Indiana Hoops

Congratulations to Roger Bragg of Hope, Lloyd Frensemeier of Batesville, Rob Lafary of Versailles, Shawn Martin of Lafayette, Scott Peper of Beech Grove and Ron Singleton of Knox, who each predicted all four Indiana state basketball champions to win the 16th and final IndianaHoops.com Pick The Winners Challenge of the 2007-2008 season.

All are previous Challenge winners.  Peper takes his season-best fourth win and 7th overall, putting him all alone in 8th place on the all-time list.  Singleton’s first win of the year is his 8th overall, putting him one spot of Peper all-time.  Frensemeier has his second of the season and 5th all-time, good for a tie for 14th overall.  Bragg’s first victory this year is his 4th overall.  Lafary’s second this year is his third overall, and Martin’s first this season is also his third all-time.  Click here for the Challenge’s all-time records.

With his win, Peper takes the postseason championship, ending up with 66 correct picks.  Bob Uggen of Hartford City was second with 63 and Chad Boldry of Macy third with 62.

Boldry’s 62 in the postseason, added to his regular-season best 81, was more than enough to clinch the overall season championship.  Boldry’s 143 (of a possible 208) is three better than the rest of the field.  There ended up being a three-way tie for 2nd between Peper, Joel Grimmer of Griffith and Steve Young of Greensburg, who each had 140.  Click here for the season standings.

Congratulations to all the winners - and thanks to all of you once again for taking part in the Challenge.  Most of you were past players who came back to the site after its one-year hiatus last year, and your participation is appreciated.  For those who found the site for the first time this year, thanks to you as well.

As we put the wraps on the website - and the Challenge - for another year, your feedback is appreciated on how the site can be made better next year.  Please send an email to matt@indianahoops.com or leave a comment below and make your voice heard.

I enjoy doing this site, and glad you’re a part of it.  Thanks again and we’ll get together again next November.
Matt Scheidler

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Here are the winners of the state finals, with the percentage of players picking each game correctly:

4A: Brownsburg (36%)
3A: Washington (88%)
2A: Ft. Wayne Bishop Luers (55%)
1A: Triton (79%)

The results: 

Roger Bragg, Hope - 4
Lloyd Frensemeier, Batesville - 4
Rob Lafary, Versailles - 4
Shawn Martin, Lafayette - 4
Scott Peper, Beech Grove - 4
Ron Singleton, Knox - 4

Chad Boldry, Macy - 3
Gordon Burgess, Greensburg - 3
Brian Colburn, LaPorte - 3
Denver Combs, Richmond - 3
Matthew Crouch, Bloomington - 3
Scott Crouch, Ellettsville - 3
Milen Howard, Garrett - 3
Bob Lafary, Versailles - 3
Arlen Lewis, Dover DE - 3
Justin Mangold, Portland - 3
Gina Skibinski, Michigan City - 3
Steve Young, Greensburg - 3

Randy Breen, Winchester - 2
Chris Colburn, LaPorte - 2
Chris Combs, Manchester KY - 2
“Dondo”, Portage - 2
Tim Drew, Linton - 2
Mike Friend, Muncie - 2
Joel Grimmer, Griffith - 2
Mike Joest, Newburgh - 2
Anne Schmidt, Greensburg - 2
Mark Stevens, Bourbon - 2
Bob Uggen, Hartford City - 2
Scott Zellars, Scottsburg - 2

Cory Friend, Parker City - 1
Todd Hinton, New Albany - 1
Andrew Neal, Indianapolis - 1
Bill Smith, Dillsboro - 1

Congratulations to Scott Peper of Beech Grove and Chris Combs of Manchester, Kentucky, who both predicted the winners of 7 of 8 semistates to win the 15th IndianaHoops.com Pick The Winners Challenge of the 2007-2008 season.

Peper takes his game-high third victory of the season and 6th all-time, while Combs finishes on top for the second time this year and 4th time overall.

With the win, Peper moves into the lead in the postseason standings with 62, surpassing Bob Uggen of Hartford City, who now is in second with 61.

