NorthWood senior guard Brad Delio has helped his team win its last four games. The Panthers return to NLC action Friday night at Wawasee (File photo by Scott Davidson)

The only sure thing in the race for boys basketball bragging rights in the Northern Lakes Conference this season may be that there are no sure things.

The chase for a conference crown in the NLC this time around is WIDE OPEN.

That is a big change from the past three years when Warsaw went on a historic run through the league. Coach Doug Ogle’s Tigers, led by stars Paul Marandet and Kyle Mangas, went 7-0 the past three seasons. The dominance was the first time that any team had ever been unbeaten in league play three straight years.

Warsaw, hit hard by graduation losses, is now doing the chasing. The Tigers opened conference play with a 28-20 home loss to county rival Wawasee back on Dec. 15. The Warriors in the process snapped a 42 game losing skid in the NLC dating back to the 2010-11 season.

Wawasee is one of four teams off to a 1-0 start in league play heading into a big Friday night of conference action. Also sitting at 1-0 are NorthWood, Elkhart Memorial and Northridge.

NorthWood, which tied Memorial for second place at 5-2 in the NLC a year ago, may be a slight favorite to win the league. The Class 3-A No. 17 Panthers are 7-2 overall thanks to four straight wins. NorthWood has used great balance and team play to offset the loss of Caleb Glick. The senior suffered a knee injury during a 56-25 home win over Jimtown on Dec. 12 and has missed the last three games, but is expected to return at some point.

NorthWood, which plays at Wawasee Friday night, edged Plymouth 52-51 to open conference play Dec. 15.

Southwood and Maconaquah, which shared the Three Rivers Conference title last season, lead their league at 2-0. Southwood is ranked No. 11 in Class 1-A.

LaVille and Knox sit atop the Hoosier North Athletic Conference at 2-0. The Lancers, who are ranked No. 8 in Class 2-A, are a perfect 11-0 under the direction of former Plymouth star Michael Edison.

Triton, which won the HNAC title at 8-0 last year, is 1-1 in league play.

Northern Lakes Conference

NorthWood 1-0, Elkhart Memorial 1-0, Northridge 1-0, Wawasee 1-0, Plymouth 0-1, Concord 0-1, Goshen 0-1, Warsaw 0-1.

Friday: Warsaw at Northridge, NorthWood at Wawasee, Goshen at Concord, Plymouth at Memorial

Three Rivers Conference

Southwood 2-0, Maconaquah 2-0, Rochester 1-0, Peru 3-1, Wabash 2-1, Whitko 1-1, Manchester 0-1, Northfield 0-2, Tippecanoe Valley 0-2, North Miami 0-3.

Friday: Maconaquah at Eastern, North Miami at Manchester, Oak Hill at Peru, Southwood at Wabash, Tippecanoe Valley at Northfield, Whitko at Rochester

Hoosier North Athletic Conference

LaVille 2-0, Knox 2-0, North Judson 1-0, Winamac 2-1, Triton 1-1, Caston 0-1, Pioneer 0-2, Culver 0-3.

Friday: Triton at Glenn, Culver at Caston, Frontier at Pioneer, North Judson at Kouts

Hoosier Plains Conference

South Bend Trinity 3-0, Granger Christian 3-1, Lakeland Christian Academy 0-0, South Bend Community Baptist 0-1. Howe Military 0-2, South Bend Career Academy 0-2.