Dow is riding plenty of momentum after beating both Heritage and Midland Dow. Saginaw High can be a dangerous team, but could struggle against Dow's height. In the teams' first meeting, Dow won, 63-51. Bavarian's Pick: Dow 71, Saginaw High 58

The loss to Midland Dow changed Heritage's perspective from a front-runner to a chaser. The Hawks need a win over Midland High to keep pace with Dow. Both the Hawks and Chemics play plenty of defense. In the first meeting, Heritage beat Midland High, 58-36. Bavarian's Pick: Heritage 55, Midland 51

Nouvel doesn't back down from any challenge, which explains the losses on its schedule and also its tendency to make long runs in the playoffs. Country Day is the latest state power to take on the Panthers, pitting one of the best Class B teams against the Panthers. Bavarian's Pick: Country Day 75, Nouvel CC 67

Alma has had its problems with the TVC West, losing to both Ithaca and Michigan Lutheran Seminary. But the Panthers are back in their comfort zone, defending first place in the TVC Central. Alma is getting healthier, plus has a strong inside-out combination in guard Konner Vedrode and center Dylan Carl. Freeland is two games back and is in a must-win situation. Bavarian's Pick: Alma 68, Freeland 64

Ithaca has already beaten both Alma and Freeland, so the Yellowjackets won't be intimidated by Frankenmuth in the TVC Crossover. Both teams have balanced scoring and play good defense. Only three teams have scored more than 50 points against the Eagles. Bavarian's Pick: Frankenmuth 56, Ithaca 51

Seminary has shown the ability to beat teams regardless of matchups and is coming off a win over Alma in one TVC crossover. Millington presents a different challenge for the Cardinals, with two of the top offensive guards in the state in Shawn Pardee and Austin LeVan. LeVan, however, is questionable after hurting his shoulder in the crossover loss to Alma. Still, Pardee himself is difficult to stop, putting the pressure on Seminary's guards to slow down the Millington point guard. Bavarian's Pick: MLS 79, Millington 76

There aren't a lot of challenges remaining on Beaverton's schedule, but Clare provides the biggest. The Beavers are ranked second in the state in Class C and are ready to follow Coach Roy Johnston to another Jack Pine title. Clare has just one JPC loss, but needs a win Friday to have a shot at the title. In the first meeting, Beaverton won, 52-46. Bavarian's Pick: Beaverton 58, Clare 49

Heritage has competed but has been unable to win many games heading into the second half of the season. After losing by 10 points to Saginaw High, the Hawks have lost by one point to Flint Powers and nine to Dow. In the teams' first meeting, Midland won 59-37. Bavarian's Pick: Midland 54, Heritage 51

The first game was at SVSU and became a 57-48 Saginaw High win. The game pits two of the top point guards in the SVL in Saginaw High's Ronquavious Southward and Dow's Alec Marty. Bavarian's Pick: Saginaw High 68, Dow 61

The teams are both ranked in the Top 10 and feature some of the top players in the state. Arthur Hill is led by Texas commit Eric Davis and sophmore Brian Bowen, while Jesuit is led by junior guard Cassius Winston, who has offers from MSU, Maryland, U-M, Boston College and Colorado. The game is the marquee matchup in Saturday's Lumberjack Class at Delta College. Bavarian's Pick: Arthur Hill 65, Jesuit 63