Our Week In Preview segment takes a look at ten important games from around the state as we begin to wind down the regular season. All times listed are eastern.
Tuesday February 3
Guerin Catholic at Scecina 7:30pm
Lehigh commit
Matt Holba is coming off a 25 point, 11 rebound performance against Lafayette Central Catholic this past weekend for Guerin. Scecina lost in the
Indianapolis City Tournament final to Howe, but responded by beating Triton Central last weekend. The status of Scecina forward
Gary Bonds, who missed the city tournament for disciplinary reasons, has yet to be determined. Guerin's
Christian Munson stretches the defense with his outside shooting.
Delano Coffy and
T.J. Henderson will miss the game due to injury, so Scecina will be extremely short-handed.
Leo at Norwell 7:45pm
Undefeated Leo heads south to take on a Norwell squad that has won five straight. Austin Hayden and Ian Kissell are a formidable backcourt for Norwell. Leo has won 12 of their 16 games by double figures and is led by 6'7 junior post Dylan Barrow. The Lions have averaged over 85 points a contest over their last six games.
Mishawaka
Marian @ Culver Academiy 7:30 p.m.
Marian is undefeated behind Princeton-bound guard Devin Cannady. Culver has a talented guard of its own in Eli Miller.
Marian has not been tested often this season, but this one could be a tough game. Culver is 14-4 on the season.
Friday February 6
Brownsburg at Noblesville 7:30pm
Noblesville has lost six of their last eight games, and they don't get any breaks
this Friday with conference foe Brownsburg coming to town. Mr. Basketball candidate
KJ Walton should pose a major problem for the Miller backcourt, but they have an advantage up front with junior forward
John Kiser.
Carmel at Lawrence North 7:30pm
Another Mr. Basketball candidate in Carmel's
Ryan Cline squares off against one of the best defensive guards in the state in LN junior
Jaylen McKay. Cline is coming off a 32 point performance against Ben Davis. Lawrence North freshman
Kevin Easley was recently offered by
Purdue, and his play has certainly warranted the high major attention. Senior guard
Pat Bacon is capable of scoring in bunches for Lawrence North and could be a dark horse
Indiana All-Star candidate.
Rockville at Fountain Central 7:30pm
The battle for US 41 pits these two rivals against each other in Veedersburg. Whoever wins this game will likely finish second in the Wabash River Conference behind runaway winner Covington. Lance Hopkins and Keiontre Wilkey lead the visitors while Fountain Central has senior wing Koby Pierce and senior forward Ethan Woodrow, who is committed to
Wisconsin-Platteville and became Fountain Central's all time leading scorer this past weekend. Woodrow averages 20 points and nine rebounds a night.
West Lafayette at Covington 7:30
Speaking of Covington, the Trojans have perhaps their last major test of the regular season as they welcome in Dave Wood's West Lafayette Red Devils. Wing Chandler Spring and point guard Jordan Ahrens are Covington's main weapons, whose only loss is to 3A #8 Griffith. West Lafayette has San Jose State commit Nai Carlisle, who is a tough match for anyone at the point guard position. Carlisle is averaging 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game. West Lafayette is on a five game winning streak following an overtime victory over Frankfort.
Saturday February 7
Homestead has staked their claim to the NHC this year, but Carroll and DeKalb are still fighting for bragging rights. Carroll's only defeats this season have come at the hands of Homestead. They feature Toledo signee Chandler White and junior wing Kyle Mallers. Also joining those two in double figures are senior wing Jeremy Kalonji and sophomore guard
Jacob Redding. DeKalb battled hard against Homestead before falling 64-51 last Friday. Frontcourt studs Will Chrisman and Cole Hartman drive the Barons, but junior guard Hunter Cone is capable of raining threes from almost anywhere on the court.
East Chicago Central at Crown Point 8:00
Junior guard
Damien Jefferson has put his name on the map this year, and he looks to continue his string of strong performances. His ECC teammate Hyron Edwards is not to be forgotten either, especially after scoring 44 points in a 80-62 win over Gary West Side last week. Crown Point has St. Joseph's College signee
Nick Jeffirs, who at 6'6 could be able to dominate against a smaller ECC frontline. If Jeffirs is doubled, the Bulldogs will look to find
Grant Gelon, who is deadly from behind the arc as he showed in their win over Boone Grove
on Saturday.
Munster at Merrillville 8:00
Two of the better programs in the Region square off. The featured matchup is in the backcourt, where UIC signee Drew Hackett of Munster faces junior guard
DJ Wilkins of Merrillville. Both teams have tough games
on Friday night, so the more rested team could have an advantage
on Saturday. Freshman point guard Zion Young of Merrillville has been impressive all year long for the Pirates. Munster's Nikola Mandic could be tough to deal with on the interior.