The Warsaw boys basketball team, despite the distance, hopes to be making three long bus rides to the City with a Heart next week.

The two-time defending sectional champion Tigers will look to make it a three-peat in the Class 4-A Elkhart Sectional slated for venerable North Side Gym.

Warsaw, as does the 402 other teams statewide, now knows its path to postseason glory.

The IHSAA conducted pairings Sunday evening for the 108th annual edition of Hoosier Hysteria, which is set to tip with sectional play in four classes the week of Feb. 26.

Warsaw will face familiar foe Goshen in the opening game of the Elkhart Sectional on Feb. 27. The Tigers, who are 5-1 versus the sectional field, beat the RedHawks 53-35 in a Northern Lakes Conference game in the Tiger Den back on Jan. 12.

Coach Doug Ogle’s Tigers sit at 11-10, one of three teams in the wide open seven-team field at Elkhart with a winning record. Warsaw, which shared the NLC title with Northridge at 5-2, beat Goshen, Elkhart Central, Concord, Plymouth and Northridge and lost to Elkhart Memorial during the regular season.

The Tigers, who have won eight of their last 11 games, would play Northridge in a semifinal game with a win over Goshen. The Raiders, who are 11-9 and 4-2 versus the sectional field, drew the bye. Warsaw defeated Northridge 58-49 on Jan. 5 at Northridge.

NorthWood will get a shot at defending champion and No. 19 Fairfield in a first-round game of the Class 3-A NorthWood Sectional Feb. 27. The Falcons, who upset a 21-2 NorthWood team last year in the sectional semifinals to snap the Panthers sectional title run at three in a row, won 45-42 in Nappanee back on Dec. 9.

The host Panthers sit at 15-5 thanks to a current seven-game winning streak. The Falcons, who like NorthWood are 4-1 versus the sectional field, are 16-4.

Wawasee opens sectional play at NorthWood versus Lakeland in the opener Feb. 27. Lakeland topped the Warriors 54-30 in Syracuse on Jan. 27. Wawasee sits at 5-16, while the Lakers are 13-9. The Warriors are 2-12 since starting the season 3-4, including a win at Warsaw.

Tippecanoe Valley drew a bye as NorthWood and will face the winner of the NorthWood-Fairfield contest in a semifinal matchup. The Vikings have won three of their last four games to improve to 5-15 under first-year coach Chad Patrick. Valley lost at home to NorthWood 53-37 on Feb. 13 and has not faced Fairfield this season.

Culver will host the Class 1-A sectional originally slated for Triton. The sectional, along with the regional, had to be moved to Culver due to the Triton floor being damaged by a water leak.

The Trojans will meet South Central in the opener at Culver on Feb. 27. Triton sits at 6-13 after dropping seven its last eight contests. The Trojans have not faced South Central.

Oregon-Davis is the defending champion at Culver and one of three teams with a winning record. The Bobcats are 5-1 versus the sectional field and meet the winner of the Triton-South Central game in a semifinal. No. 12 Elkhart Christian Academy, sporting a 14-6 mark, is a team to watch at Culver. The Eagles face Argos in a first-round contest.

Lakeland Christian Academy will face Fort Wayne Smith Academy in a first-round game of the Class 1-A Hamilton Sectional. The Cougars, who are 2-2 versus the sectional field, have won three in a row to improve to 10-11. Smith Academy is 8-13 on the season and lost to LCA, 54-48, Feb. 3.

No. 2 Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian is the prohibitive favorite at Hamilton with a 19-2 record, the lone team in the sectional with a winning record.

Sectional championship game are slated for Saturday, March 3. Four-team regionals are March 10 with semistates March 17 and the four state championship games March 24 in Indianapolis.

The Elkhart Sectional champion advances to the Michigan City Regional to play the Chesterton Sectional winner. The other semifinal will pit the Mishawaka Sectional winner versus the Lake Central Sectional winner.

The NorthWood Sectional winner moves on to the Marion Regional to play the winner of the Norwell Sectional. The other game will have the New Castle Sectional winner versus the New Haven Sectional champion.

The Class 1-A Culver Regional will have the Culver Sectional winner versus the Kouts Sectional winner and the Tri-County Sectional champion versus the Hamilton Sectional winner.

The North Semistate hosts will be Lafayette Jefferson and Huntington North. The semistate assignments will be made by the IHSAA on Sunday, March. 11.

Sectional Pairings

Class 4-A
At Elkhart (North Side Gym)
Game 1: Feb. 27: 7 p.m.: Warsaw (11-10) vs. Goshen (8-12)
Game 2: Feb. 28: 6 p.m.: Elkhart Memorial (10-11)  vs. Plymouth (12-9)
Game 3: Feb. 28: 7:30 p.m.: Elkhart Central (8-12) vs. Concord (7-12)
Game 4: March 2: 6 p.m.: Northridge (11-9) 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

Class 3-A
At NorthWood
Game 1: Feb. 27: 6 p.m.: Lakeland (13-9) vs. Wawasee (5-16)
Game 2: Feb. 27: 7:30 p.m.: NorthWood (15-5) vs. Fairfield (16-4)
Game 3: March 2: 6 p.m.: West Noble (10-10) vs. Game 1 winner
Game 4: March 2: 7:30 p.m.:: Tippecanoe Valley (5-15) vs. Game 2 winner
Game 5: March 3: 7 p.m.: Championship Game

Class 1-A
At Culver
Game 1: Feb. 27: 6:30 p.m.: South Central (5-15) vs. Triton (6-13)
Game 2: Feb. 28: 6:30 p.m.: Culver (3-17) vs. South Bend Career Academy (4-16)
Game 3: Feb. 28: 8 p.m.: Elkhart Christian Academy (14-6) vs. Argos (14-6)
Game 4: March 2: 6:30 p.m.: Oregon-Davis (10-9) vs. Game 1 winner
Game 5: March 2: 8 p.m.: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 6: Marchs 3: 7 p.m.: Championship Game

At Hamllton
Game 1: Feb. 27: 7 p.m.: Fremont (4-15) vs. Lakewood Park Christian (6-14)
Game 2: Feb 28: 6 p.m.: Bethany Christian (3-17) vs. Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (19-2)
Game 3: Feb. 28: 7:30 p.m.: Lakeland Christian Academy (10-11) vs. Fort Wayne Smith Academy (8-13)
Game 4: March 2: 6 p.m.: Hamilton (2-19) 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