Regular-season winner Chad Boldry of Macy is 3rd in the postseason with 59, which allows him to maintain his hold on first place overall with 140 of 204 picks.  Joel Grimmer of Griffith remains in second with 138 and Steve Young of Greensburg is still third with 137.  Peper moved up one spot to fourth this week to 136.
 
This Saturday is the state championships, and with it the finale of the Pick The Winners Challenge season.  Even with just four games, there’s a lot at stake as both the postseason and overall titles are still up for grabs.  Good luck to you!

The Semistate results are below.  The State Finals game is available and ready for your picks - click here.

Here are the winners of the semistates, with the percentage of players picking each champion correctly:

Class 4A
Marion (79%)
Brownsburg (9%)

Class 3A
Harding (45%)
Washington (76%)

Class 2A
Ft. Wayne Luers (55%)
Winchester (79%)

Class 1A
Triton (33%)
Indianapolis Lutheran (64%)

The Results:

Chris Combs, Manchester KY - 7
Scott Peper, Beech Grove - 7

Chad Boldry, Macy - 6
Roger Bragg, Hope - 6
Randy Breen, Winchester - 6
Cory Friend, Parker City - 6
Casey Temple, Greenfield - 6
Steve Young, Greensburg - 6

Scott Crouch, Ellettsville - 5
Joel Grimmer, Griffith - 5
Arlen Lewis, Dover DE - 5
Justin Mangold, Portland - 5
Anne Schmidt, Greensburg - 5
Bob Uggen, Hartford City - 5

Jerod Barton, Jasonville - 4
Gordon Burgess, Greensburg - 4
Brian Colburn, LaPorte - 4
Mike Friend, Muncie - 4
Todd Hinton, New Albany - 4
Milen Howard, Garrett - 4
Rob Lafary, Versailles - 4
Shawn Martin, Lafayette - 4
Andrew Neal, Indianapolis - 4
Ron Singleton, Knox - 4
Gina Skibinski, Michigan City - 4
Scott Zellars, Scottsburg - 4

Chris Colburn, LaPorte - 3
“Dondo”, Portage - 3
Kyle Nagdeman, Hammond - 3
Mark Stevens, Bourbon - 3

Denver Combs, Richmond - 2
Bill Smith, Dillsboro - 2

Lloyd Frensemeier, Batesville - 1

Ready to try your hand at the State Finals game?  Click here.

Congratulations to Arlen Lewis of Dover, Delaware, who correctly predicted the winners of 13 of 16 regionals to win the 14th IndianaHoops.com Pick The Winners Challenge of the 2007-2008 season.

Lewis claims his 2nd victory of the season and 6th all-time, moving him into a tie for 8th on the all-time standings.

Several players were right behind with 12 correct picks, including Chad Boldry of Macy, Joel Grimmer of Griffith, Steve Young of Greensburg, Scott Peper of Beech Grove, Chris Combs of Manchester, Kentucky, Milen Howard of Garrett and Roger Bragg of Hope.

In the overall season standings, it’s Boldry, Grimmer, Young and Peper, followed by Justin Mangold of Portland in 5th.

The postseason standings have sectional-week winner Bob Uggen of Hartford City holding onto first place with 56 of 80 correct picks.  Peper is one game back, then there’s a 5-way tie for 3rd with 53 picks right.

The Regional results are below.  The Semi-State game is available and ready for your picks - click here.

Here are the winners of the regionals, with the percentage of players picking each champion correctly:

South Bend Riley (15%)
Marion (53%)
Brownsburg (3%)
New Albany (94%)

Plymouth (79%)
Harding (82%)
Batesville (85%)
Washington (65%)

Westview (76%)
Ft. Wayne Luers (47%)
Winchester (74%)
Evansville Mater Dei (56%)

Triton (79%)
Lafayette Central Catholic (71%)
Indianapolis Lutheran (47%)
Borden (0%)

The results:

Arlen Lewis, Dover DE - 13

Chad Boldry, Macy - 12
Roger Bragg, Hope - 12
Chris Combs, Manchester KY - 12
Joel Grimmer, Griffith - 12
Milen Howard, Garrett - 12
Scott Peper, Beech Grove - 12
Steve Young, Greensburg - 12

