Prep basketball gets underway Tuesday night as Selma High hosts Ellwood Christian Academy (ECA).

The girls’ varsity game will tipoff between 6:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., followed with the boys’ contest.

Selma returns no starters from last year’s squad that was eliminated by defending 6A champion Paul W. Bryant in the sub-regional tournament.

The Saints will be a mix of seniors and newcomers. Seniors Tyshawn Garner, Javon Strong and Terrion Posey will play alongside juniors Michael Harris, Marwavis and Jarvis Moss.

“We’re young, but optimistic,” Saints coach Ronald Lane said. “We have talent and size. We’ll be counting on senior leadership and I’m looking for scoring from our young players.”

The Lady Saints, which went 23-6 last season, has loads of talent returning. Aliyah Hatcher, Rodereckia Parker and Ta’Sharri Grimes will lead the Lady Saints.

The Selma High basketball teams received a few gifts from the Edmundite Missions last week.

The Missions held a “Basketball Blessings” event for the Selma High boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. They presented both teams with windbreaker jackets and new practice uniforms for the Lady Saints. The school also received a banner with the Edmundite Missions logo, “Proud sponsor of Selma High Saints Basketball. Blessings to our Saints!”

The Missions will provide meals twice a week to the teams and give them a banquet at the end of the year.

Selma High Principal Stoney Pritchett and several basketball coaches were part of the presentation.

Missions President and C.E.O. Chad McEachern said it’s about supporting the youth and the community through sports and the school system.

“We may not know each of you on a personal level, but we still believe in you and believe in Selma,” McEachern said. “At the Missions, we are also a team. In order for us to be successful, we have to trust in each other. We are honored to put our trust and support in you with these uniforms, and this banner will hang because we believe in you as a team.”