As region play approaches the Pike Patriots believe are starting to trend in a positive direction.

The Patriots finished the first part of their season 6-6, and they are excited to see where they stand inside a very competitive region.

“We are really exited,” said Patriots head coach Robert Hawkins. “I have three seniors. We are excited to start region play and see where we are and where we need to go.”

Hawkins likes where his team has positioned themselves inside a tight region.

“We swapped regions this year,” Hawkins said. “This region is going to be extremely competitive. I think us, Lakeside and Northside are about the same. To me that is what makes it fun. We can beat them just as easily as they can beat us. It’s going to be challenging, but it’s going to be fun.”

To be successful the Patriots will have to improve in one key area of the game, beating the press. The Patriots have struggled with turnovers due to their opponents’ ability to pressure the basketball. The Patriots hoped they turned the corner when they took on Glenwood before the break.

“We played Glenwood and they pressed us,” Hawkins said. “We turned the ball over, but I think the girls started to understand it a little better. I think Northside will press us on Thursday and it will be interesting to see how we progressed.”

Another key area of need for the Patriots will be to find scorers outside of the top three in Lauren Johnson, Mya Terry and Susie Stell. That may come in the way of senior Danielle Brown and Johnson’s younger sister, Tiffany Johnson.

“Danielle is good under the basket,” Hawkins said. “Lauren has a sister in Tiffany who has been able to score six points in a couple of games. If we can get 10 points out of her that would be huge.”

The Patriots will be back in action on Thursday when they head to Dothan to take on Northside at approximately 5:30 p.m.