It finally happened. I regret to inform you devoted readers that last week I went just 4-6 in my picks. Yes, for the first time I finished below .500 with my picks, bringing a frigid cold over the county (yes, blame the bad weather on my picking failures). Since my picking career entered this time of uncertainty, I briefly considered retirement. I struggled back and forth with leaving the sports picking profession and entering a new field such as awards show picking. Then I realized that I know nothing about awards shows and would truly hate to be in a field that so willingly idolizes someone like Melissa Rivers. So, fear not, Kosciusko, I am here to stay!

Now, before I get to my guaranteed-better-than-last-week’s picks, I need to give a huge shout-out to some people that have earned the attention.

On Monday night the Wawasee Lady Warrior swim team clinched the Northern Lakes Conference regular season title and a 9-0 record for the season by defeating Northridge 105-81. Why is this a big deal? Well, it is a big deal because it was Wawasee’s first win over Northridge and first swimming title since 1996. It is the first Wawasee team to win an NLC title in any sport since 2010 (girls golf) and it put a smile on the faces of every other team in the NLC that has been subjected to the reign of terror the Lady Raider swim team has had over the conference for so long. Nobody has followed this team or covered them as well as Mike Deak. From the title to the end quote, Deak’s article “Wawasee Finally Slays The Beast” captures the importance of the win for the Lady Warriors and I highly suggest that you check it out.

So, hats off to the Lady Warrior swimmers and head coach Julie Robinson. Beating Northridge and winning the NLC has been a monkey Robinson has been hoping to get off her back since taking over the program in 2008. The weight is finally lifted from the coach, the team and even the NLC.

Finally, good luck to the Lady Warriors and the Warsaw Lady Tigers as they compete in the conference meet tomorrow morning at Concord High School.

Last Week: 4-6
Overall: 132-69

High School Boys Basketball 1/17

Triton (4-5, 0-2) at Culver (7-1, 1-1), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Culver head coach Kyle Elliott has something really good in the works with his Cavalier program. Elliott is currently working towards his third straight winning season and has his 2013-14 team firing on all cylinders and currently ranked No. 7 in Class 1A. Triton is having what Trojan fans would call a down season sitting at just 4-5. The most games that Triton has lost in a season since 2008 in six, and that was on last year’s State Finals team. While the Trojans record is a little underwhelming, the team is still averaging around 56 points per game, but they have not eclipsed the 50-point mark since in the past three games. Triton’s defense has remained solid throughout the season but Culver brings some offensive efficiency to the table that Triton does not look ready to compete with. The defense has to be perfect or the offense has to score 70 or more to win this game.
The Pick: Culver 64, Triton 50.

Elkhart Memorial (4-5, 2-0) at Wawasee (1-8 0-2), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: This is a quietly important game in the NLC. While the rest of the conference is focusing on what Warsaw, NorthWood and Northridge are doing, Memorial has jumped out to a 2-0 start in conference play. If the Chargers can get to 3-0 tonight, they still have the toughest stretch of their schedule of them but will be in a very good spot. Memorial has already surprised a decent Concord team and disposed of a Plymouth team that is just now getting its star player, Mack Mercer, back on the floor. If Concord and Plymouth (with Mercer) can play spoiler the rest of the year,  Memorial has a decent chance at stealing at least a piece of the NLC crown. But first, the Chargers must get through a Wawasee team that is gaining confidence. The Warriors have lost 16 consecutive NLC games and the players are tired of hearing about it. Wawasee nearly pulled off a huge upset over undefeated  NorthWood last Friday, so it is not crazy to think they could beat an emerging Memorial team. My heart says to go with the scrappy, underdog Warriors. But my head says the Warriors have to earn that respect first.
The Pick: Memorial 56, Wawasee 48.

