Andy Amey: Maybe these will be good games

Dec. 14—The fact that perhaps the best high school basketball game of the season so far wasn't included in last week's top 10 games to watch is an indication of a couple of things.

One, that you have to take these somewhat educated guesses with a grain of salt, maybe even sea salt.

Two, that high school basketball isn't always predictable. Which, of course, is what makes it fun.

And this week should again be fun. I expect packed houses for every game that's not mentioned among this week's top 10.

—10. Martinsville at Decatur Christian, Saturday at noon — I haven't seen the Bluestreaks yet, and they'll have had a Friday night game prior to this early trip to Forsyth, but apparently they'll have more game experience under their belts than do the host Warriors.

Which is why I'm often dubious about getting information from MaxPreps — which, in its defense, gets better all the time — because according to that website, Saturday is Decatur Central's season opener. Its next game, on Jan. 23, is its finale.

—9. Greencastle girls at Sullivan, 6 p.m. — Faith Wiseman and Indian Creek are still lurking (Dec. 22 at Sullivan), but the Golden Arrows need to win every Western Indiana Conference game.

—8. Greencastle at Sullivan, 7:30, and Sullivan at Edgewood, 7:30 p.m. Saturday — Repeat the last 11 words of the previous paragraph.

—7. Newton at Robinson, 7:30 p.m. CST — I don't know if you throw the record books out the window when these rivals get together or not. I'm pretty sure, however, that the Maroons are a very dangerous 1-8 team.

—6. North Putnam at Northview, 7:30 p.m. — This is a reference to the boys game, but get there early and watch the girls too (love the WIC doubleheaders).

But Zack's girls seem to be on a roll, while Shawn Nevill's boys need a win to get them on one themselves. Considering the youth of the Knights — both teams, in fact — those rolls (unlike the Beef House ones) might last a long time.

—5. North Central at Marshall, 8 p.m., 7 p.m. CST Saturday — I've seen the Thunderbirds, eagerly await seeing the Lions, and expect this game to be high in entertainment value. I don't expect Logan and Howie to be in charge of a boring team.

For that matter, Marshall's game at Lawrenceville, with LONGtime coach Randy Bishop, could be fun too.

—4. Clay City at South Vermillion, 7:30 p.m. Saturday — This is the weekend when the Wildcats find out if they can compete with big, physical teams. See the next paragraph.

—3. South Vermillion at Terre Haute South, 7:30 p.m., and South at South Knox, 1:30 p.m. Saturday — This is also a weekend when the Braves can't afford to relax. The Wildcats and Spartans aren't as big as some of the teams South has played so far, but both of them can play.

—2. Shakamak at Parke Heritage, 7:30 p.m. — Two of the better teams in the state in their respective classes. Enough said. The Lakers also meet a Wabash River Conference foe on Saturday.

—1. Terre Haute North at Bloomington South, 7:30 p.m. — Aesthetics is not the reason for this being the Game of the Weekend. It could decide the Conference Indiana championship and it could give the Patriots a dose of confidence if they win.

It may not be pretty, however. First team to 40 wins?

Friday

West Vigo girls (1-9, 0-4) at South Putnam (8-5, 2-3), 6 p.m.

North Putnam girls (5-8, 1-3) at Northview (9-2, 2-1), 6 p.m.

Greencastle girls (4-7, 2-4) at Sullivan (10-2, 5-0), 6 p.m.

Terre Haute North (3-2, 0-0) at Bloomington South (3-1, 1-0), 7:30 p.m.

South Vermillion (3-1) at Terre Haute South (3-1), 7:30 p.m.

West Vigo (3-3, 2-1) at South Putnam (2-4, 1-3), 7:30 p.m.

North Putnam (2-2, 2-1) at Northview (0-3, 0-2), 7:30 p.m.

Shakamak (4-1) at Parke Heritage (4-2), 7:30 p.m.

Greencastle (3-3, 2-2) at Sullivan (4-1, 2-0), 7:30 p.m.

Riverton Parke (2-3) at Dugger Union (1-6), 7:30 p.m.

Marshall (3-4, 1-1) at Lawrenceville (7-2, 1-0), 8:30 p.m., 7:30 CST

Paris (3-7, 0-2) at Olney (8-1, 1-0), 8:30 p.m., 7:30 CST

Newton (6-2, 1-0) at Robinson (1-8, 1-1), 8:30 p.m., 7:30 CST

South Central (3-2) at Martinsville (3-7), 8:30 p.m., 7:30 CST

OPH (3-5) vs. Attica (0-4) at Westville Winter Wonderland Tournament, TBA

Saturday

Cloverdale girls (1-10 or 0-11) at South Vermillion (0-10), noon

Georgetown-Ridge Farm girls (6-5 or 5-6) at North Vermillion (4-5), noon

Martinsville at Decatur Christian (0-0), 1 p.m., noon CST

Terre Haute South at South Knox (3-3), 1:30 p.m.

Mitchell girls (2-13 or 1-14) at Linton (9-3 or 8-4), 1:30 p.m.

Evansville North girls (6-3 or 5-4) at Terre Haute North (2-11), 2:30 p.m.

Brown County girls (6-4 or 5-5, 4-2 or 3-3) at West Vigo, 4 p.m.

Brown County (4-3 or 3-4, 2-1 or 1-2) at West Vigo, 5:30 p.m.

North Vermillion (3-3) at Shakamak, 6:30 p.m.

Dugger Union at Tecumseh (3-2 or 2-3), 7 p.m.

Sullivan at Edgewood (3-4 or 2-5, 2-1 or 1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Clay City (5-1) at South Vermillion , 7:30 p.m.

Cloverdale (1-5 or 0-6) at Riverton Parke, 7:30 p.m.

North Central (3-2) at Marshall, 8 p.m., 7 CST

Linton (4-1 or 3-2) at Wayne City (Ill.) Tournament, TBA

OPH in Westville Winter Wonderland Tournament, TBA

Andy Amey can be reached after 4 p.m. at 812-231-4276 or 812-231-4277; by email at andy.amey@tribstar.com; or by mail at P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute, IN, 47808. Follow TribStarAndy on the X.