Rob Lafary, Versailles - 11
Ron Singleton, Knox - 11
Bob Uggen, Hartford City - 11

Todd Hinton, New Albany - 10
Justin Mangold, Portland - 10
Bill Smith, Dillsboro - 10
“Dondo”, Portage - 10
“Randy”, Winchester - 10

Jerod Barton, Jasonville - 9
Chris Colburn, LaPorte - 9
Matthew Crouch, Bloomington - 9
Bob Lafary, Versailles - 9
Scott Zellars, Scottsburg - 9

Brian Colburn, LaPorte - 8
Scott Crouch, Ellettsville - 8
Kyle Nagdeman, Hammond - 8
Andrew Neal, Indianapolis - 8

Gordon Burgess, Greensburg - 7
Denver Combs, Richmond - 7
Michael Edwards, Bedford - 7
Anne Schmidt, Greensburg - 7
Gina Skibinski, Michigan City - 7

Lloyd Frensemeier, Batesville - 6
“Cory”, Parker City - 6

Mike Joest, Newburgh - 5
Faith Lafary, Versailles - 5

Ready to try your hand at the Semi-State game?  Click here.

Thanks to the weather, the IHSAA regional round didn’t wrap up until Tuesday night, when the last 4 championship games were played.

Results have yet to be tabulated…but since it’s already late Wednesday/early Thursday as this post is being written, it’s important to give everyone the chance to make their Semi-State picks.

So, stay tuned for the Regional results - hopefully on Thursday evening - and feel free to go ahead and click here to make your Semi-State picks!

Congratulations to Bob Uggen of Hartford City, who correctly predicted the winners of 45 of 64 sectionals to win the 13th IndianaHoops.com Pick The Winners Challenge for the 2007-2008 season.

Uggen claims his 2nd victory of the season and the 4th of his Challenge career.

Kyle Nagdeman of Hammond was right behind with 44 correct picks, and Justin Mangold of Portland, Scott Peper of Beech Grove and Bill Smith of Dillsboro each had 43.

In the overall season standings, Chad Boldry of Macy has 122 picks maintains his one-game lead over Joel Grimmer of Griffith, as both players had 41 correct this week.  Steve Young of Greensburg is 3rd with 119, Mangold is 4th with 118, and Peper 5th with 117.

This week, 16 regional champions will be crowned.  You must pick the one winner of each regional from the four participating teams.  Picks are due at 10am Saturday morning.

The Sectional results are below.  The Regional game is available and ready for your picks - click here.

Here are the winners of all 64 sectionals, with the percentage of players predicting the winner correctly:

Class 4A

1. East Chicago Central (93%)
2. Crown Point (3%)
3. South Bend Riley (43%)
4. Warsaw (47%)
5. Ft. Wayne Snider (87%)
6. Marion (90%)
7. Lafayette Jeff (100%)
8. New Castle (50%)
9. Carmel (93%)
10. North Central (13%)
11. Franklin Central (50%)
12. Brownsburg (83%)
13. Terre Haute North (0%)
14. East Central (13%)
15. New Albany (100%)
16. Evansville Reitz (30%)

Class 3A

17. Hammond Clark (0%)
18. Kankakee Valley (21%)
19. Plymouth (83%)
20. Northwestern (93%)
21. Lakeland (14%)
22. Peru (28%)
23. Harding (66%)
24. Delta (28%)
25. Danville (34%)
26. Beech Grove (41%)
27. Rushville (10%)
28. Batesville (100%)
29. Edgewood (93%)
30. Charlestown (90%)
31. Washington (100%)
32. Evansville Memorial (97%)

Class 2A

33. Hammond Noll (62%)
34. Culver Community (24%)
35. Westview (90%)
36. Garrett (72%)
37. Carroll (Flora) (0%)
38. Ft. Wayne Luers (69%)
39. Northfield (3%)
40. Tipton (66%)
41. Winchester (86%)
42. Eastern Hancock (79%)
43. Heritage Christian (21%)
44. Lawrenceburg (14%)
45. South Knox (76%)
46. Tri-West (0%)
47. Paoli (76%)
48. Evansville Mater Dei (45%)

