After a difficult season on the court and off, the Bishop Luers girls basketball team is favored to win the Class 2A Woodlan Sectional. The Knights have won the title two years in a row and have played the toughest schedule in the field. They also have to play their toughest opponent in their first game when they take on Woodlan in Thursday's semifinals.

“I've never gone through a year like this at any level, but the kids have done a great job of maintaining a positive attitude,” Knights coach Denny Renier said. “Hopefully now that all will pay off. I've told them all year long how proud I am. They have hung together and stayed together. It seems like every time we turn around there's something going wrong, but now I believe they believe that we can do pretty well. We'll just see what happens.”

There have been several severe injuries, and senior Shelby Gruss was partially paralyzed in a snowboarding accident. The Knights, 13-7, ended a three-game losing streak Friday by beating Wayne. The three losses were to Norwell, Snider and Elmhurst, who have a combined 11 losses this season. Bishop Luers has not played anyone else in the sectional, and the Knights' only game all year against a Class 2A team was a 51-49 win at Heritage Christian.

“I feel good about our kids going into the tournament,” Renier said. “We're just not really equipped to handle teams like Elmhurst as far as their pressure. That's not who we are. I do feel good about the sectional, and beyond that who knows? We beat some good teams this year, and we've been in a lot of good games. We've been through a lot of battles, and that sets us up well for this kind of thing.”

Brierra Young leads Bishop Luers with 14 points per game, Miracle Woods averages 10 and Brooke Rildley eight.

Woodlan, 10-10, may be the Knights' toughest competition, as the Warriors are 4-0 against the other three teams in the sectional - Adams Central, Bluffton and South Adams. Adams Central, 9-10, and Bluffton, 3-16, open the tournament today, with the winner playing South Adams, 2-17, in the other semifinal.

“There are lots of ways to look at it,” Woodlan coach Tonya Burns-Cohrs said of the match-up against Bishop Luers. “We were planning that eventually we were going to have to play them. It's a new season and everyone expects them to win. They are a very good team, but I'm always for the underdog.”

The Warriors are led by senior Taylor Carver, who averages 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. Ashley Wiedemann averages 11 points and Lauren Ehle 7 points per game. Over the last couple of games, the Warriors have found more offensive balance, and they will get to play at home.

The Warriors are trying to win their first sectional title since 1990.

The winner of the Woodlan Sectional advances to the Cass Regional with representatives from Fountain Central, North Miami and Oak Hill. Last year, Bishop Luers lost to Oak Hill 56-47 in the regional championship game.