MARION – The high school basketball season may still be several months away, but a local team hopes to set the hoops world ablaze in the coming days.

The Marion MATCH Strikers are headed to the Alabama Sports Festival to be held in Huntsville from June 18-20. During their trip, the team comprised of Francis Marion

High School varsity players not only hopes to come home with a tournament trophy, but also with a sense of improvement for the 2004-05 prep season.

“We’re going up there to win the tournament. We believe we’re going to win it,” said Francis Marion and Strikers head coach Woodie Jackson. “Every time we take the floor, we’re out there to win.”

MATCH, or Members Acting To Change Humanity, is a non-profit organization devoted to helping the youth of Perry County. The program offers tutoring to high school students preparing for their ACT exams and uses sports as a spark to help young people become more involved within the community.

The Strikers’ best season came in 2002 when they went to the tournament finals and settled for the runner-up spot.

Winning this year’s tournament will be especially difficult. The field of approximately 60 teams from around the state will not be divided into four regions as was done in the past. This year’s tournament will have all the teams in the same pool, with the luck of the draw going a long way to decide the victor.

Jackson said the tournament experience will be helpful to his players during the high school season when the Rams take the court. However, Jackson will be unable to sit on the bench with the team. The Strikers will instead be coached for the third season by Byron Turner, son of Francis Marion High assistant coach Robert Turner Sr.

“The kids will get a chance to prove themselves for the regular season,” said Turner, a 1999 graduate of

Francis Marion High and a former Rams’ point guard. “This is a good experience for me, too, because

I plan on coaching later on.”

Jackson said he disliked the rule that prevented him from coaching his team. However, he knows how important the tourney is for the Strikers.