The local high school boys basketball scene is highlighted this weekend by an interesting Northern Lakes Conference matchup as Concord (10-3, 1-3) visits Wawasee (6-5, 2-2) on Friday.

Wawasee plays an uptempo style. The Warriors are averaging 79.6 points per game and are shooting 34.5 percent (110-of-319) from 3-point range.

Concord averages 60.8 points and the Minutemen have drilled 73 treys.

“Our kids don’t mind playing at a faster pace and neither do I as long as we stay under control,” Concord coach Steve Austin said. “We have to attack Wawasee. At times in the past we have shied away from that.”

Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said, “Concord is a team capable of exploding at any time. They are capable of getting into a rhythm by taking good shots.”

Concord is led in scoring by 6-3 senior Doug Acker 14.5 ppg, 6-3 senior Larone Smith 9.4, 6-0 junior Anthony Yoder 9.8 and 6-8 sophomore Jason Spriggs 7.0.

The Minutemen also have two talented freshmen in 6-5 Franko House (6.5) and 6-3 DuWhan Alford (3.7).

“House is strong with the ball and you cannot allow him to penetrate,” Mishler said. “Alford can shoot from 3-point range and lso drive to the basket.”

Leading scorers for Wawasee are 6-4 junior Riley Stichter 21.1 ppg, 5-10 senior Keegan Beer 16.4 and 6-3 freshman Jacob Thompson 12.3.

Stichter’s average is up from 11.4 last season.

“He has always been a good scorer,” Austin said. “He has improved his outside shooting. You can’t back off him when he is around the 3-point line because he will pop it. He is also one of the better offensive rebounders I’ve seen.”

It’s a doubleheader weekend for Wawasee as the Warriors host Lakeland (9-4) on Saturday.

The Lakers are paced in scoring by 5-11 senior Jake Sirk 19.7 ppg and 5-8 junior Scott McKibben 10.1.

“Sirk is a good shooter from the perimeter, but is also a heady enough player that if you take that away from him he will turn to something else,” Mishler said. “Lakeland’s offense pretty much runs through him.”

The Northridge Raiders (2-10, 0-4 NLC) travel to Plymouth (8-5, 3-1) Friday.

The Pilgrims have won two of their last three, including conference victories over Concord (50-47) and Wawasee (74-60).

Top point producers for Plymouth are 5-11 senior Bo Davidson 13.6 ppg, 6-2 senior Leneil Himes 11.5 and 5-11 senior Todd Vervynckt 7.2.

Five-eight junior Luke Davis 12.1 ppg, 6-0 classmate Malcolm Thurmond 11.3 and 6-3 senior Justin Yoder 5.1 pace the Raiders in scoring.

In other NLC action on Friday, the NorthWood Panthers (5-8, 1-3) host the Warsaw Tigers (10-2, 4-0).

Warsaw is led in scoring by 5-9 junior Nic Moore 18.7 ppg, 6-3 senior Justin Clemens 11.3 and 6-5 sophomore Lucas Grose 9.0.

Warsaw has won eight of its last nine games with the loss being to No. 9-ranked, Class 4A Noblesville (53-47).

“Warsaw has length, skill and experience which makes a very good team,” NorthWood coach Aaron Wolfe said. “They are a solid basketball team and execute in all phases of the game. They pose a great challenge for our team.”

Wolfe is a former Warsaw assistant, working for Al Rhodes (now at Penn) and current Tiger coach Doug Ogle.

Leading scorers for NorthWood are juniors — 5-9 Michael Paul 14.7 ppg, 6-4 Cameron Williams 10.5 and 5-11 Kyle Heckaman 6.9.

In a local Northeast Corner Conference showdown, the Fairfield Falcons (8-5, 4-1) entertain the West Noble Chargers (5-8, 4-2) Friday.

West Noble is led in scoring by 6-3 senior Dakota Kreczmer 15.0 ppg, 6-2 senior Cody Hastings 12.7 and 6-0 senior Jake Hutsell 7.0.

Six-seven junior Dirk Ormsby has returned to the Charger lineup after missing the initial 11 games of the season due to a collapsed lung. In his second game back, he netted a career-high 23 points in a 68-57 loss to Fremont.

“West Noble has good size and they are even bigger with Ormsby back,” Fairfield coach John Wysong said. “They have quite a few veterans who played against us last season.

“We are working on getting more organized on defense, especially on our positioning. On offense, we are trying to get a better feel for our plays.”

Fairfield is led in scoring by 6-2 junior Tanner Foust 12.5 ppg, 6-0 senior Miles Kritzman 6.7 and 5-11 classmate Josh Brown 6.1.

The Falcons received a spark last weekend with the return of 6-4 senior Justin Scott. He had been out of action since sustaining a serious knee injury during football season.

Scott tossed in six points in a 52-29 loss to Westview and 19 in a 51-49 loss to White Pigeon.

“It’s interesting to have him back,” Wysong said. “He has only had about a week of practice, but he is a competitor and once he gets going will make a contribution for us .”

This will be the 50th meeting between Fairfield and Northridge. The Raiders hold a 31-18 lead after last season’s 56-32 victory.

“Northridge is a quick ball club which puts a lot of pressure on the ball,” Wysong said. “They have played a lot of good teams close.”

Westview (11-3, 4-2 NECC) hosts the Eastside Blazers (7-6, 3-3) Friday in a rematch of an NECC tourney game won by the Warriors 67-48.

“We are familiar with them,” Westview coach Rob Yoder said. “Their best players are (6-7 senior) Chris Diehl, (6-3 senior) Matt Ward and (6-2 sophomore) Austen Brow.

“Diehl plays on the perimeter, but he can also post up. He is probably Eastside’s most effective player.

“Any more we just assume the opposing team is going to be bigger than we are. Strength, speed and size are all things that help you play the game, but it still usually comes down to the team that plays the best wins.”

Helping Westview on the inside should be the return of 6-1 junior Kurt Lambright who has missed the last three games after sustaining a concussion against Fairfield in the NECC tourney.

“He looks very probable for Friday,” Yoder said. “He is one of our better interior defenders. He brings a certain toughness to our team. He hardly ever turns the ball over and takes charges better than any player I’ve coached.”

Westview’s leading scorer — 6-2 junior Justin Jantzi at 19.5 ppg — is still out of action due to a broken foot.

Six-foot junior Dominique Neely averages 16.4 ppg for the Warriors and 6-0 classmate Seth Wagler 13.1.

The Bethany Christian Bruins (5-7) host Fort Wayne Blackhawk (7-6) Saturday in a possible matchup of future Class 1A, Sectional 51 opponents.

The Braves’ leader is Michigan State recruit 6-8 senior Russell Byrd. An all-around player, Byrd averages 23.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Also for the Braves, 6-8 senior Seth Kisler averages 17.1 ppg.

Bethany is topped in scoring by 6-4 senior Seth Kauffman 18.4 ppg, 6-7 junior Hamilton Thorne 7.2 and 5-10 senior Mikey Kelly 6.3.