The message Hartselle varsity boy’s coach Faron Key is sending to his team as they prepare for Wednesday’s Class 6A Area 15 Tournament tilt with Austin is simple.

“We have to focus on us,” Key said. “They are good and present a lot of challenges, but we’re trying to present our own for them as well. This will be a game of who does what they do better than the other team.”

Hartselle (14-14) comes into the tournament off of back-to-back losses. However, prior to those setbacks the Tigers had won four out of their last five contests, including capturing the Morgan County Tournament title in late January.

Trace Hill and Brody Peebles have been solid offensively for Hartselle but as opposing teams have keyed on the two standouts, the Tiger offense has sputtered as of late.

“It’s about the body of work,” Key said. “The last two games don’t matter. The body of work shows that we competed with everybody on our schedule. We have been pretty locked into this week since we knew we were playing Austin.”

The Tigers and Black Bears will tip off at 6 p.m. The winner will take on the Columbia/Decatur winner Friday night at 7:30 p.m.