Followers of Wawasee basketball know this about the 2023-24 Warriors: Their games are usually close.
Going into the IHSAA Class 3A Lakeland Sectional, Wawasee is 6-5 in games decided by five points or less.
Some others were tight until a finishing flourish.
Victories have come against teams with a combined record of 101-75, including 17-6 Fairfield Nov. 21, 8-15 Angola Nov. 25, 8-14 West Noble Dec. 2, 17-5 Warsaw Dec. 15, 10-11 Rochester Dec. 29, 13-9 Elkhart Christian Feb. 6, 16-7 Mishawaka Feb. 17 and 12-10 East Noble Feb. 23.
Wawasee is 5-4 in games away from the Hardwood Teepee and 3-2 vs. 3A competition.
But that was then.
“The past does not exist,” says first-year Warriors coach Lou Lefevre. “We’re going forward.”
The five-team sectional begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27 with Wawasee (8-14) playing Lakeland (16-6).
The semifinals are slated for Friday, March 1. Fairfield (17-6) takes on West Noble (8-14) at 6 p.m., followed by NorthWood (14-8) against the winner of Wawasee vs. Lakeland (the Northeast Corner Conference winner).
The championship is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.
The Lakeland Sectional winner meets the Calumet Sectional champion in regional championship play on Saturday, March 9.
The Warriors are 2-2 against the sectional field. Besides the win against Fairfield and West Noble, they lost 56-53 to NorthWood on Jan. 5 and 69-67 to Lakeland on Jan. 27.
Since 1969, Wawasee 41-55 overall and 25-26 in sectional play during the class era (which began in 1997-98). The most recent of the Warriors’ six sectional championships came in 2010.
Wawasee is the fourth Indiana school that Lefevre will lead into the tournament as a head coach. After coaching in Connecticut and Georgia, he guided the program at Providence for 10 seasons, Tipton for five and North Harrison for four. His teams won six sectionals (three at Providence, two at Tipton and one at North Harrison) and two regionals (both at Providence).

    Wawasee senior Collin Ziebarth scores over a Columbia City defender. Photo by Gary Nieter

Lefevre expects certain things on offense and defense.
“I believe teams should always push the ball up the court and try to get something easy quickly,” says Lefevre. “If not, you go into one of your offensive sets and get a good shot that’s within a player’s range whether it takes five seconds or 50 seconds.”
Wawasee averages 51.3 points per game, but has scored 60 or more six times. The Warriors allow 54.6 points per outing. Wawasee beat East Noble 61-50 in the regular-season finale.
“We have not had a strong defensive season,” says Lefevre. “That’s the biggest reason we have a losing record.
“Virtually every game (opposing) teams have shot over 50 percent. We haven’t done what a defense is supposed to do which is to be something like a bunch of energetic, buzzing bees that disrupts the flow of what the other team wants.”
Probable starters are seniors Collin Ziebarth and Weston DeLong, juniors Maddux Everingham and Myles Everingham and sophomore Nolan Holzwart.
Maddux Everingham went out with a facial injury against Northridge that caused him to miss the next two games and come back wearing a mask.
“Maddux is a prolific offensive player,” says Lefevre. “He’s a shooter and a pretty good scorer. When he’s not in there that’s one less weapon for people to worry about. He’s also been our leading rebounder.
“Having him back is certainly a bonus for us.”
Junior Kane Dukes started in the absence of Maddux.
Lefevre’s rotation also includes seniors Mason Shoemaker and Darius Lewis and juniors Weston Hoffert and Brayden Miller.
Through 21 games, Wawasee scoring leaders were Ziebarth (16.7 points per game), Maddux Everingham (14.6), Myles Everingham (6.8) and Holzwart (6.2).
Of the squad’s 135 3-pointers, 46 came from Maddux Everingham, 32 from Ziebarth, 23 from Myles Everingham and 19 from Hoffert.
Maddux Everingham (4.6) and Ziebarth (3.3) lead in rebounding. Myles Everingham was tops in assists and steals with 77 and 29.
*Wawasee does not have a team photo for the 2023-24 season*