALK:

Neeley... "Wawasee certainly plays a tough schedule, but that comes with the conference (NLC) they're in. It's pretty obvious their guards create a lot of problems. They penetrate well and defensively, they put good pressure on the ball. Their big kid, Brody Stipp, could cause us problems."

Davis... "They have five very athletic players who are playing well now. Their quickness is a concern of mine. Miller is a key in everything they try to do. He has quickness in the interior and the ability to go outside. This is an important game for us as we can win three of four going into the sectional."