Escambia Academy’s Lady Cougars open the AISA state tournament on Friday morning with a match up against the No. 1-ranked Lakeside Lady Chiefs who come into the tournament with a 31-0 record.

The Lady Cougars (13-8) will look to improve in their run for a state championship after being bumped in their final two games of the region tournament last week.

Cougars head coach Heath Gibson said he and his assistant coach Adam Dawe worked all week to improve the team’s post players.

“Coach Dawe and I have practiced with our players during every practice,” he said. “We played low in the post and made our post players work their tails off. They really put in effort and I think they will be ready. If we can also improve our shooting percentage then we have a chance against Lakeside.”

The Lady Cougars and Lady Chiefs tip off at 9 a.m. at Huntingdon College in Montgomery.