1. Fairfield 12-2 (5-0)
2. Central Noble 15-0 (6-0)
3. Eastside 11-3 (6-0)
4. Garrett 7-7 (3-2)
5. Lakeland 8-8 (2-4)
6. Angola 5-9 (3-3)
7. Westview 6-9 (4-3)
8. Fremont 4-9 (1-4)
9. Churubusco 3-10 (1-5)
10. West Noble 2-12 (2-4)
11. Prairie Heights 1-13 (0-8)

One week from tonight, the NECC Tournament will tip off for boys’ and girls’ basketball. So far, it still appears Fairfield is the statistical favorite to win the tournament, but the gap has gotten smaller thanks to amazing seasons from Central Noble and Eastside, and possibly a sudden turnaround from Garrett.

Again, there isn’t a ton to reflect back on, so let’s dive into this week’s content.

SuperSam’s 5 NECC Girls’ Basketball Picks of the Week

Tonight

5-8 Bremen @ 15-0 Central Noble

On paper, CN is seen as decent favorites to win this game comfortably, but Bremen plays in the NIC, and they tend to compete well with Central Noble. It’s a young Bremen team led by sophomore Kila Foster, the sister of Bremen’s all-time leading scorer Ella Foster, whose 14.6 points per game.

The one other relevant news with this game is CN’s Madison Vice is just 24 points from reaching 1,000 career points. Only four other Lady Cougars have ever done this, but three of the four accomplished this within the last six years. Note: Sydney Freeman (2019 CN grad), who now plays for Dayton at the college level, scored her 1000th point against Bremen in December of 2017.

Players to Watch

Bremen: Kila Foster Sophomore Combo Guard

CN: Madison Vice Senior Combo Guard

Central Noble by 14

7-7 Garrett @ 12-2 Fairfield

While this game does feel like a David-Goliath type of matchup, it is hard to truly count out Garrett as long as Bailey Kelham is exceptional, and the team plays stellar defense. After all, it is Bob Lapadot, and it is Garrett. You can’t ever rule them out, and their frontcourt is very convincing of that. Bailey Kelham recently became the program’s all-time leading scorer at Busco where Kelham had 30 points to surpass 2014 grad Brandi Dawson. Kelham currently has 1,520 career points, 212 points behind the school’s leading scorer and 1972 grad Jeff Stroman.

Now, rest assure, Fairfield is a juggernaut that should not be underestimated. They stunned Northridge again (earlier this season), and they went toe-to-toe with Columbia City on the road in a 51-46 loss. Led by Brea Garber, Bailey Willard, Morgan Gawthrop, and Kaylee Dillon, they are a formidable opponent to anyone.

Players to Watch

Garrett: Maddy Schenkel Senior Combo Guard (Saint Francis Commit)

Fairfield: Bailey Willard Senior Combo Guard

Fairfield by 10

Friday

4-9 Fremont @ 3-10 Churubusco

The rest of these games will be discussed from Friday’s slate. The matchup between Fremont and Busco is probably the least interesting of these three notable games. However, this is a game that can easily swing in either direction.

Both programs are in rebuilding mode for this season as David Goodwell of Busco and Shae (Rhonehouse) Thomas instill youth and a bright future to their respective programs. For Busco, the growing pains are steeper. However, since that 50-42 loss to West Noble, it seems to have been a wake-up call for this program and have since showed marginal improvements. Busco showed a lot of fight in their losses to Garrett and Bluffton, and that effort paid off in their win over Prairie Heights.

Busco has found something with sophomore Brooklyn Sinclair who is averaging 9 points and 1.1 assists, but there is room for improvement with the hopes of a better finish from other kids like Bridget Timbrook. For Fremont, things have been a lot better than I think many of us expected.

I feel like people expected Fremont to be in Prairie Heights territory where wins have become a rarity this season. But while this is a clear rebuild for Fremont, this team has gelled exponentially better. Sophomore Addy Parr has performed beyond expectations.

We knew Addy was probably going to be their best player, but she has performed so well, that she has risen to 7th in NECC scoring at 12.5 points. Natalie Gochenour is having the best season she has ever had had with a near double-double average of 9.1 points and 7.2 boards.

If those two can have good games along with other good performances from Makenzie Parnin and Rylee Goetz, there’s no reason to doubt Fremont on paper.

Players to Watch

Busco: Bridget Timbrook Sophomore Combo Guard

Fremont: Addy Parr Sophomore Combo Guard

Fremont by 4

15-0 Central Noble @ 7-7 Garrett

If CN wants to head into the NECC Tourney on a good note, they must avoid a setback at Paul Bateman Gymnasium, and this is a Garrett team that has given CN trouble in the past. Since the turn of the century, the Lady Cougars are an abysmal 1-11 at Garrett. That one win at Garrett was a 38-27 win from the 2018-19 season, which I recalled that game being one of CN’s WORST performances in a 27-1 season and a run to semi-state.

This is a TRAP game, not just because CN is undefeated once again, but it’s because it’s at Garrett. That gym with all of that history, the atmosphere, and the pregame tradition. This is a postseason game whenever a big game is played at Garrett.

Where Garrett excels is being physical, playing lunchpale Garrett basketball, and rebounding. CN will be challenged because of Garrett’s athletes, that type of defense they run will throw them off at first, and there could be a lot of foul trouble in this game. This is going to be crucial to have Makenna Malcolm, Meghan Kiebel, and Grace Swank to be on the floor as much as possible without being at risk of getting fouled out. That’s the big challenge when playing a team as physical as Garrett can be.

If the South Adams’ game from last Saturday forshadowed anything, it’s this game and the NECC Tournament. One other fact to mention is this will be Sam Malcolm’s first game coaching against his alma mater.

Players to Watch

CN: Makenna Malcom Junior Combo Guard

Garrett: Bailey Kelham Senior Guard/Forward

Central Noble by 7

12-2 Fairfield @ 11-3 Eastside

For all intents and purposes, this is the game of the week in the NECC. Fairfield and Eastside are both undefeated in conference play heading into this week, and this is a rematch from last year where these two met three times: regular season, conference tournament, and regional semifinals. Fairfield went 2-1 in these games, where that one loss destroyed any hopes of winning a conference tournament championship last year.

Eastside hopes that same magic can translate into success in both the regular season and conference tournament races as they have quietly performed to strong contention because of strong team defense and an improved offense. Senior Grace Kreischer and sophomore Paige Traxler combine to average 23.3 points per game and are essential to keeping the offense rolling. Other players like Sydnee Kessler are complimentary pieces that give the Blazers needed depth.

The biggest question with Eastside is: Can they stay out of foul trouble? That seems to be the one area that has sometimes hindered their potential against quality teams. A team of this pedigree like Fairfield will force Eastside to adjust and battle through adversity. Can they contain Brea Garber? If Eastside is able to build a lead, can they hang on for 4 quarters against a veteran team?

The one thing Eastside has going for them is the fact they have home court advantage.

Players to Watch

Fairfield: Brea Garber Senior Combo Forward (IWU Commit)

Eastside: Grace Kreischer Senior Combo Forward

Fairfield by 3

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