Goshen (4-6, 0-2) at Warsaw (8-3, 1-1), 7:45 p.m.
The Scoop: Listen up, Tigers. This is what we in the business call a “trap game.” It is a trap game because you are superior to your opponent but they are still capable of beating you if you do not take care of business early. Don’t believe me? Ask NorthWood how happy it was after getting pushed to the edge by a one-win Wawasee team last week. Warsaw, you have proven time and time again this year that you are a very good team, do not deviate from your strengths tonight and you will have no problem getting a win. If you do not beat this boring Goshen team, I will not be talking about you next week, period. Rashaan Jackson, you have good nights and bad nights. It is hard to know what you will bring to the table each night, so I am going to make this easy for you. TONIGHT IS A GOOD NIGHT. You are going to put on a spectacle tonight and make the Redskins run back home in fear of ever returning to the Tiger Den. Rashaan, set the tone early and your team will follow suit. This is going to be a good night to be a Tiger.
The Pick: Warsaw 71, Goshen 57.

Rochester (3-5, 2-0) at Tippecanoe Valley (7-2, 2-0), 7:45 p.m.
The Scoop: These two teams squared off in a tournament just two weeks ago at NorthWood High School. Valley squeaked out a 45-41 victory over the Zebras for the Vikings third straight victory over their TRC rival. Both teams are 2-0 in the TRC (along with Manchester) and this game will obviously play a big part in determining the conference champion at the end of the year. I really just think Valley is a far superior team even though they had a close call the last time they saw Rochester. Also, Tanner Andrews committed to play baseball at Purdue earlier this week. If you think, for even a second, that Andrews committed his future to one school with black and gold as its colors just to turn around and lose to another school with the same colors in the same week, you’re crazy. Andrews is going to go off tonight to celebrate his future plans. Watch out, Zebras.
The Pick: Valley 69, Rochester 54.

Northridge (9-1, 2-0) at NorthWood (9-0, 2-0), 7:45 p.m.
The Scoop: Warsaw fans, this is a big one for you to keep an eye on. Northridge has already beaten your beloved Tigers this season so Warsaw needs NorthWood to get a win tonight. If that can happen then Warsaw can knock off NorthWood and be back in the NLC title talk. But NorthWood has a tall task against the No. 14 team in 4A. Pete Smith and Nate Ritchie are two of the best shooters in the NLC and Ritchie alone is very, very hard to keep from having a big night. But NorthWood has a lot of size and as long as the Panthers can stay out of foul trouble, this is a game they should win. Why? The X-factor, home court advantage. NorthWood is hands one of the two toughest places to play in the NLC, hands down. The fans in Nappanee are loud, proud and relentless. Not every high school has this kind of advantage and it does make a difference for opposing teams. This game is NorthWood’s to lose.
The Pick: NorthWood 68, Northridge 64.

Girls High School Basketball 1/17-1/18

Triton (8-5, 2-2) at Culver (11-2, 3-1), 6 p.m. 1/17
The Scoop: The first game of the Friday night double-header in Culver will be between the girls teams in a very good match up. This is a big game for Triton, the Trojans need this win for two reasons.
1. To get a win heading into the very tough Bi-County Tournament.
2. To pull the mask off of this Culver team.
Yes, I am calling Culver’s bluff. Yes, they are 11-2 but they have not beaten a team with a winning record since early December. Any good team they have played has beat them, with the exception of a solid Wabash team. They were beat by Bremen, a team that Triton wiped the floor with. I just don’t like Culver for some reason, I’m not sold on the success of the Cavs. Give me Adam Heckaman and the Lady Trojans all day long.
The Pick: Triton 57, Culver 45.

Warsaw (6-8, 1-2) at Goshen (7-5, 1-2), 7:45 p.m. 1/18
The Scoop: Remember when Goshen was 7-1 and was getting love from every media outlet that got wind of the “resurgent” program? Yeah, me too. The Redskins have not won a game since dominating a lowly Wawasee squad back in December. Warsaw did lose to Wawasee, but Michelle Harter’s squad was shorthanded that night.  I am still not sure what to think of this Warsaw team, it has been very inconsistent this season. The Lady Tigers did a great job beating Northridge last weekend, but failed to take care of a sub-par Carroll team on Wednesday night. I think Warsaw will get past the disappointment at Carroll and show that they are much better than a Goshen team that is riding a four-game losing skid.
The Pick: Warsaw 46, Goshen 37.

