After a Friday night of blowouts, overtimes and close finishes highlighted boys basketball sectional championship night.

No game was better than the one at North Side Gym in Elkhart, as Northridge and Warsaw held their version of Ali-Frazier in the 4A Elkhart Sectional Final.  The two Northern Lakes Conference titans traded haymakers throughout four quarters and overtime before Warsaw prevailed, 78-74, to win their second straight sectional crown.

Watch a Replay of the Instant Classic between Warsaw and Northridge Here.

Northridge big man Brady Scholl dominated the paint, scoring 24 points with 12 rebounds but fouled out late in the fourth quarter.  Still, Northridge led 65-62, when Warsaw’s Robbie Finlinson buried his 6th triple of the night with 22 seconds left to tie the game.

Undaunted, Northridge put the ball in the hands of Mason Bales. The Bethel commit calmly went to the top of the key and drained a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left, putting the Raiders up 68-65 and sending their fans into a frenzy.

Warsaw inbounded the ball to halfcourt and called a timeout with 1.8 seconds left. Then the Tigers inbounded from the sideline and found Parker Justice in the corner. The senior curled to his right and sank a three as the horn sounded to knot the game at 68 and force overtime.

“I was just thinking about making it the whole time,” said Justice afterwards. “I knew that in the gym I had made countless reps like that and practiced on that shot, so I had full confidence and belief in that.”

Warsaw’s defense stepped up with two big steals in the overtime to build the lead. Sophomore Sam Lara and Finlinson combined to go 4-4 at the foul line down the stretch to secure the win.

Finlinson, who finished with a team-high 20 called winning consecutive sectionals “unreal”. “People can say we’re down a player, we’re hurt…it doesn’t change a thing. We’re a better team than last year. We can play with guards. Nothing changes.”

Warsaw will meet Riley in the regional, after the Wildcats mauled Laporte, 55-39, in the Michigan City Sectional. Marvin Schindler led a balanced attack for Riley.

In 3A, #2 Saint Joseph barely survived with a 47-45 triumph over Culver Academies. Sophomore Elijah King sank the go-ahead free throws, while A.J. Boone came up with a key steal to preserve the win. It’s the first time the Huskies have repeated as sectional champions in a decade.

They will meet Columbia City in the regional, after the Eagles’ Stratton Fuller hit the game-winner at the overtime buzzer to beat Tippecanoe Valley, 45-43. Columbia City’s Owen Marshall sank a 25-footer at the regulation buzzer to force the extra session.

Here are all of Saturday’s championship scores.