AKRON – There are a lot of people talking about the possibility of another deep postseason run by the Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball team.

And rightfully so.

Valley coach Chris Kindig, though, knows that there are first things first to take care of when his No. 4-ranked team tips-off sectional play at home Tuesday night.

“Our goal is to win the sectional first,” said Kindig. “We’re focused on one game at a time on that right now.”

Valley, which finished a historic season as Class 3-A state runner-up in 2015, is a huge favorite in their own sectional field. The Vikings sit at 21-1, winners of 16 in a row since a 50-44 home loss to Westfield way back on Nov. 28 in the title game of their own Thanksgiving tourney.

“A lot of it has to do with us,” said Kindig of the key to sectional play. “Our girls know what’s coming. We just need to go out and execute. If we continue to play well on defense, like we have all season, and not turn the ball over we will be fine.”

Valley, whose sectional title last year was the program’s first since 2007, opens postseason play versus Wawasee Tuesday night. The Vikings beat the Warriors 72-38 at home last Tuesday night. Valley is 4-0 versus the sectional field with wins over Wawasee (72-38), NorthWood (43-28), West Noble (58-42) and Lakeland (74-17).

The Vikings feature a strong defensive unit built on versatility. Star junior Anne Secrest is the centerpiece of the offense as the Youngstown State recruit averages 17.5 points and eight rebounds per outing. Valley is allowing just 34 points-per-game.

“We have a lot of versatility and can win games in a lot of ways,” noted Kindig. “It’s pick your poison with us. We’ve had a lot of people step up big in games for us this year. Our defense has been our constant. That’s a credit to our girls. They have worked hard at it.”

The Vikings, who went undefeated to claim their second straight Three Rivers Conference crown, feature plenty of balance. Sophomore Addy Miller averages 8.4 ppg. and leads the team with 47 treys. Junior Meredith Brouyette checks in at 8.1 ppg. and has hit 43 triples. Senior Brynda Krueger averages 7.1 ppg. with junior Hannah Dunn at 7.0 and freshman Sophie Bussard at 5.5. Senior guard Karis Tucker continues to get strong as she has returned from an offseason knee injury. The Vikings feature three seniors in Krueger, Tucker and Morgan Brazo.

“We’ve talked all year about playing at our level,” said Kindig. “I have confidence in our bench and being at home for the sectional is a nice advantage to have.”

“Our continued improvement on defense this year has been a big key for us. But another one has been the chemistry of this team. These girls have been great in that area this year. Everyone understands their roles and have accepted them.”

Kindig guided the Vikings to the program’s first-ever regional and semistate titles a year ago before a 72-44 loss to Princeton, led by Notre Dame recruit Jackie Young, in the state title contest. Young has since gone on to set the state scoring record, boy or girl, and Princeton returns to the tournament undefeated. The Vikings lost two seniors in Caylie Teel and Taylor Trippiedi from that record-setting 25-3 team, but have not missed a beat this year.

Valley plays Wawasee (8-14) in the opener Tuesday at 6 p.m. Lakeland (2-20) then faces NorthWood (13-11). The semifinals on Friday will have West Noble (16-7) versus Valley or Wawasee at 6 p.m., followed by Fairfield (12-9) versus NorthWood or Lakeland. The championship game is set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The Valley Sectional winner will potentially face a loaded regional field at Columbia City on Feb. 13. The Valley winner will face the Garrett Sectional champion in a semifinal. The other semifinal pits the winner of the Norwell Sectional versus the winner of the Hamilton Heights Sectional. No. 5 Norwell is the favorite in their own sectional, while No. 2 Heritage Christian is the big favorite at Hamilton Heights. Heritage Christian was moved up to Class 3-A this year after winning six Class 2-A state titles, including championships each of the last two seasons.