Tippecanoe Valley (7-5, 2-1) at Rochester (11-3, 2-1), 7:45 p.m. 1/18
The Scoop: The Lady Vikings are playing well this season and were given a gift last week by Whitko as the Lady Wildcats surprised Rochester with a 56-44 win to make the TRC race very interesting. Four teams now have one loss in the TRC while Wabash remains undefeated with a mark of 2-0. Valley fell to Wabash earlier this season and needs to win out and hope that Wabash picks up a TRC loss to get back into the title talk. I like what the Lady Vikings are doing this year, this have looked really good at times, but this team has struggled with Rochester in recent seasons and the Zebras are very patient on both sides of the ball. This just seems like a game Rochester will win.
The Pick: Rochester 48, Valley 40.

NFL Conference Championships 1/19

New England at Denver, AFC Championship 3 p.m.
The Scoop: Just like last week, I will not be putting records for these teams at this point in the season because they really do not matter.
Perhaps the greatest quarterback rivalry of all-time in renewed as Tom Brady and his New England Patriots roll into Mile High to face Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. This game has everything to do with these two future Hall of Fame members, and yet, nothing to do with them at all.
Yes, Brady and Manning will be needed for either of their teams to have success but ultimately this games will be won on the ground. So, this game is one the shoulders (and legs) of players like Denver’s Knowshon Moreno and Monte Ball, or New England’s Legarrette Blount and Stevan Ridley. The running backs will decide this championship and that points to a victory for the Denver Broncos (sorry, Chris Plack). The Broncos run game is not really that much better than the Patriots, but the Denver run defense is much more stable than New England’s run defense. Peyton Manning will make plays to get his team in the right position to win, I have no doubt, but the hero will be Moreno in some way or another. This is rough for Tom Brady because he will take the blame for the loss when he has no control over his defense stopping the run. But make no mistake, this will be a fantastic game and every football fan should be watching it.
The Pick: Broncos 38, Patriots 24.

San Francisco at Seattle, NFC Championship6:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Let me just say that in the AFC fans will have one of two all-time great quarterbacks advance to the Super Bowl and in the NFC fans will have one of the best defenses in the NFL move on. This year’s Super Bowl will be fantastic either way. The NFC title is between the best team in the NFC and the Seattle Seahawks. Yep, the San Francisco 49ers are the best team in the NFC, period. Yes, the Seahawks won the division and clinched home field and all that but the 49ers are the best team that the NFC has to offer from top to bottom. The Niners only issue is playing in Seattle, they repeatedly get their butts kicked up there. This is a big game for the entire 49ers team, but not just because it is another chance to go to the Super Bowl, it is trying to get a monkey off of their back. It is eliminating the 67,000-pound gorilla from the room. That room is the 67,000 seat capacity stadium known as CenturyLink Field. In their past two games in Seattle, the Niners have been outscored 71-16 and have lost four of the last five games at CenturyLink. Both teams bring very talented and young quarterbacks to the forefront. Colin Kaepernick, a third-year pro from Nevada, leads the 49ers while former Wisconsin star Russell Wilson leads Seattle. Both of these young mean will have to make plays often for their respective team to win. This is where that home field advantage comes in. Seattle fans have already broken the Guinness World Record for being the loudest stadium in the world on two occasions this season. Once was last week against the Saints and the first time was in September following a Seahawks sack of Kaepernick, rattling the young signal caller for the game. If the 49ers cannot get past the deafening environment in Seattle, it will be a long night for Frisco fans.
The Pick: Seahawks 20, 49ers 10.