The Demopolis girls will take the court for only the second time this season tonight when they travel to play Francis Marion. The girls prevailed over Greene County, 36-29, in their opener last Wednesday during the John Essex Pre-Thanksgiving Classic.

Since that win, head coach Tony Pittman said his squad has focused largely on conditioning and concentration.

“Over the past several years, we’ve been an up-and-down-the-floor type team,” Pittman said of a reputation he hopes his team will be able to regain this season.

Pittman said a big part of his team’s ability to developing into a running unit will be the growth of some of its younger players.

“We’re really working mentally moreso than physically to try to bring these young people along,” Pittman said.

Tonight, the girls will encounter a Francis Marion team that Pittman expects to prove a formidable foe.

“Last year I know they played a lot of man (defense) and tried to press. They always play us hard,” Pittman said. “We’re going over expecting a very tough ball game, which is what we need right now. Play in a tough environment is just going to make our team better.”

The girls will turn around and play a second game this week when they travel to regional foe Selma on Friday night.

“We’re bery familiar with Selma,” Pittman said. “We’ve faced them a lot over the past few years. We’re looking at Francis Marion to build some momentum for Selma on Friday.”

The girls will be joined at Francis Marion by their male counterparts, who will tip off immediately following.

The boys’ team opened its season on the road over the weekend at the R.C. Hatch tournament.

The Tigers split their games in tilt, dropping Central-Hayneville 62-59 and losing to R.C. Hatch 68-57.

Johnathan Marshall led DHS with 16 points in the Central game while Brian Taylor added 15. Marshall also led the Tigers with 15 points against R.C. Hatch. Taylor contributed 14 in the contest.

The boys will hit the road with the girls Friday to visit Selma. Both teams will travel to Carver on Friday, Dec. 12 before returning home to host Pickens County on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Friday’s action against the Saints is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m.