1. Norwell 9-2 (1-0)
2. Columbia City 7-5 (1-0)
3. New Haven 5-6 (1-0
4. Leo 5-5 (1-0)
5. Bellmont 7-5 (0-1)
6. Huntington North 3-8 (0-1)
7. East Noble 2-9 (0-1)
8. DeKalb 0-8 (0-1)

2023 leads to resolutions, new journeys, and the beginning of greater things. For the purposes of this topic, 2023 begins a new year for everyone. For the NE8, outside of Norwell, the rest of the field remains with unknown predictability. January will bring more conference games into the fold to decide how this race will pan out for the remainder of the season.

There’s no time to waste! Let’s take a look at the best games from this week’s NE8 games.

SuperSam’s 5 NE8 Boys Basketball Picks Of the Week

Tonight 

3-8 Huntington North @ 2-9 East Noble 

The Big Blue Pitt will be the host of two rebuilding programs: Huntington North and East Noble. The Vikings under Head Coach Craig Teagle have seen times of inexperience and some form of a talent drop off impacting their ability to consistently win games. 

However, things are starting to move in the right direction. Over the last 4 games, the Vikings have held their opponents to 48 points or less and 3 of their last 4 games have been decided by single digits. This includes a 43-34 loss at North Side Tuesday night. 

For Teagle Ball to succeed tonight, they must slow down Hunter Kline down line who’s coming off a 29-point effort in a 63-58 OT loss to Westview Tuesday. Consistency has been a huge factor into East Noble’s struggles this season. But at times under Brandon Durnell, East Noble has competed with the best of the best (much like Huntington North). The key factor for them is taking care of the basketball as most of their games have seen them commit nearly 20 turnovers per game. 

Players to Watch

HN: Aric Hosler Senior Combo Guard

EN: Hunter Kline Senior Combo Forward 

Huntington North by 1

Saturday (Tomorrow)

7-5 Columbia City @ 7-5 Bellmont 

The Eagles have hit some adversity lately losing 3 of their last 4 games (which 2 of those losses came at the Phil Cox Invitational in Kokomo). At times when the Eagles are making shots, cleaning up their passes, and play good defense, this is a strong basketball team. However, December has been a month of learning from various points. 

Bellmont will definitely test their toughness and ability to take care of the basketball in this game as Bellmont holds their opponents to 45.8 points per game, which only trails Huntington North. Where Columbia City will be challenged is through the interior scoring as Bellmont is shooting 56% from 2-point range. Bellmont will have to make sure to box out well and now allow the Eagles to get 2nd chance scoring opportunities.

Players to Watch

CC: Andrew Hedrick Senior Combo Guard (Bethel Commit)

Bellmont: Kord Fuelling Junior Shooting Guard 

Columbia City by 5

0-8 DeKalb @ 5-6 New Haven

It hasn’t been a memorable start for DeKalb with their worst start in 6 seasons. They hope 2023 brings more success to the table. But you have to hope the scoring starts to step up. Other than Caden Pettis who averages 15 points per game, the rest are held to less than 30 points per game. 

New Haven has had a tough non conference schedule to begin the season, but they’re starting to pile some wins with 3 wins in their last 4. Darrion Brooks is coming off a double-double 20 points and 19 boards in the 69-56 win over Snider. Brooks reached 1,000 points during the Huntington North Tournament against Arsenal Tech. 

If DeKalb is going to compete with New Haven, they’re going to need to contain New Haven’s athletes and not allow their shooters to get hot.

Players to Watch

DeKalb: Caden Pettis Junior Combo Guard

New Haven: Korbyn Hammel Freshman Combo Guard 

New Haven by 14

9-2 Norwell @ 5-5 Leo

In past seasons, this was a premier conference game in the area. While it doesn’t quite have the same expectations as in past seasons, it’s still a solid game on paper. 

But for Leo to compete in this game, they’re going to need strong team defense to contain Luke McBride and try to cool off the Knights red-hot perimeter shooting. This is an offensive juggernaut averaging a NE8 best 69.1 points per game. 

Leo does have a nice duo led by Trey Hiteshew and Jackson McGee, but can other role players step up in this game? Norwell has the deepest bench in the NE8 with the likes of Lleyton Bailey, Jake Parker, Brody Bolyn, Cohen Bailey, and Luke Graft to name a few. 

Trey Hiteshew is coming off a 25-point game in the 57-44 win at Canterbury.

Players to Watch

Norwell: Lleyton Bailey Senior Combo Guard 

Leo: Trey Hiteshew Junior Combo Guard

Norwell by 8

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