While girls basketball sectionals are going on, we still have some boys hoops to cover. Going into this game, Westview (11-3), under Ed Bentley, battled through probably one of their toughest games of the season with a Double OT conference match with Eastside. But I am sure anyone that is a Westview fan would tell you this might be one of the sweetest wins they’ve had in a long time with Westview winning 65-61 in 2OT. Now can Westview ride that momentum into February and secure that NECC regular season title for the 5th straight season? In the program’s history, Westview has secured 29 NECC regular season titles in the program’s existence.
For West Noble (7-6), they are coming off a nice bounce back win @ Fairfield after losing 43-40 @ Wawasee. In their 2nd season under Ethan Marsh, you are still seeing the learning curve going on with the number of sophomores plugging into the lineup. However, you are now starting to see major improvements to the point that in the not too distant future, expectations could get higher as this team matures. Last season, they competed well with Westview for about 3 1/2 quarters before losing 59-45. This season, West Noble has been in 8 games decided by 10 points or less, and while the record is not the greatest at 3-5, those close games came against an always tough East Noble team, scrappy Goshen, a talented Fremont team, a mentally tough Wawasee team, an even mentally tougher team in Lakeland, and 3 of the other best teams in the NECC (CN (56-47), Busco (70-63 OT), and Eastside (55-51)).
However, West Noble has had some issues in the past against Westview. In the all-time series, Westview holds a 57-20 all-time record against the Chargers. After starting off losing 11 of their first 12 meetings to WN, Westview has went 56-9 against the Chargers since. Westview is also 21-9 all-time @ WN. Westview last lost to West Noble in the 2014 NECC tournament title game and haven’t lost to them in a regular season game since Feb. 3, 2012, when West Noble won 45-44 in OT @ Westview.
Ed Bentley holds a career record of 7-2 against the Chargers. Ethan Marsh holds a 2-1 record against Westview.
Due to winter weather concerns, the game will be played tonight instead of tomorrow. That also means, this will be shortened a little for time consuming reasons.
2 Main Keys to winning
Westview
- Improve on perimeter defense
As I watched the Eastside game unfold, I thought the Warriors really struggled to defend the Blazers’ perimeter offense, especially when Westview started to miss their shots and turning the ball over more. Yes, this isn’t Eastside or CN good when it comes to perimeter shooting, but there are quite a few guys that do well there.
There are two guys they will mainly have to contain, and that is Austin Cripe and Brockton Miller. More so with Cripe because physically speaking he is going to have a decent advantage against some of Westview’s forwards. So, it will be important to apply pressure on Cripe, limit his shooting lanes, and force him to change the game on heavily contested jump shots or at the hands of other role players not naming Miller.
Even with the change in the starting lineup, the defensive intensity, at times, has changed the outcome of games. But given how much I have covered Bentley’s teams over the years, I know he is going to want to see some of those defensive numbers improve before sectionals, which FYI will probably be a top 3 sectional in the state. I can guarantee you that.
2. Emphasizing Strong Ball Movement and Playing Aggressive Westview Basketball
If there is one thing that maybe is the most inconsistent part of this Westview team is maintaining good ball movement, have good shot selection, and being aggressive on defense but also on offense. I feel like the whole Warrior mentality attitude and their efforts as a team have been mostly strong, but you can still sense some of the learning going on with these two areas that I have bolded here.
I still don’t regret saying that this Westview team has been able to balance out between playing a faster tempo style that Westview is known for and being a hard-nosed defensive minded team. However, there is more to Bentley ball than just being good defensively, and this is why it is very difficult to play wholeheartedly to his ideas and his system. Only certain players whether it was at Angola or Westview have been able to not only perform well but also excel to what he expects.
Jake Honer was probably the best basketball player Ed Bentley ever coached because he was not only exceptional on defense the way he wants, but he was so good as a shooter and all-around player. This is also why I emphasized Bentley likes role players or in some instances bench players. If you look at who’s been doing well lately at Westview, look no further than the Miller kids, Lyndon and Luke. Like they mold more to his ideals.. I am not saying the star players don’t, but it can be more of a challenge for players that are more gifted if you would, especially with this being year 1 for these kids at Westview under this system.
If Westview can come out in this game with a good sense of focus, paying attention to details, and still playing that aggressive/gritty mentality, I mean they’re still good enough to win these kind of games.
West Noble
- Take Good shots/Stay Composed against Westview’s Bentley Ball defense
I find this part to be very interesting here as WN comes in shooting 50% or higher in the last 2 games and shooting a season best 60% from downtown against Fairfield on a team that shoots 34% from downtown as a team this season. However, this Westview team has the capabilities of scoring points, especially in transition but they hold their opponents to 43 points a game, which by Bentley standards would not be as impressive, but it is still really good defense.
Given that man-to-man defense is usually a big part of Ed Bentley teams, I would expect to see West Noble trying to make some adjustments to handle their pressure better. When they played that man-to-man defense from a Wawasee or Eastside or Angola, the Chargers do tend to struggle more against that kind of pressure mainly due to their speed.
Given that WN will probably have a harder time scoring points than at Fairfield, I do expect this to be somewhere in the ballpark of the high 30’s to upper 40’s given the matchup we have. So, for West Noble, each possession is going to mean that much more, and it is important to stay composed, not rush things, and look for the best scoring opportunities possible because Westview does not give you any easy ones.
2. Rebound
On paper, scoring is going to be at a premium, so rebounding becomes more important. While they are slowly getting better there, Westview will still have an advantage when it comes to the boards against this team. WN is 4-2 when they grab 24 or more boards, and while I do not expect them to get close to 30, every rebound matters with Westview being their opponent.
It’s like I have been saying all year, if teams don’t rebound well against Westview, you’re not beating this team, especially with this being a Ed Bentley team. Not only should we see Cripe battling it out in the glass early and often, but I look for Zavala, Beers, Miller, and even Macias to get involved as well. Depth wise, WN can work with the guys they have, but it is going to be a chore trying to rebound on a team with Mason Yoder, Caleb Cory, and the Miller kids.
One player to Watch
Westview
Mason Yoder
It’s been a breakout junior season for the junior forward on both ends of the floor. While Westview hasn’t been quite as good as they were early in the season, it doesn’t change the fact Mason is still being a game-changer on offense but also on defense where it has gotten him the spotlight that he’s had for a couple seasons.
I want to see how well Mason handles a bigger West Noble frontcourt than that of a Eastside. Even with that, Yoder was one of the big reasons Westview is still undefeated in conference. If he can showcase that dominance on defense, get his teammates involved and get some shots to fall, West Noble could be in some trouble.
While Brady Yoder has capabilities of being a knock down perimeter shooter, especially in key moments, my under-the-radar player to watch for is Caleb Cory. If he can come in and contain WN’s frontcourt, that could be huge.
West Noble
Zach Beers
This is one of those key games you want to see someone other than the big name players elevating their games, and based on the team Westview has, Beers could be a big wild card in this situation. There are times where you’re seeing a confident Zach Beers in the post not just on defense but on offense to. Yes, he’s more of your traditional center, but you can some of that physical toughness inside when he’s feeling it. His 14 points against Fairfield was a career best for the sophomore center in his prep hoops career. Keep an eye on him tonight.
Around the NorthEast Corner 