The Lady Patriot basketball team wrapped up their perfect area slate during the regular season and is cruising into the playoffs. The reward for their performance is hosting the area tournament at Homewood High School.

The squad opens up their postseason journey against the Parker Lady Herd on Feb. 1.

The Lady Herd head into the contest with a 2-20 overall record and no wins against teams in Area 5.

While Parker might not seem threatening on paper, head coach Gavin King thinks that the girls need to come in with the same mentality they possess when playing more challenging opponents. In the past, The Lady Patriots beat Parker by a slim margin. 

“There’s not a lot of separation between them and the other two teams in our area,” King said. “We need to come ready to play.”

King also believes that home court advantage is beneficial for the girls since most of their dominant performances have been at home this season. According to King, the scoring average is higher and the win-loss record over the past four years is better at home.

“It’s just the mindset of it being our court and we are more comfortable here,” King said. “We play with a lot of confidence here.”

Senior basketball player Savannah McDonald is optimistic that the squad is ready to play in the area tournament and beyond.

“Our biggest thing is that we just need to come and execute the game plan to the best of our abilities,” McDonald said. “We also need to be consistent on the court.”

The winner of Parker-Homewood will play the winner of Jackson-Olin vs. Minor on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at Homewood High School.

“It doesn’t matter who we play,” King said. “Every team to this point is capable of beating us so we need to come out and play our best ball from here on out.”

The Lady Patriots take on the Lady Herd at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are sold on Gofan.