The road to the state tournament begins tonight for the Norwalk boys basketball team.

The sixth-ranked Warriors will host Sioux City West in a Class 4A, Substate 1 semifinal tipping off at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3), starting with pregame coverage at 6:45.

Norwalk, which enjoyed a first round bye on Tuesday, enters postseason play with an 18-3 overall record and a 14-game winning streak. The visiting Wolverines, meanwhile, improved to 12-11 Tuesday night with a 69-46 win over Sioux City North.

West has now won seven of its last eight games and is a dangerous three-point shooting team at 39 percent from behind the arc. Jay Grause and Lamarion Mothershead have both made 42 threes on the season and Gavin Koons is shooting 48 percent from long range at 33-of-69. Norwalk coach Aaron Pelzer tells KNIA-KRLS Sports that the Warriors must recognize and close out on the Wolverines’ top shooters, being especially careful in transition.

“Defensively, we just need to make sure that we’re matching with shooters, we’re closing out, making them feel the pressure as we close out,” Pelzer said. “(Three-point shooting is) something that they rely quite a bit on.”

Sioux City West senior Keavian Hayes made 10-of-12 shots and scored 24 points in the substate quarterfinal win over North, while Mothershead added 18. Together, they average 32.2 of the Wolverines’ 61.4 points per game.

Norwalk, meanwhile, scores 60.6 points per contest, led by junior guard Redek Born’s 17.8 scoring average. Senior forward Braeden Carlson averages 15 points and 7.9 rebounds and Aidan Harder scores 10 points a night. The Warriors shoot 36.3 percent from three-point range, led by Jack Brown’s 42 makes and Born and Harder with 31 each.

Norwalk hasn’t played since last Friday’s 46-34 win at Dowling Catholic, but Pelzer says he isn’t worried about rust as the Warriors stayed in a routine by playing a scrimmage on Monday.

Tonight’s other Substate 1 semifinal will be ninth-ranked Sioux City East (20-2) hosting Johnston (11-11). The winners will meet Tuesday night at a site to be determined.