VALDOSTA — The Valdosta varsity basketball teams have played at home just one time this season. On Saturday, the two varsity squads will finally return home to play in their home gymnasium, when Colquitt County comes to town.

Tonight is a different story. Valdosta is back on the road, visiting cross-town rival Lowndes in Region 1-AAAAA action. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. between the Vikettes (17-1) and Lady Wildcats (11-3). The boys game, featuring the 12-6 Vikings and the 13-4 Wildcats, is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.

“To be honest with you, Winnersville week is bigger than life itself around here sometimes,” Vikettes head coach Shan Garner said. “The anxiety is high. The hardest part about that sometimes is making your kids stay within themselves, and not being so pumped the first four minutes that you lose your mind.”

Tonight’s meeting will mark the first time this season the Vikettes and Lady Wildcats will share a court, although the two teams are familiar with each other. Both squads have seen one another play this season. Valdosta took part in Lowndes’ Charles Cooper Memorial Tipoff Tournament earlier this season.

“I like being on the road in the beginning,” Lady Wildcat head coach E.A. Wilcox said. “It lets us know how the crowd is going to be and it lets us know there is no home cooking. We haven’t had any home cooking all year, and I think it has made us a little tougher.”

Last season, the Vikettes were 2-0 against Valdosta. Both meetings were defensive-minded, as the teams averaged just 37.5 points per game in those two meetings. In the first meeting, Lowndes avoided an 0-3 start to region play with a 37-29 win, which came at Valdosta. Less than a month later, the two teams swapped the lead 19 times in a game that was decided by a late Maggie McGlamry 3-pointer, which came with 48 seconds to play.

In that second meeting, McGlamry recorded 13 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter. McGlamry is back for her senior season with the Vikettes, and Garner believes she could be a huge factor in tonight’s game, much like she has been all season long.

“(McGlamry’s) shots are so huge,” Garner said. “Even when she doesn’t get it off, it extends the defense out and it extends the passing lane out. Just her presence out there is huge.”

For Valdosta, Stormm Phillips will be the player to watch, along with Sierra Foster, who Wilcox said is probably one of the best post players in the region.

“I have gone to (Stormm) a few times this year,” Wilcox said. “I have also gone to Sierra Foster down in the post, who I believe is probably (among) the best post players in our region, even though, as of late, she hasn’t come through for me. But, I think (Foster) is ready to go against Lowndes.”

Although tonight’s game is known as a rivalry, it is far from that for Garner and Wilcox. The two have been friends since college. According to Garner, the two have always been competitive with each other, and tonight will be no different.

“I have known (E.A.) since college,” Garner said. “We used to battle during intramurals. That is how far back we go...We have known each other for a long time, and we have always had that little jab back and forth. The guy is doing a great job over at Valdosta. He has them believing.”

For the boys, tonight’s meeting will be the second meeting between Lowndes and Valdosta this season. Valdosta blew out Lowndes, 90-53, during the Charles Cooper tournament back on Nov. 23.

Valdosta jumped out to a 24-11 first quarter lead, as eight different Wildcat players scored in the frame. From there, Valdosta continued to pile it on, outscoring Lowndes 29-11 in the second quarter to build a 53-22 halftime lead. Valdosta outscored Lowndes 18-4 in the opening minutes of the second half, taking an 82-38 lead at the end of the third quarter.

“That score is still up in our locker room,” Lowndes head coach Kingston Clark said. “So we are looking forward to revenge. Cross-town rivalry. We have to bring it, we have to be ready.”

In the win, four Wildcat players scored in double figures, with Clarence Smith leading the way with 23 points. Unfortunately for Valdosta, Smith will be sidelined for tonight’s game with a knee injury, which he suffered last Saturday night in a win at Mitchell County.

Smith was seen on crutches as late as Wednesday and he underwent an MRI on Thursday. Depending on the severity of the injury, he could miss the remainder of the season.

“It is a very big loss,” Valdosta head coach Antonio Haynes said. “We are trying to move on without him for right now.”

Since the loss to Valdosta, the Vikings have picked up the intensity on the defensive end, allowing just 52.7 points per game across the last 14 games. Valdosta has posted a 10-4 record since the win over Lowndes on the Thanksgiving holiday. The Wildcats are 2-1 in region play, posting wins over Coffee and Colquitt County.

Last season, the two teams played three times, with Valdosta claiming two victories. Lowndes took the first meeting, which came in the Randall Godfrey Christmas Classic, as the Vikings overcame a 15-point third quarter deficit to down the Wildcats 96-94. In the following meeting, Valdosta dismantled Lowndes 94-51. Just weeks later, the Wildcats posted another double-digit win over their cross-town rivals, getting 29 points from Jay Rome and winning 78-63. Although Haynes was not the head coach for the Wildcats — he replaced Rufus McDuffie this offseason — he knows about the intensity of the rivalry.

“It is all about preparation with this rivalry,” Haynes said. “It is a big rivalry in Valdosta, and I love the rivalry. I think it is one of the best rivalries in the world, but just keep everything in the normal and just tell the kids to go out and play their basketball game.”

The two schools are also scheduled to meet again on Feb. 3 at Valdosta High.