Senior Zach Riley will be a key performer for Warsaw in the Elkhart Sectional this week (File photos by Scott Davidson)

ELKHART – Who’s the team to beat in the Elkhart Sectional this week? There’s no doubt that a case could be made for most of the teams in the wide-open seven-team Class 4-A field. Warsaw is 5-1 versus the sectional field and the two-time defending champion. Northridge drew the bye and the Raiders are 4-2 versus sectional foes. Plymouth, which replaces Penn in the sectional this year, sports the top record in the field at 13-9. Elkhart Memorial owns wins over both Warsaw and Plymouth and is playing on its home court. Warsaw hopes to make its case starting Tuesday night in a bid for a third straight sectional championship at venerable North Side Gym. The Tigers meet Goshen in the sectional opener. Warsaw, which sits at 11-11, beat the RedHawks 53-35 back on Jan. 12. A win Tuesday earns the Tigers a spot versus Northridge in a semifinal game Friday evening. Warsaw won at Northridge 58-49 on Jan. 5 and the two teams shared the NLC title at 5-2. “Our draw is fine,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. “I like playing on Tuesday as opposed to Wednesday. If we do win then it gives us two days to prepare for a semifinal game on Friday and we know that we would play Northridge. I also like the fact that if we advance that we would have to make three trips to Elkhart in five days and not four.” Warsaw comes into sectional play after losing four of its final five games during the toughest part of its schedule. The Tigers dropped games to Elkhart Memorial, Merrillville, Carmel and Carroll, while beating rival Plymouth to earn a share of the NLC title. “The field is wide open this year, anyone can see that,” Ogle remarked. “Goshen has been kind of up and down this season. But they are capable of playing well. We know that.” Goshen ended its season on a high note. The RedHawks won their final three games and sit at 10-12. The RedHawks have proven capable this year with wins over Penn, NorthWood and Fairfield. Senior Will Line is the top scorer on the year for Goshen, but Bryant Robinson has been the man lately. The junior scored 78 points in the final three games of the regular season and has been on a tear from beyond the 3-point line.

Junior Nolan Groninger is the top scorer for the Tigers.

Warsaw recovered from a tough start to forge a solid year with a very inexperienced team. The Tigers were 3-7 after five straight losses before winning seven in a row. Nolan Groninger has been the key man for the Tigers. The junior point guard leads his team in scoring at 12 points-per-game and also paces Warsaw in assists, steals and free throw shooting. Groninger has scored in double figures 15 times this season and lead the Tigers in scoring in 12 games. Warsaw has gotten strong play the second half of the season for Zach Riley. The senior, one of six for Ogle, averages seven points and four rebounds per game. Riley, who had a huge game in the win over Plymouth, netted double figures in nine of the last 14 games. Sophomore Brian Elliott and junior Tyler Metzinger have also had strong efforts. Both average right around seven points-per-game and Elliott paces his team in treys. “We just need to go in with a fearless mindset,” said Ogle of the postseason. “We need to be aggressive. We just need to have a level of consistency in our play.” The level of play at the sectional could also show some signs of rust. The two Elkhart schools, along with Goshen, Plymouth and Concord, missed practice time last week due to the historic flooding in the area. Although, Memorial, Goshen and Concord, as well as Warsaw and Northridge, all played games Friday night. Some of the top players to watch in the sectional field include Trey Gallope and Hank Smith of Memorial, Clay Hilliard of Plymouth, Connor Utley, Nick Yoder and Jackson Erekson of Northridge, Grant Magnuson and Michael Johnson of Concord and Deveon Jackson and Cole Alberson of host Central. The status of Smith, who hit a program record nine treys in a win over Warsaw at North Side Gym earlier this month, will be a big key for Memorial. The junior guard missed four games late in the season due to an Achilles injury, but had 18 points Friday night in a loss to East Noble. Smith’s status for the sectional though was still up in the air, depending on his recovery from Friday night. The sectional continues Wednesday with Memorial facing Plymouth and Central taking on Concord. The semifinals are Friday with the title game Saturday at 7 p.m. The Elkhart Sectional winner advances to the Michigan City Regional March 10 to face the Chesterton Sectional champion in a semifinal game. The other semifinal will pit the Mishawaka Sectional winner versus the Lake Central Sectional champion.   Class 4-A At Elkhart (North Side Gym) Game 1: Feb. 27: 7 p.m.: Warsaw (11-11) vs. Goshen (10-12) Game 2: Feb. 28: 6 p.m.: Elkhart Memorial (10-12)  vs. Plymouth (13-9) Game 3: Feb. 28: 7:30 p.m.: Elkhart Central (9-12) vs. Concord (7-14) Game 4: March 2: 6 p.m.: Northridge (12-10) vs. Game 1 winner Game 5: March 2: 7:30 p.m.: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner Game 6: March 3: 7 p.m.: Championship Game