Class 1A

49. Morgan Township (97%)
50. Triton (100%)
51. Ft. Wayne Blackhawk (90%)
52. Tri-County (90%)
53. Lafayette Catholic (93%)
54. Daleville (38%)
55. Monroe Central (79%)
56. Rockville (97%)
57. Shakamak (86%)
58. Waldron (93%)
59. Indianapolis Lutheran (90%)
60. South Decatur (0%)
61. Orleans (100%)
62. Borden (90%)
63. Barr-Reeve (28%)
64. Tecumseh (100%)

The Results:

(Name, City 4A - 3A - 2A - 1A — Total)

Bob Uggen, Hartford City 11 - 11 - 10 - 13 — 45

Kyle Nagdeman, Hammond 12 - 9 - 9 - 14 — 44

Justin Mangold, Portland 10 - 9 - 10 - 14 — 43
Scott Peper, Beech Grove 10 - 9 - 10 - 14 — 43
Bill Smith, Dillsboro 8 - 13 - 10 - 12 — 43

Chad Boldry, Macy 11 - 9 - 9 - 12 — 41
Matthew Crouch, Bloomington 7 - 12 - 8 - 14 — 41
Lloyd Frensemeier, Batesville 9 - 10 - 8 - 14 — 41
Joel Grimmer, Griffith 10 - 7 - 10 - 14 — 41
Bob Lafary, Versailles 8 - 10 - 9 - 14 — 41

Brian Currie, Anderson 9 - 10 - 8 - 13 — 40
Michael Edwards, Bedford 10 - 10 - 8 - 12 — 40
Ross Flint, Bloomington 8 - 9 - 10 - 13 — 40
Todd Hinton, New Albany 9 - 11 - 8 - 12 — 40
Milen Howard, Garrett 10 - 8 - 9 - 13 — 40
Rob Lafary, Versailles 9 - 11 - 8 - 12 — 40
Arlen Lewis, Dover DE 10 - 9 - 8 - 13 — 40
Steve Young, Greensburg 10 - 8 - 9 - 13 — 40

Scott Crouch, Ellettsville 9 - 9 - 8 - 13 — 39

Chris Colburn, LaPorte 8 - 9 - 8 - 13 — 38
Chris Combs, Manchester KY 8 - 10 - 7 - 13 — 38
Ron Singleton, Knox 8 - 8 - 10 - 12 — 38

Casey Temple, Greenfield 8 - 8 - 7 - 13 — 36

Denver Combs, Richmond 7 - 9 - 6 - 13 — 35

Jerod Barton, Jasonville 8 - 7 - 6 - 13 — 34

Roger Bragg, Hope 9 - 8 - 5 -11 — 33

Brian Colburn, LaPorte 10 - 8 - 2 - 12 — 32

Gina Skibinski, Michigan City 7 - 5 - 3 - 10 — 25

Scott Zellars, Scottsburg 6 - 4 - 3 - 9 — 22

“Dondo”, Portage 10 - 0 - 0 - 0 — 10 (entry incomplete)

Ready to try your hand at the Regional game?  Click here.

Congratulations to Rob Lafary of Versailles, who predicted the winners of 9 of 9 games to win the 12th IndianaHoops.com Pick The Winners Challenge for the 2007-2008 season.

Lafary claims his first victory of the season, and second all-time.  He becomes the 42nd different player to win at least two weeks in the Challenge’s history, and the fourth player to earn a perfect weekly score this year.

A few games tripped up a good number of participants, so much that only one other player could score as high as 8.  That was Jerod Barton of Jasonville, a two-time Challenge winner in his own right who was taking part in his first game this season.

Seven players were tied for third place with scores of 7.

In the overall season standings, congratulations are due to Chad Boldry of Macy, who wraps up the regular season championship with 81 of 116 picks.  Boldry had a four-game lead over Joel Grimmer of Griffith after Week 9, and though Grimmer was able to shave one game off of that lead each of the next three weeks, including this week, Boldry holds on to win by a single game.

