NAPPANEE – The NorthWood boys basketball team lived up to its lofty ranking Saturday night.

But not without being put to the test by a game Tippecanoe Valley squad.

The host Panthers, the top-ranked team in Class 3-A, used a big third quarter to post a 60-50 win over the Vikings in the sectional finale at NorthWood.

The No. 1 Panthers, who improve to 23-2, advance to play No. 13 Angola (25-2) next Saturday at noon in a semifinal game of the Class 3-A Marion Regional, Angola defeated New Haven 48-45 in overtime Saturday night in the New Haven Sectional final. The 10 a.m. regional opener will pit host Marion (19-7) versus Columbia City (20-6). The regional final is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Senior star Braxton Linville poured in a game-high 25 points to pace the champions. Linville, the standout guard for the Panthers, will play next season at Grace College.

Senior standout Neil Clampitt scored 17 points to lead the way for Valley.

NorthWood outscored the Vikings by a 15-4 count in the pivotal third frame to take control. The Panthers led just 28-27 at halftime before upping their lead to 43-31 after the third period. NorthWood hit 5-10 shots in the key stanza, while the Vikings were just 2-8 from the field in the third period.

Linville scored the final 10 points of the third quarter, including a pair of treys, to put his team in control.

The Panthers, who claimed their third straight sectional championship and fourth in the last five years, led 18-14 after the opening period.

NorthWood was an outstanding 18-33 overall from the field, including 7-14 from distance. Linville went 7-10 from the field, including 4-6 from distance. The outstanding guard also hit 7-8 free throws and had nine rebounds.

The Panthers were also 17-20 from the free throw line, including making 11-12 in the fourth quarter.  Valley finished 7-13 from the line. NorthWood also had a huge 31-10 rebounding advantage.

Alec Craig had 12 points and Gavin Bussard netted 10 for the Vikings. Brandon Webster finished with seven points and Jarod Duzenbery four for Valley.

The Vikings were 17-37 from the field, including 9-14 on 3-point tries.

Valley, which saw its six-game winning streak snapped, finishes its season at 12-13.  Coach Bill Patrick’s team recovered strong after starting the year 1-5.

The Vikings will lose six seniors off its sectional roster in Clampitt, Bussard, Duzenbery, Brandon Webster, Trevor Neeley and DeSean Heckman .

Vinny Miranda had 14 points and Dakiyron Fox 11 for the Panthers.

NorthWood, coached by former Warsaw assistant Aaron Wolfe, has now won 10 in a row since a 51-35 loss to Class 4-A No. 5 Warsaw.

The Panthers have now won seven sectional championships in program history.