Laurel girls basketball coach Tommy Harrison and his players have been waiting a long time for this moment.
It will be 311 days to be exact.
That's how long the Spartans have been feeling the pain from their 34-point loss to Eleanor Roosevelt last March in the Class 4A regional championship game.
Laurel will host Eleanor Roosevelt Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.
"In my opinion, they are by far the best team in the county," said Harrison, whose team is 3-8. "We know what Roosevelt has. We don't have their talent and height. We are going to have to stay in the game with heart and relying on the basics. We welcome the challenge and we want to see what we can do against them. We will be ready for them."
Laurel is a much different team than the last time the two squads met. Gone from last year's 14-win team are two players who averaged 16 points per game: Megan Brown and Lisa Jung.
Brown now plays for Division III Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and Jung moved on to play for Bowie State University.
This year, the Spartans feature a lineup with more balanced scoring. Junior guard/forward Symone Grant, brought up from last year's junior varsity, ranks first on the team in scoring, averaging eight points.
She's been sidelined with a sprained ankle, but Harrison expects her to be in the lineup against Eleanor Roosevelt.
"She's been a good player for us," Harrison said. "I know she can be better. She has so much potential. I just have to get her to realize that."
Both sophomore point guard Nayieh Miller and senior forward Ivie Foster have averaged eight points.
Harrison has been particularly impressed by Miller, who also averages five steals and five assists and scored a season-high 18 points in a 56-48 victory over Bladenburg on Jan. 13
"One thing I never have to do is ask her to hustle," the coach said. "She hustles more than pretty much anybody in the county. I just have to get her to play a more relaxed point guard."
Harrison is excited that 5-foot-8 sophomore forward Keyonna Biggs recently joined the team after missing most of the season because of a shin injury. She averaged nine points last year.
Harrison can't talk long about his team without mentioning the Spartans' youth. He says it's his youngest squad in 14 years as head coach.
"We have a lot of young players so I have to live with that," he said. "I know I am going to have growing pains, but I am ready for them to grow. I am going to throw them into the fire because next year and the year after, I look to be back up there (at the top)."
Laurel's game against visiting Wise (8-3) on Jan. 16 may be a good example of the Spartans' ability to play feisty defense.
They fell behind by double digits in the first half, rallied in the second half to go ahead by a point, but ended up losing by nine because of poor shooting and too many turnovers down the stretch.
Nonetheless, Laurel's style of play impressed Wise coach Stephon Seraile. He noted the Spartans' physicality and defense.
"They are diving for loose balls and hustling for rebounds," Seraile said. "They are a scrappy team. Tommy Harrison just has them playing the entire game and playing hard."
Laurel had two players who finished in double figures: Andrew Hammonds (11 points) and Taychaun Hubbard (10).