Boldry was also the regular-season champion in the 2004-2005 season.

Grimmer’s 80 is good for second place this year, and the rest of the Top 5 is all-time Challenge leader Steve Young of Greensburg (79), Scott Crouch of Ellettsville (77) and Lafary (76).

Now, it’s time for the sectional tournament.  As in past years, the Challenge asks you to predict the sectional champions at all 64 sites.  Picks are due at the normal 6pm Friday deadline, meaning that it’s up to you to pay attention to the statewide results from Monday through Thursday - THEN make your picks among the four teams that are left in each sectional.

Have a friend that might like to join in on the fun?  The beginning of the postseason is a great time to jump into the action - please feel free to forward them this email or simply send them a link to http://www.indianahoops.com and invite them to take their stab at naming the most sectional champions!

The Week 12 results are below.  The Sectional game is available and ready for your picks - click here.

Here are the scores of the games in Week 12, with the percentage of players predicting the winner correctly:

February 22-23
(3 games were postponed to Saturday, and one was canceled and not rescheduled)

Fremont 57, Bethany Christian 50 (91%)
Columbus East at Plainfield (canceled, not rescheduled)
Chesterton 55, Crown Point 41 (91%)
Marion 63, Ft Wayne Snider 52 (91%)
North Central (Indpls.) 93, Harding 69 (69%)
Waldron 76, Indian Creek 46 (Sat.) (56%)
Madison-Grant 60, Taylor 57 (28%)
DeKalb 50, Northridge 45 (56%)
Shakamak 81, Owen Valley 60 (Sat.) (28%)
South Knox 52, Wood Memorial 42 (Sat.) (72%)

The Results:

Rob Lafary, Versailles - 9

Jerod Barton, Jasonville - 8

Roger Bragg, Hope - 7
Louis Byrd, Brunswick ME - 7
Scott Crouch, Ellettsville - 7
Bob Lafary, Versailles - 7
Scott Peper, Beech Grove - 7
Ron Singleton, Knox - 7
Casey Temple, Greenfield - 7

Chris Combs, Manchester KY - 6
Matthew Crouch, Bloomington - 6
Brian Currie, Anderson - 6
Lloyd Frensemeier, Batesville - 6
Joel Grimmer, Griffith - 6
Milen Howard, Garrett - 6
Arlen Lewis, Dover DE - 6
Justin Mangold, Portland - 6
Gina Skibinski, Michigan City -6
Scott Zellars, Scottsburg - 6

Chad Boldry, Macy - 5
Brian Colburn, LaPorte - 5
Chris Colburn, LaPorte - 5
Taylor Fletcher, Arcadia - 5
Stephen Hannan, Rising Sun - 5
Andrew Neal, Indianapolis - 5
Anne Schmidt, Greensburg - 5
Bob Uggen, Hartford City - 5
Steve Young, Greensburg - 5

Denver Combs, Richmond - 4
Todd Hinton, New Albany - 4
Bill Smith, Dillsboro - 4

Mike Joest, Newburgh - 3

Ready to try your hand at the Sectional game?  Click here.

Congratulations to Scott Crouch of Ellettsville and Arlen Lewis of Dover, Delaware, who each predicted the winners of 9 of 10 games to win the 11th IndianaHoops.com Pick The Winners Challenge for the 2007-2008 season.

Both claim their first wins of the season.  For Crouch it’s his third all-time, while for Lewis it’s his fifth overall victory.  Click here for the Challenge’s all-time records.

There was a fairly good distribution of scores this time around, with players ranging from 9 to 3.  The most common score this time was a 7.  Individual scores are below.

In the overall season standings, Chad Boldry of Macy maintains the pole position with 76 of 107 correct picks, but his advantage was cut another game to just 2.  Joel Grimmer of Griffith and Steve Young of Greensburg are tied for 2nd with 74 picks.  Crouch moves up to 4th overall with 70 picks, and Chris Combs of Manchester, Kentucky and Justin Mangold of Portland are tied for 5th with 69.  Click here for the season standings.

The Week 11 results are below.  The Week 12 schedule is available and ready for your picks - click here.

