Nick’s Picks: Feline Friday
Dear Warsaw and NorthWood Players/Fans,
Take it all in tonight.
Don’t waste this opportunity, don’t let it be taken for granted.
Games like this only happen every so often. I’ve been to far too many games the past four years (this year especially) that have had very small crowds. Some gyms get up to maybe 50-percent capacity, but I’ve been to some this year that have had well less than that.
Tonight The Pit will be packed, a capacity crowd without a doubt. Everyone will be focused on the outcome of the game, with good reason, but lost among the enthusiasm of the moment is the experience itself.
Most high school players will never get to experience an environment like what Warsaw and NorthWood players will be in tonight. The same goes for the fans, the managers and anyone else in attendance. This is unique. This is rare, too rare.
Tonight is going to be fun, stressful and exhausting all at the same time. This game will go by quickly and when it ends you’ll be left begging for more. My one request is for you to pause for a moment, look around and take it all in.
If you’re lucky enough to be a part of this moment, don’t let it get away from you because it’s something you’ll want to remember for the rest of your life. I’ve been a part of some awesome games as a player and a fan, those memories are priceless.
While you’re all living it up at a game for the ages I will be living out a childhood dream, doing a radio broadcast. I always wanted to be on the radio, that was my initial draw to being involved with sports media.
Tonight I will be calling the Concord-Wawasee game along with Justin Winkleman and Mason Gray on WRWT 93.7. The student-run station was kind enough to offer me a chance to be a third wheel tonight and I couldn’t pass it up. This really is a dream come true so I’m hoping to make the most of it. Odds are I’ll be terrible, but at least I’ll be able to say I got the chance!
I hope I don’t mess it up, the radio if where I feel I belong. I even knew at an early age that I had a face for radio.
Alright, let’s get to it!
Last Week: 6-1
Overall: 90-47
High School Girls Basketball 1/29
No. 7 Whitko (15-6, 5-2) at Wabash (14-7, 6-2), 7:45 p.m.
The Scoop: Whitko has two games to get out of the way before it starts is sectional quest against Bremen on Tuesday. Wabash has put together a solid season after a run to semi-state in 2015, but I think the Wildcats will have a nice edge in this one.
The Lady ‘Cats bring a more potent offense to the table and have very similar defense, statistically. Plus, Whitko has Aly Reiff. The junior announced her commitment to Xavier Thursday night (Congratulations, Aly!) and will certainly be looking to play well now that she has the pressure of recruiting off her back.
I spoke with Kennedy Krull Thursday night at the Valley-Manchester game and challenged her to best her career-high point total tonight. Krull’s career high is 14, so I’m challenging her to get that elusive 15th point.
Whitko should win by 10+.
Nick’s Pick: Whitko 51, Wabash 40.
Triton (9-12, 7-0) at North Judson (11-8, 6-1), 8 p.m.
The Scoop: It’s a battle for first place as the Trojans leave The Trench and travel to play the Bluejays.
North Judson scores just over 45 points per game and surrenders 40, Triton gives up 41 and scores in the neighborhood of 33.
My gut is telling me to lean with the Bluejays tonight as they will have home court advantage in a huge game. I don’t always lean towards the home team, but I like how North Judson has played in a few of games this season. Most notably a 45-42 loss to a very good Argos team at home. The Bluejays have won four straight at home, look for it to be five after tonight in a very tight game.
Nick’s Pick: North Judson 38, Triton 36.
High School Boys Basketball 1/29-1/30
North Judson (0-14, 0-5) at No. 12 Triton (10-5, 2-2), 7:30 p.m. 1/29
The Scoop: This game will be slightly less enjoyable for the Bluejay faithful.
North Judson’s boys team is struggling mightily this season with a Sagarin rating of 30.65. Triton does not light up the scoreboard and it won’t need to tonight.
The Trojans should jump back above .500 in the HNAC with a big, big win in The Trench. Like, I don’t have anything else to add here, it’s going to be ugly.
Nick’s Pick: Triton 68, Triton 33.
Concord (4-10, 1-3) at Wawasee (2-11, 0-4), 7: 30 p.m. 1/29
The Scoop: It’s now or never for the Warriors….well, in a way.
Last week Wawasee tied a Northern Lakes Conference record losing skid of 32 games. One more and the Warriors will be sole owners of the less-than-impressive record.
Concord is not the force it has been in recent memory, but the Minutemen still pose a large threat to the Warriors. Wawasee will need to get its offense going, something it has actually managed to do in each of its last two games. The key will be whether or not the Warriors play an entire game. They can’t afford to take a quarter off, they just don’t have the firepower to get back into the game if they fall behind. If Wawasee’s is to snap this streak it will have to come from a team effort, there are no superstars capable of carrying this team, not at this point in the season at least.
