The state quarterfinals are this weekend in high school basketball. Plenty of teams will head to the Salem Civic Center, with a berth in the final four on the line.
Two of those programs are not only close to each other geographically, but in the way they play as well.
E.C. Glass and Heritage high schools are separated by just four miles. And their battles on the court have been even closer.
"Been a kind of a rebirth of basketball for us in Lynchburg this year," Heritage coach Dan Stephens said.
The two teams have split their four meetings on the basketball court this year. Glass knocked Heritage out of the Seminole district tournament. But the Pioneers got their revenge in the Region III championship game.
"It feels great to play in those type of games. The crowd just makes you play even more intense," Heritage senior guard Malik Tyree said.
E.C. Glass senior forward Karl Overstreet agreed. "They've been the craziest games I've ever played. The atmosphere that Lynchburg brings to our games is great," Overstreet said.
A fifth and final meeting could come in the Group AA, Division 4 state championship game. Heritage and Glass are on opposite sides of the bracket and will both play in the state quarterfinals Saturday at the Salem Civic Center.
The Hilltoppers face Carroll County. Glass is led by Seminole Player of the Year Karl Overstreet patrolling the middle of the floor.
"He corrects a lot of mistakes on defense. If you get through the initial phase of our defense, assuming he's going to be where he's supposed to be, you still have to deal with him when you get to the rim," E.C. Glass coach Roy Roberson said.
The Pioneers made it to the final four last year, and will need to get past Salem to book a trip back to Richmond.
"From last year we've just been hungry and been wanting to get back to where we left off and make it even better. Try to make it all the way," Tyree said
Stephens said: "Salem probably will outnumber us there crowd-wise. But we've experienced that before too. We expect our kids just to be focused on that court and doing the things that we can control."
There are plenty of obstacles ahead, but both programs know what a wild atmosphere an all-Lynchburg state title game would produce.
"I would imagine they'd probably shut the city down," Roberson said.