Here are the scores of the games in Week 11, with the percentage of players predicting the winner correctly:

Friday, February 15

Lafayette Jeff 72, Brownsburg 69
Eastern (Pekin) 68, Brownstown Central 65 (OT)
Castle 87, Princeton 67
Indianapolis Lutheran 72, Guerin Catholic 65
South Bend St. Joseph’s 52, South Bend Riley 46
Tippecanoe Valley 61, Triton 49

Saturday, February 16

Jay County 48, Delta 38
Bloomington South 56, Lawrence North 44
Howe 63, Northwest 59
Perry Meridian 70, Roncalli 64

The Results:

Scott Crouch, Ellettsville - 9
Arlen Lewis, Dover DE - 9

Chris Combs, Manchester KY - 8
Andrew Neal, Indianapolis - 8
Steve Young, Greensburg - 8
Scott Zellars, Scottsburg - 8

Roger Bragg, Hope - 7
Joel Grimmer, Griffith - 7
Milen Howard, Garrett - 7
Scott Peper, Beech Grove - 7
Casey Temple, Greenfield - 7
Trent Tucker, Versailles - 7
Bob Uggen, Hartford City - 7

Chad Boldry, Macy - 6
Brian Colburn, LaPorte - 6
Mike Joest, Newburgh -6

Chris Colburn, LaPorte - 5
Michael Edwards, Bedford - 5
Lloyd Frensemeier, Batesville - 5
Rob Lafary, Versailles - 5
Justin Mangold, Portland - 5
Anne Schmidt, Greensburg - 5

Denver Combs, Richmond - 4
Taylor Fletcher, city not provided - 4
Todd Hinton, New Albany - 4
Bob Lafary, Versailles - 4
Gina Skibinski, Michigan City - 4

Gordon Burgess, Greensburg - 3
Bill Smith, Dillsboro - 3

Ready to try your hand for Week 12?  Click here.

Congratulations to Todd Hinton of New Albany, who picked a perfect 10-of-10 games correctly to win the 10th IndianaHoops.com Pick The Winners Challenge for the 2007-2008 season.

Hinton becomes the 5th different first-time winner this year, but he’s no newcomer to the site.  After several near-misses over the last few seasons, Hinton finally can claim a weekly victory.  He becomes the 96th different player to earn at least one win in the Challenge since 1999.  Click here for the Challenge’s all-time records.

Overall scores were much higher than usual, but Hinton’s 10 was two games ahead of the rest of the pack.  10 different players each got 8 games right to end up tied for 2nd.  The weekly results are below.

In the overall season standings, Chad Boldry of Macy sees his lead cut by a game, but his 70-of-97 overall mark is still three games better than second-place Joel Grimmer of Griffith. Steve Young of Greensburg, Justin Mangold of Portland and Rob Lafary of Versailles round out the top 5.  Click here for the season standings.

The Week 10 results are below.  The Week 11 schedule is available and ready for your picks - click here.

Here are the scores of the games in Week 10, with the percentage of players predicting the winner correctly:

Saturday, February 9

North Daviess 50, Bloomfield 41 (89%)
Batesville 73, East Central 44 (89%)
Ft. Wayne Dwenger 76, Ft. Wayne Blackhawk 61 (93%)
Hauser 81, Jac-Cen-Del 70 (68%)
LaCrosse 70, Marquette Catholic 65 (OT) (18%)
Edgewood 69, Martinsville 65 (OT) (93%)
Oak Hill 68, North Miami 57 (71%)
Salem 75, Paoli 50 (50%)
Madison-Grant 59, Southwood 54 (46%)
Terre Haute South 79, North Central 73 (50%)

The Results

Todd Hinton, New Albany - 10

Roger Bragg, Hope - 8
Chris Colburn, LaPorte - 8
Chris Combs, Manchester KY - 8
Denver Combs, Richmond - 8
Joel Grimmer, Griffith - 8
Milen Howard, Garrett - 8
Bob Lafary, Versailles - 8
Rob Lafary, Versailles - 8
Casey Temple, Greenfield - 8
Scott Zellars, Scottsburg - 8

