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BOYS BB: No. 5 Wildkats visit Mavs for NCC opener

bryan gaskins, kokomo tribune, ind.
·4 min read

Dec. 8—Correction: The story in its original form mistakenly listed Northwestern-Taylor as a girls-boys doubleheader. Taylor dropped Northwestern in girls basketball this season and therefore Friday is a boys game only. The reference to a girls-boys doubleheader has been removed.

Kokomo's boys basketball team had a perfect run through the North Central Conference last season as the Wildkats went 9-0 in winning their first league title since 2013 and their 18th all-time.

Kokomo begins its quest for an NCC repeat tonight when the Class 4A No. 5-ranked Kats visit McCutcheon for a girls-boys doubleheader. It's the league opener for both boys teams.

Kokomo (3-1 overall) beat Peru and New Albany last week. The Kats are led by the front-line duo of Karson Rogers (18.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game) and Flory Bidunga (17.8 points, 14.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists).

McCutcheon is 0-4 following losses to four Class 3A teams — West Lafayette, Rensselaer, Benton Central and Twin Lakes. The Mavericks are scoring only 45 points per game.

Kokomo has won the last two meetings in the series, 72-38 last season and 59-37 two seasons ago. With McCutcheon exiting the NCC following the school year, tonight marks the last conference meeting between the teams.

Kokomo's last back-to-back NCC titles came when it shared the 2010 title with New Castle and won the '11 title outright. The Kats' last back-to-back outright titles came in 1961 and '62.

In the girls game, which is set for 6 p.m., one team will suffer its first league loss. Kokomo (5-3 overall) and McCutcheon (7-2) are both 2-0 in league play. Harrison and Richmond lead the league with 3-0 records.

—Kokomo's boys team plays Class 4A No. 1 Fishers (5-0) at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Southport High School. It's the finale of a six-game showcase that begins at 12:30 p.m.

Fishers, which does not play tonight, opened the season with a 74-61 victory over defending 4A state champion Ben Davis.

NW AT TAYLOR

Northwestern (2-2) travels to Taylor (4-1) for a Howard County clash.

Northwestern opened the season 2-0, but dropped games to Western and Mississinewa last week. The Titans are coming off a three-win week, with road wins over North Miami, Northfield and Western Boone. Tonight is Taylor's home opener.

Preston Sims leads the Tigers in scoring with 17.8 points per game. Javionne Harris leads the balanced Titans with 14.8 points per game, Connor Binnion follows with 13.8, Dre McClatchey is at 12.8 and Keyshawn Galloway is at 9.0.

—Northwestern's boys team visits Frankfort (0-3) on Saturday.

WESTERN AT TIPTON

In a Hoosier Conference East Division game, Western (2-2 overall, 1-0 HC East) visits Class 2A No. 4 Tipton (3-0, 0-0).

Western is led offensively by guard Logan Nelson, who is averaging 21 points per game. Tipton is led by the 1-2 punch of guards Nolan Swan (17.3 points) and Grady Carpenter (11.7 points, 9.0 assists).

Tipton won the East Division last season with a 4-0 record. The Blue Devils beat the Panthers 57-42 in division play, but Western turned the tables when the teams met in Clinton Central's holiday tournament. The Panthers beat the Devils 56-48 in the tourney's title game.

—Both teams are in action Saturday. Western hosts Rossville (3-1). Tipton faces Class 3A No. 4 Delta (3-0) at the Muncie Fieldhouse.

EASTERN AT TC

Eastern (1-3 overall) visits Tri-Central (2-1) for the Hoosier Heartland Conference opener for both teams. It's a girls-boys doubleheader.

The Comets are led by guard Colton Lindsay, who is scoring 21.3 points per game. The Trojans are led by post Trenton Patz, who is averaging a double-double of 16.7 points and 11.7 rebounds.

In the girls game, Tri-Central (3-5 overall, 2-0 HHC) will look to remain unbeaten in league play as it takes on Eastern (3-5, 1-1).

—Both boys teams have Saturday games. Eastern visits 2023 Class A state runner-up Southwood (1-1), and TC visits Morristown (0-4).

AROUND THE AREA

Also tonight, Maconaquah (2-0, 1-0) hosts Wabash (2-1, 1-0) in a Three Rivers Conference game, Peru (1-1, 0-0) hosts Southwood (1-1, 0-1) in another TRC game, and Carroll (2-1) hosts Caston (2-1) in a non-conference game.

Bryan Gaskins is the Tribune's sports editor. He may be reached at bryan.gaskins@kokomotribune.com or 765-454-8567.