Pete Carroll should be lynched for not using his Lynch…still a great effort by Malcolm Butler.

Last week started out very ugly for the picks. I picked five boys games and five girls games. The boys did me no favors as I went just 1-4 with those picks. Thankfully, the girls picks came through and I went 4-1 there to be an even 5-5. That was a close call, way too close.

Speaking of girls, congratulations to the Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball team on clinching an outright Three Rivers Conference title last weekend. The ladies have worked hard all year and it finally paid off with that big win. I’m still waiting for coach Chris Kindig to send me a TRC champs shirt. All the players got one. Does that entitle me to a shirt? No, not at all. But…I still want one.

Thanks to everyone that read my Super Bowl pick article. Turns out I was very close on the score, but picked the wrong team to win. Anybody else out there on board with give the ball to Marshawn Lynch in a goal-to-go situation? After all these years, it turns out Pete Carroll is a putz. Who would’ve guessed that?

We still have 27 local wrestlers competing this weekend! Yes, 27 young men from Valley, Whitko, Wawasee, Triton and Warsaw all qualified for the regional at Fort Wayne Carroll and Rochester this Saturday. I wish them the best of luck.

Hey, speaking of wrestlers, did you hear about the kids that urinated in his towel before weigh-in just to make weight at the Plymouth sectional last weekend? Well, you’ve heard about it now. The kid made weight by an extremely thin margin, we’re talking tenths of a point, all because of that little trick before weigh-in. Unfortunately for the whizzing wrestler, he was caught in the act and was eventually disqualified. I guess you could say they made him…throw in the towel. *ba-dum tss*

Finally, good luck to all of the swimmers and divers competing at girls sectional finals on Saturday. Warsaw will be hosting its own sectional with Valley and Whitko swimmers there as well. Wawasee will travel up to Northridge for a showdown with the Raiders and Concord. There are other schools there, but they don’t matter nearly as much.

There are just boys picks in this week’s picks because the girls are going to get their own article for sectional next week. Don’t fret, ladies.

Last Week: 5-5
Overall: 104-47

High School Boys Basketball 2/6-2/7

Lakeland Christian Academy (0-16) at Lakewood Park (3-12), 7:15 p.m. 2/6
The Scoop: It has been a very tough season for the LCA Cougars. It’s been a few weeks since I shed any light on this team, obviously for good reason. These boys work hard but it has just not paid off in the win column yet. That starts on offense where LCA only averages 37 points per game. That is an improvement, however. It took the Cougs nine games just to crack 37 points in a single game.
If the team can take advantage of a Lakewood Park team that gives up 63 points per game, this could be win No. 1 for LCA.The Pick: Lakewood Park 71, LCA 58.

Whitko (5-12, 0-5) at North Miami (2-14, 0-5), 7:45 p.m. 2/6
The Scoop: Whitko has yet to win a TRC contest, but the Wildcats do have a win over a TRC opponent. What?
Yes, the ‘Cats downed North Miami 77-55 earlier this season (12/30), but it was in a tournament and not an official TRC game. That was Whitko’s first win of the year and the team has only improved.
Before playing North Miami in December Whitko was 0-7 and averaged 40 points per game on offense. The team is 5-5 since 12/30, averaging 59 points per game. Nate Walpole will have a field day in this game.
The Pick: Whitko 68, North Miami 38.

Wabash (4-11, 3-2) at Tippecanoe Valley (9-7, 3-1), 7:45 p.m. 2/6
The Scoop: I got a little cocky last week in picking the Vikings to win against Manchester. They could’ve done it, heck, they almost did. But, that game is in the past and a share of the TRC title is still within reach. The Vikings need to win out in the TRC, but that is very possible as they play, perhaps, the three worst teams in the conference the next three games. Just keep shooting, Mr. Thacker.
I like Wabash to keep this one close, but I think Valley will be able to pull away in this one.
The Pick: Valley 57, Wabash 49.

Elkhart Memorial (10-6, 3-1) at Warsaw (13-3, 4-0), 7:45 p.m. 2/6
The Scoop: The Tigers scored their biggest win of the season last week against NorthWood. Beating the Panthers put Warsaw in total control of its destiny in the Northern Lakes Conference. The key to control is to keep it once you have it.
Memorial is not on Warsaw’s level, but neither was Concord. I don’t think Warsaw will sleep on the Chargers here, but you never can tell. It might be close for a while but Paul Marandet will not let the Orange and Black falter this late in the NLC season.
The Pick: Warsaw 56, Memorial 45.

Northridge (8-7, 2-2) at Wawasee (7-8, 0-5), 7:30 p.m. 2/7
The Scoop: February 15, 2011. That was the last time Wawasee won an NLC contest. The site? The Hardwood Tee Pee. The opponent? The Northridge Raiders.
Wawasee had a disappointing loss at Concord last Friday but rebounded with back-to-back wins against Lakeland and Bremen. Neither of those teams are very good, but the Warriors beat them badly, as they should have. The offense clicked in both of those games, it even flowed well against Concord.
If Wawasee can find the rhythm on offense for a fourth consecutive game, that NLC streak might finally come to an end. More importantly, if the offense shows it can be productive for yet another game, it could be a sign that this team is starting to peak right when it needs to.
Anyway, when I pick these games wrong, the Wawasee kids let me have it. I’m an outcast for a few hours when I cross the mighty Warriors. I can only hope that Wawasee has the last laugh on me after this game. Put it on the bulletin board.
The Pick: Northridge 55, Wawasee 50.

Triton (10-6, 4-0) at LaVille (14-3, 3-1), 7:30 p.m. 2/7
The Scoop: Speaking of bulletin board material, here is some for Triton.
LaVille is 8-0 at home this season and currently 3-1 in the Northern States Conference. Before this season Triton was 17-4 against the Lancers this century. LaVille picked up win No. 5 of the 2000s against Triton back on 1/20 in the Bi-County Tournament, 54-49. It’s time for some revenge.
Last week I picked against Triton, I had no faith. This week I will redeem myself and have faith in the Bourbon Boys. It will take a sold shooting night (I’m looking at you, Skyler Reichert) to get this win, but the Trojans are due for a big night as they haven’t broken the 50-point threshold in nearly a month.
The Pick: Triton 59, LaVille 55.