The boys and girls basketball teams have put in the work this season, and now it is time to showcase their abilities.

The teams will face off against Perry Meridian tonight. The girls team will play at 6 p.m. in the main gym, and the boys will follow at 7:30 p.m.

“Perry is an important game for us because if we win it would be a great way to start the postseason. I think the game will be a hard-fought match-up that ends in a Woodmen victory. We are doing many different things to prepare for the game. In practice, we work on communication on and off the court, and we are pushing each other each and every day,” freshman Madison Bethel, point guard, said. 

The boys’ team is also preparing for the match-up. 

“This game is important to us because it is a conference game. It does not matter the team, these are the biggest games of the season. I say we will come out on top at the end of the game, but Perry has a very talented team and we are expecting to put up a fight. We are preparing the same way we prepare for every game. We get in the right mindset in the locker room and before we take the floor, we say a prayer asking for guidance and protection during the game. Then, we take the floor,” senior AJ Sheets, center, said. 

To prepare for a game, teams watch film to know what to expect. 

“Perry is similar to how they have been in previous years with a slightly deteriorating record. Their strongest player is their point guard. She holds the team together very well and is a great leader,” sophomore Lola Trent, center, said. 

On the other hand, the Perry boys basketball team is improving. 

“We’ve prepared for the game by practicing hard every day and by knowing what Perry might try to do against us so we are ready for it. Perry is having a much better season than they had last year and have a lot of returning players.  They like to play fast and play hard,” junior Acen Swain, point guard, said.

As the season is coming to an end, players are looking at the long-term goals. Sectionals are an important milestone in the season. 

“Every game from now on is going to show us things that we need to work on for Sectionals. This is where the schedule gets interesting due to injuries and all the things teams go through in the final month of their season, but luckily, we have not had any injuries yet,” junior Parker Doolin, forward, said.

Bethel has confidence going into this competitive conference game. 

“Perry is not the best we have faced, but we can not underestimate them. We are getting better every day. This win will help prepare us for Sectionals because it will prepare us for battling against teams on our way to a Sectional championship,” Bethel said.

In the end, high school sports is all about rivalries, and that is the leading drive to win games. 

“We beat them the last few years, so I think as a team we want to keep that streak going. Since their school is so close to us, they are definitely a rival of ours since we all know each other. I think we will win because they are better than they were last year, but so are we,” Doolin said.