Following an eight-day layoff, the Norwalk girls basketball team opens Class 4A regional play tonight on their home court. The 9th-ranked Warriors, standing 17-4 overall, will host 13-9 Carlisle in a Region 8 semifinal at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3) starting with pregame coverage at 6:45.

While the Warriors enjoyed a first round regional bye, the Wildcats nearly let a 19-2 first-quarter lead slip away in their 55-53 quarterfinal win over ADM on Wednesday. Norwalk coach Joe Sigrist tells KNIA/KRLS that his team is excited for the start of regionals and champing at the bit to get back on the floor against an opponent.

“The girls are staying focused, they’re working really hard at whatever we set in front of them, but this eight-day layoff… does make you a little anxious just because you don’t see that other than the holiday break,” Sigrist said.

Speaking of which, when Norwalk and Carlisle met on January 15, the Warriors were playing their first game in three and a half weeks following Christmas break and two postponements. They outlasted the Wildcats in double overtime on the road, 63-54.

Tonight’s game matches two of the top guards in Class 4A – Norwalk junior Bailey Birmingham and Carlisle sophomore Macy Comito, who made 7-of-10 three-pointers and scored a school-record 39 points vs. ADM. Birmingham averages a state-leading 27.4 points per game, along with 5.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.8 steals. Comito averages 22.6 points, 7.1 boards, 5.0 assists and 3.9 steals. Both players have made 56 threes on the season.

Sigrist points out that Comito is already receiving NCAA Division I attention as a sophomore. “She’s a tough guard,” he said. “We’re going to have to throw a lot of different defenses at her, but that’s what we’ve been working on all week and our girls are up to the challenge.”

Sigrist expects that the Warriors will also see a mix of defenses from Carlisle as they look to slow down Birmingham.

Tonight’s winner advances to the Region 8 final on Tuesday night, facing 8th-ranked Lewis Central or Carroll.