“They’re playin’ bas-ket-ball. We love that basketball.”
~Lil’ Bow Wow

Okay, so this two-part thing is not working my favor.

So far, I’ve already missed three picks and have slipped into a deep pickpression. (Pickpression: Depression caused by underwhelming pick results.)

But, let’s focus on the positives of Wednesday.

The Wawasee-Tippecanoe Valley game was absolutely outstanding and if you were not there, then you seriously missed out on some great basketball. It was sad to see Wawasee exit the tournament after playing such an outstanding game. I really enjoyed cover those guys all year and those games will be missed.

But looking ahead, the place to be on Friday night is without a doubt Wawasee High School. I cannot confirm this, but I cannot imagine that any other sectional has two better matchups than what WHS will have. That being said, let’s get on with the picks.

Wawasee Sectional 3/7

Fairfield (12-8) v. West Noble (17-5), 6 p.m.
The Scoop: Fairfield had a week off as the Falcons received the bye for the sectional 21 field. West Noble asserted its dominance over Whitko on Tuesday night. both teams have had very successful seasons and have already met once this season in Northeast Corner Conference play. At the time of the first meeting West Noble was undefeated, then the Falcons won a three-point game to end any chaces for the Chargers to run the table. West Noble is going to come out hard in this one because the players will want it bad.
Jim Best, West Noble’s head coach, talked after his Tuesday win about how his guys are definitely ready for a chance at redemption. I think that attitude is what is going to push the Chargers over the top in this game. West Noble was disappointed with its play on Tuesday night. That was a game the Chargers won 63-30 and all Best could really focus on was what the team could have done better. I really think that will lead to a great performance by his team on Friday. This will be the first of two fantastic games on Friday night at a Wawasee.
The Pick: West Noble 58, Fairfield 56.

Tippecanoe Valley (17-3) v. NorthWood (19-2), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Well, it could not have gotten much closer for Valley on Wednesday night. The Vikings were very, very close to having their season upended by a determined Wawasee squad but ultimately outlasted the Warriors 46-44. Part of the reason the team pulled out the win was because Tanner Andrews refused to let that team lose and Chainey Zolman stepped up big later in the game. If the Vikings can come out strong and confident against NorthWood, then they can and will win this game.
It would help if the Vikings had a student section there to cheer them on, I will say that.
Maybe I am blind or deaf but I had no indication of a TVHS student section present at Wednesday night’s game. Seriously, Vikings fans! Get out there and support this team, it is totally unacceptable to not cheer on a team this talented. The Vikings will need a strong student section to compete with NorthWood’s fans. The Panthers student section is one of the best in the area, hands down. From what I saw this season my cheer block rankings would be 1. NorthWood 2. Wawasee. Both are intense and, quite frankly, annoying. That makes a big difference in games.
Anyways, NorthWood is extremely good but extremely beatable. It will take a nearly flawless game by the Vikings but if Chainey Zolman heats up early, it could be a long night for the Panthers. Seriously, if you life basketball at all you need to be in Syracuse on Friday night.
The Pick: NorthWood 56, Tippecanoe Valley 50.

Culver Sectional 3/5

Triton (12-7) v. Culver (14-7), 6 p.m.
The Scoop: Triton is winning this game. I could stop there, but I won’t.
Tanner Shepherd is a stud for the Trojans and he is going to will this team to a victory on Friday night. Jason Groves of Triton is the better coach and he will have this team ready to pick up a big win and advance to Saturday’s title game. Don’t get me wrong, Culver is good and Triton will have to work for this win, but I just have faith in the Trojans to keep their season alive more than I do with Culver.The Pick: Triton 54, Culver 46.

Elkhart Sectional 3/5

Northridge (18-2) v. Concord (13-8), 6 p.m.
The Scoop: If you really don’t want to go watch two really good games at Wawasee, head up to North Side Gymnasium and catch this game. It is going to be EPIC. Concord lost to Northridge 62-59 after outplaying the Raiders for the majority of their February meeting. Both teams are going to lay it on the line on Friday and the true passion that these guys have for the game will be on full display.
Neither team has a solid defense but they both have prolific scorers. Northridge is led by Nate Ritchie, who just cracked the 1,000 points threshold for his career last month. Concord is led by an exciting point guard, Ramon Johnson. More importantly, Adam Glanders has been back with the team for a few weeks and has just really hit a hot streak over his past few games to get this team hitting on all cylinders.
We all know I don’t like Northridge very much, but I want to be nice this week. Nothing is more joyful than spreading kindness.
Well, okay, maybe seeing Northridge’s season come to an abrupt end to an NLC team would pretty enjoyable. Sorry, to rain on your parade again, Raider fans, go eat some pie at Das Essenhaus then curl up under your Tom Wogomon poster an try to sleep off the pain of this loss.
The Pick: Concord 57, Northridge 55.

South Decatur Sectional 3/5

Rising Sun (5-16) v. South Decatur (4-16), 6 p.m.
The Scoop: Yeah, I wanted to spice it up to try and cure my pickpression by finding  a really random game to pick. I have found it.Earlier in the season South Decatur won a 63-59 contest. This time, first-year Rising Sun head coach Chris Jones and his Shiners team will…
Wait, wait, wait. The mascot is the Shiners? I honestly had no idea until I just read that. That is so weird. Well, I think I’ve seen enough to know who the better team is.
Shine on!
The Pick: Rising Sun 55, South Decatur 52.