Statesboro doesn’t tip off against Jonesboro in the Sweet Sixteen of the Class AAAA state playoffs until 7 p.m. tonight, but if Friday afternoon’s pep rally is any indication of the mood in the Devil’s Den at game time, things are sure to get loud.
    Students jammed into almost every available seat in the SHS gymnasium before class let out on Friday as the school ended the week by showcasing its top-seeded basketball team.
    Many of those students were in attendance as the Blue Devils (27-3) used big runs in the second and third quarters to pull away from Baldwin County in Wednesday’s first round victory. Even more figure to fill the gym as Jonesboro — which steamrolled Crisp County by a 61-27 margin in its first round win — now stands between the Devils and a spot in the Elite Eight.
    “We’re glad to get that first win, but things only get tougher from here,” SHS coach Lee Hill said. “Just looking at some of their scores, you can see that Jonesboro is a very good team. With any team left at this point, it’s going to take us playing a great game to win.”
    For the first 10 minutes or so of their opening round matchup, the Devils weren’t looking like the great team that rolled to a Region 3-AAAA championship and a No. 1 seed in the state playoffs. Statesboro eventually got things turned around and proved itself to be the superior team, but Hill is hoping for a quicker start tonight.
    “We were a little tight to start off,” Hill said. “That’s going to happen when you have guys playing in the state tournament for the first time. Hopefully we won’t have that nervousness this time.”
    Statesboro should expect to hit the floor running as Jonesboro (24-5) employs an up-tempo offense and a high-pressure defense that it rarely backs off of.
    The Devils have been thrown off their game by hard presses a few times this season, but have always managed to regroup and find a way to beat the pressure. Statesboro has plenty of speed and athleticism to lean on, and an up-tempo game could lead to forwards Alex Simmons and Jonathan Taylor beating the Eagles down the floor for easy inside buckets. The Devils’ outside shooting is equally worrisome for the Eagles as Yakeem Coleman and Zaquavian Smith have both shown the ability to rain down 3-pointers throughout an entire game.
    “We fell pretty good about staying with (Jonesboro),” Hill said. “I don’t mind the up-tempo because of our depth. As we’ve developed, we’ve got a bunch of guys that we can run out there so that everyone stays fresh.”
    Statesboro is battling to get to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign. Jonesboro is no stranger to playing deep into February and March as the Eagles have made it to the Class AAAA Final Four in each of the last two seasons and have a roster loaded with nine seniors who have contributed to that postseason success.
    The winner of tonight’s game will play either Rutland or Monroe next week for a spot in the Final Four.

    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9404.