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Basketball season may be winding down around the state of Alabama, but it’s heating up in Chambers County as the Lanett boys and girls along with the LaFayette boys will travel to Jacksonville State on Friday to play for a spot in the quarterfinals.

The Lanett boys will have the challenge of facing Sand Rock, who put up 101 points in the subregional round against North Sand Mountain.

Lanett head coach Tay McCants is preparing his team for a tough offensive matchup.

“We brought in some of the guys from our past state championship to put some work in,” McCants said.

“They’re doing a good job of mimicking the team we’re going to play. Sand Rock likes to shoot a lot of threes, but they don’t really play any defense. They haven’t seen the type of pressure we’re about to bring. We have to stay hungry. We don’t want to just win this game and make it back to Jacksonville. We want to win a state championship. This is one of my favorite teams because I’m watching them blossom right now.”

McCants wants to prepare his younger players for the challenge.

“They have to follow the kids in front of them,” McCants said.

“Elijah Whitfield and Jarrious Goodman have been here before. I tell my guys to get a taste of the blood so they can have it for next year. We have to keep fighting. We played 6A and 7A schools. If we can compete with them, we can handle 2A ball.”

The Lanett girls will face Pisgah, who beat Sand Rock by 26 in the subregional round.

Pisgah’s high flying offense will have to face Lanett’s stifling defense, and it will all come down to who wins that matchup for a chance to play in the quarterfinals.

The Lanett girls have won 17 straight, and the Lady Eagles will look to get past the Lady Panthers’ full court press.

The LaFayette boys will also play Pisgah, who beat Fyffe by five in the subregional round.

The Bulldogs will be hungry for a win after falling to Lanett in the area championship, and a win over Pisgah could pit LaFayette against Lanett for the fourth and final time this season.

LaFayette and Pisgah both like to play slow and aggressive on defense, and the game will come down to whoever makes the fewest mistakes on a big stage.

All three of these teams have winning traditions, but they’ll each have difficult roads ahead to get to Birmingham.