The road to the state tournament is officially set for the Norwalk girls basketball team. Ranked third in the final Class 4A state rankings, the Warriors will host Lewis Central in a 4A Region 3 semifinal on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Norwalk enjoyed a first-round bye on Wednesday night, while the Titans advanced with a 50-35 victory over Perry. On the opposite half of the Region 3 bracket, 14th-ranked Independence will host Waterloo East in Saturday’s semifinal round.

Norwalk enters regional play with a 19-2 overall record, having won four straight games and 12 of their last 13. The Warriors defeated Lewis Central 66-30 in a regular-season matchup on December 16 in Council Bluffs. The Titans, now 9-13 overall, have won three of their last four games and are led by Macie Vetter’s 14.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest.

Independence is 15-7 overall and Waterloo East improved to 13-10 with Wednesday’s 70-52 win over Western Dubuque. The Region 3 championship game is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, and will be played at the host site of the highest-ranked team remaining. Norwalk is seeking a second consecutive state tournament appearance after reaching last year’s 4A semifinals.