I look for this game to finish with both teams scoring in the 50s and the difference will be whichever team has a veteran step up and take control late.
Nick’s Pick: Since I’ll be calling this game with WRWT I’ll refrain from offering a pick. (Look! It’s like I’m Kirk Herbstreit on College GameDay!)
Manchester (10-5, 3-2) at Tippecanoe Valley (5-10, 3-2), 7:45 p.m. 1/29
The Scoop: Valley has done well in TRC play after starting the season winning just one of its first four games.
I always feel so stressed picking Valley boys games, I never seem to be able to count them out. They always surprise when I don’t think they will and let me down when I put too much stock their way. Manchester has a solid team with a great scorer in Chase Fierstos.
Valley will need to stay tight on defense and spread the ball around offensively to get more people involved. The Vikings will have their hands full tonight but it’s still a winnable game for the home squad. I like what Valley does when Gavin Bussard gets hot but I am leaning towards Fierstos and the Squires tonight.
Nick’s Pick: Manchester 53, Valley 43.
No. 5 Warsaw (15-0, 4-0) at No. 2 NorthWood (13-1, 4-0), 7:45 p.m. 1/29
The Scoop: I don’t even know where to begin. Seriously, where does one start when talking about a high school basketball game that has been the talk of two counties for several weeks?
It’s everything one could want in a game. The area’s two best teams scrapping it out for total control of the NLC. A former assistant (Aaron Wolfe) taking on his old boss (Doug Ogle). We’ve got two fierce feline mascots, Tigers and Panthers. Also, this game brings together two sports-crazed communities with two of the rowdiest student sections in the northern part of the state.
Oh, and it’s being held in the Panther Pit, arguably the NLC’s toughest venue to play in (Concord fans are free to contact me). All of that and I haven’t even mentioned the players yet.
Friday’s game pit the best of the best against each other on the court with Warsaw’s Kyle Mangas and Paul Marandet leading the Tigers against Vinny Miranda, Braxton Linville and Dakiyron Fox. Don’t jump my butt just yet, I understand both of these teams are much deeper than those players mentioned.
The Panthers also boast Luke Zurcher, Chad Sellers and Trey Bilinski while Warsaw gets solid production out of guys like Jaceb Burish, Jeremy David and Riley Rhoades.
Mangas is averaging 20 points a contest for a Tiger team that is scoring just north of 56 points per game. Marandet is the leader of this team and he scores just over 11 points per game and adds nearly five assists.
Miranda puts up 17 points on average while Fox and Linville are also into the double digits with their averages as well.
Expect all of the top guys to make an impact. There are no weak links among Miranda, Linville, Marandet or Mangas, they are the cream of the crop and the cream will rise. The difference will be made among that second tier of players. (When I say “second tier” I say it lightly, these kids are insanely talented as well.)
I’m looking at Riley Rhoades to have a huge game, maybe not on the scoreboard, but I see him be a huge X-factor in this contest. Marandet will spread the ball around, as long as Mangas does his job then that will leave plenty of opportunities inside for David as well as perimeter shots for Schmidt.
Defensively it’s all about controlling Fox for the Tigers. He will be the difference maker for NorthWood if he isn’t contained early. Let Miranda beat you, don’t let Fox get his game going. Keeping the Panthers from going on any scoring runs is important, too, especially in The Pit.
In games like this the little things matter most. Warsaw focuses on the little things very well and I don’t see the Orange and Black folding in such a huge regular season game. Plus, I’m a huge Marandet fan and I think he thrives on games like this.
If you have the chance to be at this game, go. Just get there, however possible. It’s going to be epic.
Nick’s Pick: Warsaw 53, NorthWood 48.
Maconaquah (8-6, 5-0) at Whitko (7-8, 3-3), 7:30 p.m. 1/30
The Scoop: The Wildcats welcome in the TRC’s top team Saturday night. I’m just going to start off by calling out the Whitko student section. GET OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR TEAM. Supporting your team requires more than just four kids leading chants while 30 kids stand around and watch. This is a big game for your boys, help them out!
Maconaquah has a pretty impressive offense (62 PPG) and comes in a three-game win streak. Regardless, I like Whitko’s chances in this game. I just have a good feeling about it. This would be a huge win for coach Roger Fleetwoodand for the program in general as it is quietly putting together its best season since 2011-12.
This is one of those “prove it” games for the Wildcats. Go out and prove you deserve the respect and the pick (the respect from good opponents is more important than my pick, just to be clear.)
I think this will be a surprisingly close game with the Braves pulling it out late.
Nick’s Pick: Maconaquah 64, Whitko 62.