Last week, three top-10 teams battled for the District 1-6A girls basketball title.
Now, the Region 1-6A tournament begins tonight, and four out of the eight teams playing in 7 p.m. quarterfinals are ranked among the state's top 10.
No. 2 Pine Forest (23-2) -- the District 1-6A champion -- hosts Fort Walton Beach, while No. 6 Pensacola High (21-4) will go on the road to play No. 3 Choctawhatchee (28-0). No. 9 St. Augustine (23-4) hosts Tallahassee Leon (14-8).
And the unranked teams pose just as much of a threat as the ones that are, Eagles coach Chris Godwin said.
"Choctaw and PHS, that's going to be a good game," said Godwin, whose Eagles are making their sixth consecutive appearance in the state playoffs. "And our game against Fort Walton Beach should be good, too. I mean, when you get to the postseason, it's on. Everyone wants to go out with a win."
Pine Forest is led by seniors Jayla King, a University of South Florida signee, and Tia Sanders -- both of whom are four-year starters.
King is averaging 15 points and 8.3 rebounds a game, while Sanders averages 11 points a game. The pair have helped buoy the Eagles to their No. 2 ranking and have helped keep them unbeaten against Pensacola-area opponents -- including PHS, who the Eagles have played three times this year.
"The girls are feeling really good," Godwin said. "Winning a district championship, that's what you look forward to, and they're still talking about it today. They're just ecstatic. But they see the big picture, and they're ready to play. We just have to stay focused on what's at hand."
So will the Tigers, who have been to the state Final Four the past five seasons. This season, though, has been somewhat rocky for PHS, with three losses to Pine Forest.
They'll look to senior forward Chelsey Gibson, a returning Class 6A all-state selection, for leadership while working to contain Indians guard Brittany Brown, who averages 17 points a game and has signed with Florida State.
"For us, this is a different story from last year," Davis said. "We were district champions last year, and now, we're the runner-up. I think for our kids, we'll see just how tough a task it is to play on someone else's floor in the playoffs.
"We're working hard to prepare for Choctaw. With them being undefeated, we have a lot of work to do. It will be a means of the girls keeping their focus after the (district title loss). They certainly wanted to defend their title."
If the Eagles and Tigers advance to the semifinals, the two programs will play each other for the fourth time this season. In the previous three meetings, Pine Forest prevailed 55-42, 45-36 and 47-42 in the district final.
"Playing so many ranked teams in the postseason is difficult," Godwin said. "But us playing PHS three times, and playing other teams with talent and that are ranked, really prepares you for the playoffs."
