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Who's rising, who's falling in this week's South Bend area boys basketball power rankings

austin hough, south bend tribune
·6 min read

Another week, another round of upsets in the South Bend area boys basketball scene.

Of the 10 teams listed in the power rankings below, six lost at least one game this week. A lot of it was carnage amongst themselves, as Saint Joseph beat NorthWood, Penn beat Northridge, and Northridge beat Mishawaka.

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How do those results affect this week’s rankings? Here is the area top 10 through mid-January – as well as four other teams to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

1. South Bend Riley Wildcats (15-3, 7-0 NIC)

Previous ranking: 1. Last week’s results: def. South Bend Clay, 81-43. This week’s schedule: Friday at Penn

South Bend Riley junior Marvin Schindler, middle, and other Riley players celebrate after one of their teammates scored during a boys basketball game against Clay Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at Clay High School.
South Bend Riley junior Marvin Schindler, middle, and other Riley players celebrate after one of their teammates scored during a boys basketball game against Clay Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at Clay High School.

The Wildcats are the lone unbeaten team remaining in NIC play. Riley can’t officially clinch the conference title Friday, but a win against Penn would put them in really good position to do so. If they win its final four NIC games, they’ll be outright conference champs for the first time since 2018.

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2. Concord Minutemen (12-2, 3-1 NLC)

Previous ranking: 2. Last week’s results: def. Elkhart, 45-30; def. Warsaw, 56-45. This week’s schedule: Friday at Wawasee, Saturday vs. LaPorte

The Minutemen are for real. They picked up another signature win over Warsaw this week, giving them seven-straight victories. If they can keep the momentum rolling with a win over Wawasee Friday, it’ll setup a home game with NorthWood Feb. 1 with first place in the NLC on the line.

3. Penn Kingsmen (9-4, 5-1 NIC)

Previous ranking: 3. Last week’s results: def. Northridge, 57-49 (OT); lost to Mishawaka Marian, 31-28. This week’s schedule: Friday vs. Riley, Saturday vs. Goshen

The Kingsmen’s loss in the final 10 seconds to the Knights takes some of the juice out of Friday’s showdown with Riley. Penn has gone 2-3 in its last five games, but all three losses have been by three points each.

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4. NorthWood Panthers (10-4, 4-0 NLC)

Previous ranking: 5. Last week’s results: lost to South Bend Saint Joseph, 46-46; def. Goshen, 48-30. This week’s schedule: Monday vs. Indianapolis Homeschool, Friday vs. Warsaw

NorthWood senior Keegin Stats dribbles with the ball up the court during a boys basketball game against South Bend Saint Joseph Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, at NorthWood High School in Nappanee.
NorthWood senior Keegin Stats dribbles with the ball up the court during a boys basketball game against South Bend Saint Joseph Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, at NorthWood High School in Nappanee.

NorthWood battled Saint Joe until the end before coming back to pick up an 18th-straight NLC win over Goshen. They also received a boost when Northridge beat Mishawaka over the weekend, vaulting them into sole possession of first place in the NLC standings. It’s always a battle when the Panthers face Warsaw, and “The Pit” should be rowdy Friday night because of that.

5. Northridge Raiders (11-4, 2-2 NLC)

Previous ranking: 6. Last week’s results: lost to Penn, 57-49 (OT); def. Mishawaka, 40-31. This week’s schedule: Friday at Plymouth

The Raiders desperately needed a win, and they got it with a victory over the Cavemen. Like Penn, Northridge hasn’t been blown out in a game yet this year, with all of its losses being by single digits. Friday’s game with Plymouth will be the first time the Raiders have faced a .500 or worse team at the time of playing them since Dec. 9 at Angola.

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6. Mishawaka Cavemen (8-4, 2-1 NLC)

Previous ranking: 4. Last week’s results: lost to Northridge, 40-31. This week’s schedule: Tuesday at Fairfield, Friday vs. Goshen

A tough NLC setback to Northridge drops the Cavemen a few spots in the power rankings this week. One of the more intriguing games of the week takes place Tuesday with Mishawaka traveling to Benton to face a red-hot Fairfield team.

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7. Fairfield Falcons (11-3, 4-0 NECC)

Previous ranking: 8. Last week’s results: def. Angola, 60-38 in NECC Tournament final; def. Westview, 45-38. This week’s schedule: Tuesday vs. Mishawaka, Friday at West Noble, Saturday vs. Angola

Make it nine wins in a row now for the Falcons, who are the last unbeaten team in NECC play. They beat their rival, Westview, twice in an eight-day span, marking the first time since 2002 that Fairfield beat the Warriors twice in the same season.

8. South Bend Saint Joseph (8-7, 3-2 NIC)

Previous ranking: 9. Last week’s results: def. NorthWood, 48-46; def. Elkhart, 77-50. This week’s schedule: Friday vs. New Prairie

Maybe the win over NorthWood will spark Saint Joseph in the second half of the season here. Getting a quality road win against the defending 3A state champs should give them some momentum as they try and stay alive in the NIC championship chase.

More: Rebounding helps South Bend Saint Joseph boys basketball fend off NorthWood

9. Michigan City Wolves (7-6, 0-1 DAC)

Previous ranking: 10. Last week’s results: did not play; LaPorte game postponed to Feb. 20. This week’s schedule: Tuesday at Hammond Morton, Friday vs. Portage

Mother Nature has not been kind to the Wolves, as they will go two weeks without playing a game due to all the inclement weather hitting LaPorte County. Hopefully they can play this week

10. South Bend Washington Panthers (7-6, 5-2 NIC)

Previous ranking: 7. Last week’s results: lost to South Bend Adams, 53-48; lost to Jimtown, 53-42; lost to Valparaiso, 66-57. This week’s schedule: Friday vs. Mishawaka Marian, Saturday at Crown Point

The Panthers are clinging to the final spot in the rankings here, going 0-3 this past week and losing five of its last six overall. Its gut-check time for Washington, as the schedule isn’t any easier this week with two quality opponents upcoming.

Teams on the rise: Bethany Christian (have won eight of its last nine after an 0-6 start); Jimtown (5-7 record; won five of its last seven, with the losses being to Fairfield and Penn); John Glenn (8-6, winners of six in a row including the bi-county tournament this past week); Mishawaka Marian (7-8 record against a tough schedule. Two important games against Glenn and Washington this week).

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Who's rising, who's falling in this week's South Bend area boys basketball power rankings