Chad Boldry, Macy - 7
Gina Skibinski, Michigan City - 7
Bob Uggen, Hartford City - 7
Steve Young, Greensburg - 7

Brian Colburn, LaPorte - 6
Kenny Colvin, Clarksville - 6
Scott Crouch, Ellettsville - 6
Michael Edwards, Bedford - 6
Michael Hobson, Paoli - 6
Anne Schmidt, Greensburg - 6

Lloyd Frensemeier, Batesville - 5
Arlen Lewis, Dover DE - 5
Justin Mangold, Portland - 5
Scott Peper, Beech Grove - 5
Bill Smith, Dillsboro - 5

Mike Friend, Muncie - 4
Stephen Hannan, Rising Sun - 4

Ready to try your hand for Week 11?  Click here.

Congratulations to Justin Mangold of Portland, Scott Peper of Beech Grove, and Steve Young of Greensburg, who each correctly predicted the winners of 8 of 10 games in the 9th Pick The Winners Challenge of the 2007-2008 season.

Young and Mangold just happen to be the top two players in Challenge history.  Young claims his 33rd weekly win, and for Mangold it’s number 26.  It’s the 11th time in 123 weeks that both players tied for a weekly win, but the first since February 12, 2005.

Peper has had success in the Challenge as well, and moves into a tie for 12th all-time with his 5th victory.

Click here for the Challenge’s all-time records.

Young, who won the Challenge’s first-ever weekly game in November 1999, had gone 16 straight weeks without a win, the longest drought of his Challenge career.  For Mangold and Peper, they each win for the second time this season.

Though three players got 8 games right, on the whole it was a very difficult week.  Every single player missed Northwestern’s overtime win over previously-undefeated Tipton in a game that was rescheduled to this past Tuesday.  And one player, Anne Schmidt of Greensburg, who just two weeks ago claimed victory by getting 8 of 10 right and last week finished in 2nd place with 8 more correct picks, somehow missed every single game this time around.  It was that kind of a week.

In the overall season standings, Chad Boldry of Macy extends his lead to four games over the rest of the competition, with 63 of 87 picks.  It’s a three-way tie for 2nd between Young, Mangold and Joel Grimmer of Griffith, who each have 59.  Click here for the season standings.

This week, as girls sectionals take center stage, all 10 games will be played on Saturday.  For that reason - plus the fact that this email is being sent later in the week than normal - the deadline to make your picks is Saturday at noon Indianapolis time.

The Week 9 results are below.  The Week 10 schedule is available and ready for your picks - click here.

Here are the scores of the games in Week 9, with the percentage of players predicting the winner correctly:

Friday, February 1

Roncalli 64, Chatard 52 (63%)
Evansville Bosse 71, Jasper 63 (30%)
Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 58, Lapel 54 (67%)
Carmel 77, Lawrence North 45 (63%)
Orleans 57, Paoli 54 (47%)
Perry Meridian 68, Southport 62 (37%)

Saturday, February 2

Fairfield 42, Bremen 29 (47%)
Wheeler 43, Morgan Township 41 (53%)
Western 64, Twin Lakes 49 (50%)

Tuesday, February 5 (game rescheduled from Friday night)
Northwestern 48, Tipton 45 (OT) (0% - all players missed)

The Results

Justin Mangold, Portland - 8
Scott Peper, Beech Grove - 8
Steve Young, Greensburg - 8

Scott Crouch, Ellettsville - 7

Chad Boldry, Macy - 6
Chris Colburn, LaPorte - 6
Andrew Neal, Indianapolis - 6

Gordon Burgess, Greensburg - 5
Louis Byrd, Brunswick ME - 5
Matthew Crouch, Bloomington - 5
Michael Edwards, Bedford - 5
Joel Grimmer, Griffith - 5
Arlen Lewis, Dover DE - 5
Gina Skibinski, Michigan City - 5
Bill Smith, Dillsboro - 5
Bob Uggen, Hartford City - 5

Roger Bragg, Hope - 4
Brian Colburn, LaPorte - 4
Chris Combs, Manchester KY - 4
Denver Combs, Richmond - 4
Todd Hinton, New Albany - 4
Dusty Linn, Indianapolis - 4

Milen Howard, Garrett - 3
Bob Lafary, Versailles - 3
Rob Lafary, Versailles - 3
Ron Singleton, Knox - 3
Scott Zellars, Scottsburg - 3

Lloyd Frensemeier, Batesville - 2
Trent Tucker, Versailles - 2

Anne Schmidt, Greensburg - 0

Ready to try your hand for Week 10?  Click here.

