NAPPANEE – Excitement is reaching a fever pitch at NorthWood again as the girls basketball team has made a historic run in the state tournament.

NorthWood’s Black Swish basketball team will play Salem Saturday evening for the Class 3-A State Championship, a 6 p.m. start at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse. In anticipation of a huge supporting crowd for the Panthers, NorthWood is selling presale tickets for the championship game.

Individual tickets for the game are $15 each, which are good for either the 1-A/2-A morning contests or the 3-A/4-A evening games. Those will go on sale Tuesday morning starting at 8 a.m. at the high school athletic office. Tickets will be on sale at NorthWood until Thursday at 4 p.m.

All unsold tickets at NorthWood will be returned to the IHSAA. Tickets can be purchased at the gates at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse

NorthWood is making its third appearance in the girls basketball state finals, previously playing in 1997 and 1999. NorthWood won the ’99 title. Salem is looking to win its first-ever girls basketball state championship.

The other three state title games at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse are Pioneer v. Loogootee in the 1-A game, Frankton v. Linton-Stockton in the 2-A game, and Northwestern v. Lawrence North in the 4-A game.