By BRYAN GASKINS
Tribune columnist
January 14, 2008 11:38 pm
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The Northwestern boys basketball team has racked up a lot of impressive accomplishments including back-to-back Howard County Tournament championships and an ongoing 25-game winning streak.
Yet, the Purple Tigers lack complete bragging rights when it comes to local basketball. Northwestern has steered clear of Kokomo since the IHSAA introduced class basketball 10 years ago which has led to hypothetical arguments when comparing the teams.
Northwestern probably had the better team last season when it went 25-2 and won the Class 2A state championship and Kokomo struggled to a 5-16 record. Northwestern beat Western and Frankfort in the regular season, and those teams beat Kokomo, but that is a tenuous claim at best to having a better team. Transitive property just does not work in sports.
Now, Northwestern is off to a 10-0 start and is ranked No. 1 in the Class 3A state poll this week while Kokomo owns a 6-5 record against a demanding schedule that included games against New Castle and Class 4A No. 3-ranked Carmel last weekend. I’d love to see the Tigers and the Kats meet on the court to settle local bragging rights, which is the thing that made sectional tournaments before class basketball so special.
(Side note: I’m fine with class basketball, but I occasionally wonder how competitive the old Kokomo Sectional might have been in recent seasons. Northwestern, Western, Maconaquah and Taylor have all fielded teams capable of challenging Kokomo at different times since 1998.)
Western, Peru, Tipton and Maconaquah still challenge Kokomo in the regular season. I’m sure players from those schools enjoy the chance to take on the Kats — especially in Memorial Gym. It’s a shame other local teams miss the opportunity to play in the Big House.
Now, the simplest solution is for more teams to step up and ask the Kats for a game. My solution is a little different — and a little radical.
I’d like to create a Howard-Tipton Counties Tournament that would be played at the beginning or middle of each season in a Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday-Saturday format in Memorial Gym. I’d use a blind draw, although I’d add a provision that the smallest schools (Eastern and Tri-Central) had to play someone other than Kokomo in the first round. From there, we’re set for three good nights of local basketball that would determine bragging rights.
The Howard County Tournament would have to go to make this work scheduling-wise, but that is a sacrifice I am ready to make — and I appreciate the HCT as much as the next person. But, it has become a little stale in some ways in recent seasons.
Northwestern vs. Kokomo is not going to happen this season, but here’s hoping we’ll see that matchup again at some point in the future.
Big games this week
There are plenty of good games on the schedule this week. Two in particular stand out.
On the girls side, No. 9-ranked Northwestern (16-0) hosts No. 1 Twin Lakes (15-0) Thursday in a matchup of Class 3A powers. Twin Lakes is led by 5-foot-7 senior guard Betsy Adams, who shredded Western for 45 points earlier this season.
“We’re the last two undefeated teams in 3A and we’re going to battle it out,” Northwestern coach Todd Miller said. “The girls are really ready for the challenge and they are excited. Twin Lakes is a very good team. They have a great player in Betsy Adams. We have to do a good job with her. It’s at our place, so we’re excited to have a home game against them. We’ll see what happens.”
On the boys side, Class 2A No. 1 Tipton (10-0) visits Kokomo (6-5) Saturday night for a promising matchup. The Blue Devils rank No. 3 in the state in defensive average (39.3 points allowed per game) and No. 1 in average margin (28.6 points). The Kats will represent their toughest opponent to date.
The Blue Devils are gearing up for a tougher second half of the season. Their first 10 opponents own a combined record of 45-63 while their next 10 opponents are 55-49.
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Bryan Gaskins
Tribune sportswriter