Coach James Buchanan hopes the momentum his Lady Huskies obtained with a Region 1 championship win over Hampton can continue tonight when the school hosts a Sub-State game for the first time since 1981.

North Greene will take on Wartburg Central, the Region 2 runnerup, with the winner punching their ticket to the "big show" next week at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro. The Huskies have only one state tournament appearance (1999) in school history.

"It's been a lot of fun here at the school, getting ready for the game," Buchanan said as his squad was working out in preparation for the Region 2 Lady Bulldogs. "It's an exciting time for North Greene basketball. We know we have to play well against Wartburg. They have a veteran team. Our defensive intensity has to be at the level that it was against Hampton."

Gates will open at the school tonight at 5 p.m. to allow those to enter that have purchased advance tickets. Additional tickets ($7) will go on sale at 5:30. The game tips off at 7 p.m. and a packed house is almost certain.

Led by senior post Dakota White and regional MVP junior guard Mariah Britton, the Huskies have chalked up a 19-13 season record, despite playing a schedule that has to be ranked among the hardest of any Class A school in Tennessee.

"It's not been hard to get them to practice," Buchanan said. "They know how important it is to them and the community. We've worked on some matchups and hope we have put a game plan together that can get it done."

The regional championship was only the third in school history for North Greene. The last one came in 1981, their only time to host Sub-State, but they were defeated by Seymour. They also won the Region 1 title in 1980, but Sub-State was then played at neutral sites and they were at TSD (Tennessee School for the Deaf) in Knoxville where they lost to Midway.

North Greene earned their state trip in 1999 under the TSSAA's sectional format, finishing second in the sectional to Hancock County but under that format two teams advanced to state.

Wartburg Central brings a team to North Greene that has a 22-9 record and starts four seniors and a sophomore. This will be their third straight year of making the Sub-State round, and they went on to Murfreesboro in 2008 after beating Unaka but lost at Hampton last year.

"We're basically a senior-laden team," Wartburg Central Coach Jason Davis said. "Crystal Fountain is averaging about 12 points per game, and the other starters are anywhere from 9-11 points, so we do have some balance."

Miranda Longmire, point guard Lauren Bunch and shooting guard Alicia Winegar are the other senior starters. Sara Davidson is a sophomore post.

"We have some experience, so I think the girls know what to expect (in Sub-State)," Davis noted. "But you have to execute and play the game."

Davis said his team is "adaptable" in style of play, depending upon the competition.

"Against Coalfield (in the regional finals) it was a half-court game," he said. "The other regional opponents we pressed for four quarters."

Davis said he had studied North Greene and "their coaches have done a great job playing to the team's strengths."

"The Britton girl is really good in transition and does a good job in coming off screens to shoot," he added. "The White (Dakota) girl is really strong. She plays hard and can rebound the ball. Overall the team appears to have quickness."

Buchanan said his squad will "not change much at this stage."

"We'll just try to do the things that we know we're capable of doing, and try to limit turnovers, and hope we shoot free throws better than we did against Hampton," he said.