Congratulations to Patrick Wooley of Madison, who correctly predicted the winners of 9 of 10 games to win the 8th Pick The Winners Challenge of the 2007-2008 season.

For the second time this season, and second week in a row, a first-time participant has emerged at the top, outdistancing all the usual top Challenge performers.  Wooley’s only miss was Kokomo’s double-overtime win over Anderson, the single-hardest game for players to pick right this time around.

Wooley becomes the 95th different player to finish atop a weekly challenge in 122 contests since this website launched in the 1999-2000 season.  Click here for the Challenge’s all-time records.

Through eight weeks, there have still only been two perfect scores:  Chris Combs of Manchester, Kentucky went 7-7 in Week 3, when three games were canceled due to weather, and Andrew Neal of Indianapolis went 10-10 in Week 5.

Six players got of 8 of 10 picks correctly to finish one game back of Wooley:  Chad Boldry of Macy, Lloyd Frensemeier of Batesville, Bob Lafary of Versailles, Scott Peper of Beech Grove, Anne Schmidt of Greensburg, and Steve Young of Greensburg.

In the overall season standings, Boldry has 57 correct picks and has opened up a three-game lead over second-place Joel Grimmer of Griffith.  Frensemeier is in 3rd with 53, and there’s a four-way tie for 4th at 51 between Young, Matthew Crouch of Bloomington, Rob Lafary of Versailles and Justin Mangold of Portland.  Click here for the season standings.

The Week 8 results are below.  The Week 9 schedule is available and ready for your picks - click here.

Here are the scores of the games in Week 8, with the percentage of players predicting the winner correctly:

Friday, January 25

Kokomo 58, Anderson 55 (2OT) (16%)
Zionsville 52, Avon 44 (75%)
Columbus East 56, East Central 49 (59%)
Triton 47, Jimtown 34 (81%)
Lafayette Jeff 87, Lafayette Catholic 77 (97%)
Merrillville 50, Michigan City 46 (63%)
South Bend St. Joseph’s 71, South Bend Clay 60 (75%)

Saturday, January 26

Batesville 68, Hauser 63 (84%)
North Central 60, Warren Central 52 (22%)
Paoli 73, Tell City 62 (31%)

The results:

Patrick Wooley, Madison - 9

Chad Boldry, Macy - 8
Lloyd Frensemeier, Batesville - 8
Bob Lafary, Versailles - 8
Scott Peper, Beech Grove - 8
Anne Schmidt, Greensburg - 8
Steve Young, Greensburg - 8

Matthew Crouch, Bloomington - 7
Joel Grimmer, Griffith - 7
Rob Lafary, Versailles - 7
Dusty Linn, Indianapolis - 7
Justin Mangold, Portland - 7
Casey Temple, Greenfield - 7

Roger Bragg, Hope - 6
Gordon Burgess, Greensburg - 6
Chris Combs, Manchester KY - 6
Scott Crouch, Ellettsville - 6
Arlen Lewis, Dover DE - 6
Andrew Neal, Indianapolis - 6
Ron Singleton, Knox - 6
Bill Smith, Dillsboro - 6
Bob Uggen, Hartford City - 6

Chris Colburn, LaPorte - 5
Mike Friend, Muncie - 5
Todd Hinton, New Albany - 5
Trent Tucker, Versailles - 5

Brian Colburn, LaPorte - 4
Milen Howard, Garrett - 4
Mike Joest, Newburgh - 4
Scott Zellars, Scottsburg - 4

Denver Combs, Richmond - 3

Gina Skibinski, Michigan City - 2

Ready to try your hand for Week 9?  Click here.