In years past, Swami has always waited until the last minute to finish his Christmas shopping. Guess what? He’s done early this year and he did it all himself. After all, Christmas gifts are about the thought put into it and not the money.

The All-Knowing-One has put a lot of thought into his columns during the year, so it is his wish for every school to continue to play their best, be humble in victory and to make their schools proud.

On with the final week of Swami Sez for 2019, Swami says Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all and he’s ready to make some picks:

GAYLORD (0-2) at ALPENA (2-0)–Friday–(Boys)–The Wildcats should know where they stand in the Big North Conference after tonight. Gaylord does have a conference game in hand, but lost to Cadillac.

With the loss of Blake Carboneau, Gaylord had to find a replacement in short order and that replacement appears to be Corey Deer, who has showing athleticism and aggressiveness while picking up the Blue Devils offensively. Gaylord looked solid in its opener, but Deer led the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding, while Carson Gahm also finished in double figures. Gaylord also had a welcomed surprise in the play of Cardell LaRose and Kyler McKenzie both on offense and defense ends.

Swami doesn’t think the Blue Devils are a pushover. They’ve shown improvement with every game and have the ability to surprise some teams.

The Wildcats looked a little uneven in their opener despite beating Cheboygan, but looked stellar in beating Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday. Alpena put it all together in a fast paced game taking a 73-42 decision. Kelly Stark found the three-point line to his liking while scoring 23 points, Cooper Bright contributed 16, along with 11 coming from Jadon Duncan.

Swami does know one thing for sure, the Wildcats will play small ball this year, but they will have to be quick and accurate to make up for a lack of height.

Swami Sez: Alpena 55, Gaylord 53.

ALPENA (2-2) at TRAVERSE CITY WEST ( 1-5)–Thursday–(Girls)–The season might be only two weeks old, but Traverse City West has played a good chunk of its season already.

The Wildcats are hoping for a turnaround after dropping their conference opener in overtime last week to Gaylord. Just when the Wildcats looked like they were going to put the game away, the Blue Devils came up with stops and baskets. Swami says Alpena needs to slow down and run their sets. The ball game is 32 minutes long, so there is no need to rush.

The Titans’ latest setback came at the hands of Marquette. Aliah Diehl had half of the output for the Titans against the Redettes and no other West player finished with more than four points. The Titans have fallen into the same turnover trap Alpena has done a few times. Swami believes the team that can shore up its ball control will improve.

There are questions that need to be answered for the Wildcats to be a contender in the Big North Conference. From what Swami has seen so far, Alpena needs to have more out of its low post players.

The Wildcats saw first hand where they need to be and what they need to improve on during a one-sided loss to Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday.

Swami Sez: Alpena 46, Traverse City West 38.

ALCONA (3-1) at BAY CITY JOHN GLENN (2-1)–Friday–(Boys)–This is not a rivalry game, but Alcona was invited to play in the Holiday Classic to be played at John Glenn for a 12:30 tip-off.

The Tigers had a tuneup game against Whittemore-Prescott on Tuesday and evened their record. The Tigers were able to squeeze out a win on their home court, after holding a double digit lead after three quarters. Aidan Wrobel and D.J. Howe each had 14 points in the win.

John Glenn seems poised to reap the rewards after paying its dues for two years; a period where the Bobcats averaged five wins a season. Now with a roster of seasoned players the Bobcats are ready to make a move upward. Jobe Long and Gabriel Wallaker are ready to lead the Bobcats after serving their apprenticeships. Juniors Quincy Almond and Troy Porter will be counted on to impact the lineup and add to a deep bench.

Last season saw the Tigers come out on the wrong end of tight games. Alcona seems to be having better luck with that early in the year. Alcona has a lot of talented players on the roster and could have a very entertaining season.

Swami Sez: Alcona 52, Bay City John Glenn 50.

TAWAS (2-3) at OSCODA (3-0)–Thursday–(Girls)–Oscoda has had no problem scoring points and their defense has been lights out.

Tawas on the other hand has started out fast, only to see the lead dissipate in five contests. The Braves held the lead against Alcona earlier this week, only to falter down the stretch before losing 38-33. Carley Bolen was the mainstay in the defeat, canning three treys to finish with 18 points, Sarah Murringer, Lexi LaJoice and Ally Frank all had four points. It was the inability to hold the lead and score in the fourth quarter that spelled defeat.

The Owls put up 50 points or more in their first three games and will make their home debut tonight. In three road games Oscoda has outscored the opposition 164-69. Last week’s win over Mio gave Oscoda its 24th straight regular season win.

Swami says if the Owls can keep up the defensive effort and hit with consistency from the outside, they are going to be hard to beat.

Swami Sez: Oscoda 61, Tawas 45.