Selma has won nine of its first ten games, but the Saints may right in the midst of their toughest week of the year.

Selma will travel to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa on Tuesday night, in a game that will have big implications in class 6A, area 6. Selma has already swept Chilton County and is 2-0 in area play, while Hillcrest is 1-0 after a Friday win over Paul Bryant.

If the Saints can win on the road, they would be in prime position considering they later host the Patriots Jan. 20.

“They are supposed to be the toughest team in the area,” Selma head coach Woodie Jackson said. “We are going to continue to work hard and work on some more fundamentals and work on our defense and try to hype the boys up. The key is we have to go up there, so it is going to be tough on the road.”

Any win in area 6 looks like it will be tough to come by this year, as Hillcrest (8-2) is ranked No. 4 in the Alabama Sports Writers Association poll and Paul Bryant (7-3) is No. 10. The Saints (9-1) are just outside the rankings, among the teams nominated.

“That would be a big one, because they are undefeated also in the area…,” Jackson said. “If we could pull that feat off, that would give us a gigantic step in hosting the area tournament.”

As if that isn’t enough, Selma will then return home Friday to host rival Southside (2-7) in a game where the records can typically be thrown out the window.

“With Southside, it won’t take too much pumping up because that is a rivalry and most of them have kinfolk over there and they to go church together and they are friends,” Jackson said. “They will be ready for that one.”

Southside will also be looking for its biggest win of the year to date that night.

The Southside game is the last non-tournament game the Saints will play before Jan. 2 against Dallas County. Selma will play in a tournament at Leflore High School Dec. 22-23 and in a tournament at Stillman College Dec. 26-29.

Selma’s Lady Saints will play in the Dwight Madison Roundball Classic Dec. 26-29.