LAKEVILLE - GAMEDAY takes us to Dale E. Cox Gymnasium for the semifinal round of the 51st Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 2A Sectional #34. As February 6 rolls around two bye teams - LaVille and Bremen - are set to square off against Winamac and Knox, as all four teams look to punch their ticket to the sectional championship February 7. The 6pm opener has LaVille meeting Winamac, while Bremen tangles with Knox immediately following. Semifinal #1 - 6pm The Warriors lead the series 8-2 overall, dating back to their first meeting in 1998 in the state tournament.  WHS won that state tournament game, 66-40. Kandace Kroft and Sadie Popejoy helped the Warriors to 11 total 3-pointers made en route to a 77-25 quarterfinal win over Career Academy South Bend Tuesday. We asked LaVille coach Nicholas Amor about the draw and their potential Friday opponent. "I think it was the best possible draw that we could get by getting the bye and getting Bremen on the other side of the bracket," Admitted Amor prior to the state tournament. "Now we have got to prepare for a tough team, most likely Winamac. They are strong, good post play, rebound well, and have active defenders. "They also have a girl that averages 18 ppg. We've got to do a little scouting, and figure out what we need to do there." Amor's crew is 5-3 since Christmas and he feels his team is playing good basketball. "You always want to be playing your best basketball come postseason and I figure we are, especially defensively," said Amor, now in his fourth season in Lakeville. "The ladies have finally committed to the defensive tenacity, the kind of defensive tenacity that is required to beat good teams. I feel like we are catching our stride." LHS is led by senior Faith Mejer at 15.4 points per game. classmate Ava Weil 8.5 points per outing, and Denni Markin 6.6 ppg.  Markin, Mejer, and Weil are able to get to the board, while Amor also likes the play of Weil from the point, Madi Singleton from the wing, and Markin in different areas. "I feel like Ava is doing a good job of coming along as being that consistent scorer that we need to aid Faith's 14-15 points a game," explained the Lancer Coach. "I was pleasantly surprised how Madi (SIngleton) played all during Bi-County. I feel like she is going to fill a good strong role. Denni continues to get consistent, we should be a tough team in sectional." As LaVille competes for a chance to advance to the sectional championship, he knows this sectional has good size and that is a challenge. "This is a good-sized sectional," Amor said referring to teams have good height. "The Feathers' girls rebound really well from Bremen. You've got Winamac and they've a lot of 5-9, 5-10, these top teams that are in our sectional, they rebound well. You've got to keep them off the glass and you've got to commit to it. It is going to be a key to us being successful in keeping teams off the glass and sticking teams at the 3-point line and finishing when we have opportunities." Kroft tops the Warriors offense at nearly 20 points per outing, Popejoy adds 13.1 ppg, and Marissa Iverson chips in with 11.3. Coach Tony Stesiak's team averages 53.2 points a game and are 11-1 when scoring at least 53 points or more. Amor's crew averages 38.8 points on offense and are 7-2 when scoring at least 39 points or more. Semifinal #2 - 730pm The 2A #7 ranked Lions and the Redskins of Knox High School are no strangers to one another. In recent history, the two clubs played in the Northern State Conference. Bremen moved to the Northern Indiana Conference for about 10 years, before rejoining the newly formed Indiana Northern State Conference just last year. Coach Alex Robinson's crew defeated Knox, 71-31, on January 10, and are searching for their third straight sectional title.We had a chance to ask Coach Robinson about Sectional #34. "A lot of familiarity between teams in the sectional with four conference opponents," explained the 10th year Bremen coach. "We need to stay focused on taking it one game at a time.  With the bye, it is really important to have a good week of practice.  We don't want to come in rusty after having over a week off since our last game.  A quick turnaround from Friday to Saturday can be a challenge, so we want to be prepared for all possible outcomes." The Lions have enjoyed great success during Robinson's tenure - having 7 of 9 winnings seasons so far, 2 IHSAA Sectional titles, 1 IHSA Regional title, and just one step away from the state championship game in 2024. "We are blessed with a very special group," said Robinson, who has watched the senior class go 68-32 so far.  "Our senior class has a chance to be the winningest class in Bremen Girls Basketball history.  Our team has a lot of experience and has seen every situation on the court together.  We have great chemistry, and our girls play very unselfishly and don't care who gets the credit on any given night." Knox is led by Riley Taylor at 13.5 ppg, Jayla Patrick 7.1, and Serenity Nava 6.1 points per outing. When asked about the first semifinal contest with the Lancers and Warriors, Robinson said, "We are expecting a great matchup between LaVille and Winamac.  Winamac has some prolific scorers (especially shooting from deep) and they can put up points in bunches. We are obviously very familiar with LaVille - very tough, rock solid defense, a high level scoring threat and role players who can step up and make timely plays." Let's Play ... GAMEDAY LaVille Sectional Semifinal #1 Teams: Winamac (18-6) at LaVille (9-12) Site: Dale E. Cox Gymnasium Tip: 6 pm ET Coaches: Nicholas Amor, 55-39 in 4th year at LaVille. Tony Stesiak, 50-46 in 4th year at Winamac, 308-180 in 21st year overall. Sagarin Ratings: Winamac, 61.77, 171st overall, 38th in 2A. LaVille, 55.19,215th overall, 52nd in 2A. Last Outing: LaVille defeated Washington Twp., 45-32. Winamac defeated Career Academy, 77-25. Series: Winamac leads LaVille, 7-2 Last Meeting: Winamac def LaVille, 46-30, Dec. 8, 2023. All-Time Tournament series: Winamac leads LaVille, 1-0 Strength Of Schedule: Winamac 309th | LaVille 227th Offense: Winamac 53.2 | LaVille 38.8 Defense: Winamac 37.7 | 42.7 Semifinal #2 Teams: Bremen (20-2) vs. Knox (8-15) Tip: 7:30 pm CT Coaches: Alex Robinson, 162-88 in 10th year at Bremen. Rob Krueger, 8-15 in 1st year at Knox. Sagarin Ratings: Bremen, 76.86, 69th overall, 8th in 2A. Knox, 43.33, 285th overall, 68th in 2A. Last Outing: Bremen lost to Elkhart Christian, 46-43. Knox defeated Jimtown,38-27. Series: Bremen leads Knox, 11-8. Last Meeting: Bremen def Knox, 71-31, Jan. 10, 2026. All-Time Tournament Series: Bremen, 1-0. Strength Of Schedule: Bremen 236th | Knox 231st Offense: Bremen 55.2 | Knox 34.9 Defense: Bremen 29.5 | Knox 46.8 CHANCES TO WIN SECTIONAL, per John Harrell Before Feb 3 Gms - Before Feb 6 Gms Bremen 86.38% - 87.62% Winamac 10.04% - 8.37% LaVille 3.16% - 3.52% Knox .23% - 0.50%