As February draws closer, many high schools are preparing for basketball championships, and the varsity boys are among the many gearing up.



With a record of 25-2, the Senators are on top of many people’s “favorite” list to win the Region 8 Tournament. That is not surprising since the team is currently ranked number three in the state.

The team is quite familiar with the playoff atmosphere, winning the region last year. Yet, there are still teams, like Decatur and Austin, looking to cancel the team’s plans of a trip to Birmingham. The two Decatur teams are the only teams that handed the Senators a loss.

“Austin’s hosting the tournament and they’re tough and play really hard at home,” boys’ varsity assistant coach Trey Jennings said.

Being highly ranked, living up to the hype, making dreams come true and playing in a really big game can put a lot of pressure on players. But the pressure does naot seem to phase the team.

“ I don’t believe in pressure, I have a lot of confidence in my game,” senior guard Jay-R Strowbridge said.

Senior center Kenneth Onyebinachi said that pressure is not a factor for him, either.

For those who are unfamiliar with tournament play, teams can lose one game and win one and still get to advance to the sub-regional playoffs, where they cannot lose any. Finally, the remaining four teams travel to Birmingham to crown a new champion. Some teams find it harder to beat teams in the tournament than in the regular season.

“ I find it harder because every game is like the last, so they come to play. Nobody wants to go home,” Onyebinachi said.

Others, like Strowbridge, think it is the same.

“People may scout you more and bring their A game, but it’s not really harder to beat them,” Strowbridge said.

The team has high hopes as far as the tournament goes. It will take a lot of dedication, teamwork, sense of urgency, hard work and a little luck to get to State. But the team is up for it.

“ In order to win the region, we must be consistent on both ends of the floor, offense and defense. I hope that the holiday tournament wins have prepared us for tournament play, and we’re tested because we have a tough schedule,” head coach Luther Tiggs said.



The varsity girls’ basketball team is also preparing to enter the Region 8 Tournament.

The lady Senators are currently ranked number seven in class 6A and are among the top contenders for winning the regional title. Head coach, June Seals, has worked hard to get back to the tournament and is aware that rankings do not matter.

“ Teams around here are good, but even the weakest teams can beat you, so play your hardest. The top ten means absolutely nothing,” Seals said.

Seals added that the team is better than it was in the first few games and taking it one game at a time.