Twenty-five days following their last game, the Norwalk girls basketball team is finally set to emerge from Christmas break. The boys team, unfortunately, will have to wait a little longer.

The Class 4A 8th-ranked Norwalk girls will make the short trip to Carlisle tonight to take on the 12th-ranked Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. The game can be heard live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3), with pregame coverage starting at approximately 5:45. The Warrior boys were scheduled to host Oskaloosa in a make-up game tonight, but that contest has now been pushed back to Thursday.

Neither Norwalk basketball squad has played since December 21. Following a long holiday break, the Warriors had a Little Hawkeye Conference bye on Friday, January 5. Both of last week’s games were postponed due to winter storms.

The Norwalk girls bring a 9-2 record into the Carlisle game, taking on a Wildcat squad that has won eight straight games since an 0-3 start. Norwalk coach Joe Sigrist says that the Warriors had a very productive holiday break and committed to getting better both offensively and defensively.

Sigrist says that his team is anxious to get back on the court and compete against someone other than themselves. He is proud of the team’s nine-win first half and says the Warriors must now learn how to play with a target on their back. They started the season with a chip on their shoulder following last year’s 6-16 campaign, then quickly rose to 3rd in the 4A rankings during an impressive 7-0 start.

“Figuring out how to play as the favorite, or someone that’s supposed to win games now, has been a little bit different and a little bit challenging,” Sigrist said. “But I think our girls are really up to that challenge, and I love this group and think we’re going to have a solid second half.”

The Norwalk girls will also play Tuesday night, hosting their make-up game against Oskaloosa at 6:30 p.m.