The high school girls’ basketball playoffs begin tonight across the state, and four local teams are looking to survive and advance through the first round in Class 1A Region 7.

That includes the Keota Eagles and Winfield-Mount Union Wolves, who will match up against each other. Keota has a record of 11-10 and comes in on a roll, using fourth straight wins and nine victories in the last 11 games to have their best season in a decade.

Freshman Cameron Haifley averages a team-high 11-and-a-half points and 2.5 steals per game for the Eagles, while sophomore Emily Conger has put up 10.5 points and four rebounds per contest.

Despite a 5-16 record, Winfield-Mount Union is also surging into the postseason with three wins in their last four games. Freshman Kynlee Buffington has been a force in the low post for the Wolves by putting up 13 points and 11.5 rebounds a game, while junior Madisen Kellogg has also been a scoring force for WMU with nearly 11.5 points per game.

The Highland Huskies will be looking to get past Wapello when they host a first-round playoff battle. Highland is 15-7 and has been led by a freshman phenom of their own in Kamryn Fink, who is posting nearly 16.5 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and three steals per contest. The Huskies will face a Wapello team that is 6-15.

The Lone Tree Lions will also look to start the postseason with a home victory when they host winless Cedar Valley Christian. Lone Tree has been as good as any local team in the second half of the season, winning a whopping 16 of their last 17 games to raise their record to 18-3.

Junior Finley Jacque excels on both ends of the floor for the Lions, averaging team highs of almost 16 points and four steals a game, while Cate Sexton leads a corps of low-post threats by putting up 10.5 points and six rebounds per game.

Fellow senior Vivian Zaruba does it all for Lone Tree, posting nearly 9.5 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals per contest. All first-round games in Class 1A Region 7 tip off this evening at 7 o’clock.