By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

LAGRANGE – It’s game day.

While the season won’t officially begin until next week, the LaGrange Academy basketball teams will take a test run today when they travel to Atlanta to face The Galloway School.

The preseason games will give the coaches for the two schools an opportunity to see their teams in action before they play their regular-season openers in one week.

“I’ll know a lot more about ourselves 24 hours from now than I do today,” LaGrange Academy boys’ coach Will Long said following practice on Monday.

Long, the Warriors’ first-year head coach, said everyone is ready to take the court against another team.

“Honestly, I think they’re ready to play someone else,” Long said. “I’m ready to play someone else. It’s 11 practices in, and they can only take so much of that. They’re high-school kids.”

Long leads a team that is a mixture of veterans and newcomers.

Among the returnees is senior guard Mason Brown, who Long will be counting on to be a team leader.

“I told him we’re only going to be as good as you are,” Long said. “If he brings the energy, and he brings the effort, we’ll be that good. If he doesn’t, then we won’t. He’s a guy I know I’m going to rely on because he’s been in the program.”

Evan Smith and Joseph Ragland, like Brown, are seniors who have been in the program for five seasons.

“Those are the guys I need to rely on,” Long said.

Mel Major returns as the LaGrange Academy girls’ coach, and he’ll lead an experienced team that reached the GISA state tournament last season.

Among the players Major will be counting on is guard Sydney Anderson, who’ll be asked to help the left by Alexus Scott, the leading scorer last season.

Also back is junior forward Felicity Liechty, as well as Ashlee Mains, a sophomore guard.

LaGrange Academy will host Griffin Christian on Nov. 14 in its regular-season opener before visiting Lafayette Christian on Nov. 16.

Griffin Christian’s boys’ team finished second in the state last season in the GISA.