Pickens County High School is a team Keith High School head coach Tommy Tisdale and his squad are all too familiar with.

Last year the Tornadoes escaped the subregion with a 1-point win over the Bears and eventually won the Class 1A state championship.

The loss, Tisdale said, will be on his players’ minds when they take the court tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tisdale said he doesn’t mind his players looking back at last year’s game.

“I hope they are thinking about it,” he said. “It will remind them to stay focused. We missed the free throws to win that game last year after we lead for 90 percent of the time. I think that taught us to stay focused.”

Both teams return a number of players from last year’s contest. This, Tisdale said, could provide an advantage for the Tornadoes when they take the floor at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center.

“They have been to Birmingham before, so they know what it’s like,” he said. “I think it’s going to take us a while to get settled in.”

To help his team adapt, Tisdale scheduled a shoot-a-round at Samford University Monday night at 7:30 p.m. to get his team in a larger arena at game time. An additional practice will take place Tuesday morning at Birmingham Southern.

“Hopefully that will help us adjust,” Tisdale said.

The athleticism of Pickens County could give his team some problems, Tisdale said, but he also feels his team has an advantage in the paint.

“I think our big men can give us an edge on the boards,” he said. “I think we can beat them on the boards. If we can do that and control the tempo of the game I think we have a good shot there.”

One of the biggest advantages his team will have is the support of the city and fan base, Tisdale said. Throughout the regular season and playoffs he said his team fed off the energy of the crowd.

“Everyone has been great, the school and the entire community,” he said. “We have fans that support us and a principal that is behind us 100 percent. That really means a lot.”