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Boys basketball: What changes are there in the South Bend area power rankings this week?

austin hough, south bend tribune
·6 min read

With the girls basketball sectional tournaments taking center stage this week, the boys basketball schedule was a little less crowded.

More: Here are your South Bend area girls basketball regional pairings, schedule

Most teams only played one game, while others were able to play a Saturday afternoon contest before the girls sectional finals began. And while there wasn’t clarity as far as who the area conference champions will be, it has set up some dramatic situations for this week.

The Northern Lakes Conference can still finish with as many as four teams as conference champs. The two, one-loss teams — Concord and Mishawaka — travel to the two, two-loss teams — Northridge and NorthWood, respectively — Friday night. If the home teams win, Concord, Northridge and NorthWood will all finish 5-2 in the NLC, while Mishawaka will be 4-2 with one conference game remaining against Wawasee Feb. 17.

Mishawaka Marian has the biggest week amongst the Northern Indiana Conference contenders with three league games scheduled.

LaVille heads to Triton Friday in a battle of unbeaten Hoosier North teams, the three-team tie atop the Northeast Corner Conference is guaranteed to be down to two this week, and Bethany Christian seized control of the Hoosier Plains Conference with a win over Elkhart Christian last week.

With all of that being said, here are this week’s South Bend area boys basketball power rankings.

1. Concord Minutemen (15-2, 5-1 NLC)

Previous ranking: 1. Last week’s results: def. NorthWood, 47-29. This week’s schedule: Friday at Northridge

Concord students celebrate with the team after they won the Concord vs. NorthWood boys basketball game Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024 at Concord High School.
Concord students celebrate with the team after they won the Concord vs. NorthWood boys basketball game Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024 at Concord High School.

Ten wins in a row for Concord has them staying atop the power rankings this week. Their defense ranks fifth in the state, allowing just 38.6 points per game on average. A monumental game for the Minutemen comes Friday night, as they can guarantee themselves at least a share of the Northern Lakes Conference title with a win. It’s a lot easier said than done, as Concord has lost nine in a row overall against Northridge (including the postseason) and hasn’t won in Middlebury since 2012.

More: Where did these guys come from? Concord boys stay hot in pursuit of NLC title and more

2. Penn Kingsmen (12-4, 7-1 NIC)

Previous ranking: 2. Last week’s results: def. John Glenn, 56-45. This week’s schedule: Tuesday at South Bend Adams, Friday at South Bend Washington

A gritty win for the Kingsmen over Glenn keeps them in the number two spot of the power rankings. They can complete a sweep of South Bend teams this week, given they’ve already beaten Saint Joseph, Clay and Riley this year.

3. South Bend Riley Wildcats (16-4, 8-1 NIC)

Previous ranking: 3. Last week’s results: def. South Bend Washington, 75-48. This week’s schedule: Friday at Bremen

South Bend Riley senior Payton Baird puts up a reverse layup during a boys basketball game against South Bend Washington Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, at Riley High School.
South Bend Riley senior Payton Baird puts up a reverse layup during a boys basketball game against South Bend Washington Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, at Riley High School.

The Wildcats overcame a sluggish start to blow out one of its city rivals this week. The gym is still shaking from the dunk Payton Baird threw down in the fourth quarter.

More: South Bend Riley boys basketball learns from its mistakes in victory over Washington

4. Mishawaka Cavemen (12-4, 4-1 NLC)

Previous ranking: 6. Last week’s results: def. South Bend Clay, 61-47; def. Warsaw, 56-54 (OT); def. South Bend Washington, 60-51. This week’s schedule: Tuesday at Chesterton, Friday at NorthWood

Three wins — including a buzzer-beating shot by Cooper Pritchett to beat Warsaw — moves the Cavemen up in the rankings. They get two solid tests this week, both on the road. They can still be outright NLC champs, but will need to win its final two conference contests and get some help from others (mainly, Northridge).

5. NorthWood Panthers (11-6, 4-2 NLC)

Previous ranking: 4. Last week’s results: lost to Concord, 47-29; def. Beech Grove, 46-25. This week’s schedule: Tuesday vs. West Noble, Friday vs. Mishawaka, Saturday vs. Lakeland

A bad second half against Concord puts the Panthers one game back of the conference leaders. NorthWood could spoil Mishawaka’s dream of an NLC title this week, plus they face two potential sectional opponents in the Chargers and Lakers. It could end up being a pretty telling week for the Panthers in their quest to repeat as Class 3A state champions.

6. Northridge Raiders (14-4, 4-2 NLC)

Previous ranking: 5 Last week’s results: def. Wawasee, 57-50; def. Jimtown, 60-50. This week’s schedule: Friday vs. Concord

Northridge has won four in a row leading into the showdown with Concord this week. Brady Scholl has become a big-time player for the Raiders, scoring 34 points in the win over the Warriors and 20 against the Jimmies. He and junior Mason Bales will be critical for Northridge against Concord’s stingy defense.

7. South Bend Saint Joseph (11-7, 5-2 NIC)

Previous ranking: 7. Last week’s results: def. Culver Academy, 65-30; def. South Bend Clay, 65-55. This week’s schedule: Tuesday vs. John Glenn, Friday vs. Mishawaka Marian

NorthWood senior Ethan Wolfe (0) looks for room to dribble while being defended by South Bend Saint Joseph senior Jayce Lee during a boys basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, at NorthWood High School in Nappanee.
NorthWood senior Ethan Wolfe (0) looks for room to dribble while being defended by South Bend Saint Joseph senior Jayce Lee during a boys basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, at NorthWood High School in Nappanee.

Saint Joseph looked slightly mortal for the first time in a few weeks, grinding out a 10-point win over Clay. Its previous three victories had been by 27, 37 and 35 points, respectively. It should be an electric atmosphere Friday night with a red-hot Marian team coming to town.

8. Mishawaka Marian Knights (10-8, 4-1 NIC)

Previous ranking: 8. Last week’s results: def. Bremen, 61-24; def. South Bend Career Academy, 73-25. This week’s schedule: Tuesday at New Prairie, Wednesday at John Glenn, Friday at Saint Joseph

This is a huge week for the Knights, especially the Friday game against its rivals. Three conference games in four days will have a major effect on the Northern Indiana Conference title race.

9. Fairfield Falcons (13-4, 6-1 NECC)

Previous ranking: 10. Last week’s results: def. Garrett, 49-32. This week’s schedule: Tuesday vs. Bethany Christian, Friday at Fremont, Saturday vs. Elkhart Christian

A couple solid non-conference tests against two of the best 1A teams in the area bookend a conference game for the Falcons Friday night. It’s officially a three-way tie atop the NECC standings, with Lakeland and Central Noble also with 6-1 conference marks. Lakeland plays Central Noble Friday, while Fairfield and Central Noble close out the regular season against each other on Feb. 23.

10. John Glenn Falcons (9-7, 3-4 NIC)

Previous ranking: 9. Last week’s results: lost to Penn, 56-45. This week’s schedule: Tuesday at Saint Joseph, Wednesday vs. Marian, Friday at Jimtown

Glenn, Marian and Saint Joseph all play a round-robin with each other this week, a fun scheduling quirk brought on by the weather-related cancelations from mid-January. The Falcons are looking for a signature win on the season, and knocking off either Saint Joe or Marian would qualify as one.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Did South Bend area boys basketball power rankings change this week?