Guards Paul Marandet and Kyle Mangas, shown above, are two big reasons Warsaw is undefeated. The Tigers are tied atop the NLC standings with NorthWood, who they face on Jan. 29.

One more conference hurdle.

That’s what both Warsaw and NorthWood need to clear Friday night in order to set up this season’s most talked about boys basketball matchup.

The Tigers are slated to travel to Nappanee on Jan. 29 to face the Panthers in a game that has been anticipated as the battle for bragging rights in the Northern Lakes Conference all year.

Warsaw and NorthWood, though first, must take care of league business. Warsaw plays at Concord (4-9) and NorthWood travels to Goshen (3-8) in a pair of NLC games Friday night.

The Tigers and Panthers, who are coached by former Warsaw assistant Aaron Wolfe, are both 3-0 atop the NLC, the lone two teams still unbeaten in league play. Warsaw is 13-0 overall and ranked No. 7 in this week’s Class 4-A AP poll, while NorthWood is 12-1 overall and checks in at No. 3 in the Class 3-A poll. Both teams feature outstanding backcourts with Warsaw boasting Kyle Mangas and Paul Marandet and NorthWood, winners of nine straight games, counting on Braxton Linville and Vinny Miranda.

Southwood and Maconaquah lead the Three Rivers Conference standings at 4-0. Tippecanoe Valley sits in second place at 3-1. Whitko is 3-2 in league action.

Winamac leads the way in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference with a perfect 5-0 league mark. Triton sits at 2-2 in conference play.

Northern Lakes Conference
Warsaw 3-0, NorthWood 3-0, Plymouth 2-1, Goshen 2-1, Concord 1-2, Elkhart Memorial 1-2, Northridge 0-3, Wawasee 0-3.
Upcoming Games: Jan. 22: Warsaw at Concord, NorthWood at Goshen, Wawasee at Plymouth; Jan. 23: Memorial at Northridge; Jan. 29: Warsaw at NorthWood, Concord at Wawasee, Goshen at Memorial, Northridge at Plymouth.

Three Rivers Conference
Southwood 4-0, Maconaquah 4-0, Tippecanoe Valley 3-1, Manchester 2-1, Whitko 3-2, Northfield 2-2, Peru 2-3, Rochester 1-3, North Miami 0-4, Wabash 0-5.
Upcoming Games: Jan. 22: Rochester at Manchester, Tippecanoe Valley at Southwood, Wabash at North Miami, Whitko at Northfield; Jan. 26: Maconaquah at Manchester; Jan. 29: Manchester at Valley, Northfield at Rochester, Southwood at North Miami; Jan. 30: Maconaquah at Whitko.

Hoosier North Athletic Conference
Winamac 5-0, Culver 5-1, Caston 2-1, LaVille 3-2, Pioneer 1-1, Triton 2-2, West Central 1-4, Knox 0-4, North Judson 0-4.
Upcoming Games: Jan. 22: West Central at Pioneer; Jan. 23: North Judson at Knox; Jan. 29: Culver at LaVille, Pioneer at Caston, Winamac at West Central; Jan. 30: North Judson at Triton, North Miami at Caston.