Selecting good shots and preventing turnovers are only two of the many skills Red Level will have to execute in order to beat Brantley tonight.

The Tigers (4-1) will face the Bulldogs in Red Level in an early season test. This is Brantley’s first basketball game of the season.

“It’s a huge game for us because it’s the kind of team that’s going to give us a match up,” Tigers head coach Fred Kelley said. “They have a lot of quickness and have a lot of speed. They’ve put a lot of pressure in the past on us and they’re going to have to make us do some things we probably haven’t had to do that much this year.

“Coach (Jonny) Mitchell does a great job with them every time and I know that they’re going to be a solid team this year,” he said.

Kelley said in order to be successful, his team will have control the flow of the game.

“First I’m going to have to control the tempo of the game,” he said. “We’re going to have to get the ball down the floor without turning it over. That’s going to be the key is getting the tempo of the game established. We’re going to have to be patient again with our shot selection and keep the score down in the 50s and 60s to have a chance.”

Kelley added that if the team gets a handle on their shot selection, they have a chance at winning.

“If we get it above (50 or 60), we’re in trouble,” he said. “We’ve got to play good solid defense and make them do some things that they’ve not had time to cover this year as they have just got out of football.”

Kelley said he knows Brantley has a fast team.

“They’ve got a lot of players that have come out,” Kelley said. “They’ve got a lot of quickness and a lot of speed and that gives us trouble. They’re well coached and it’s always a big game for us and a big challenge.

“It’s sort of gotten to be a rivalry in a sense,” he said. “I’ve known Coach Mitchell over the years when he went from Straughn to Highland Home to Brantley. We really look forward to playing them.”

Kelley added that this is a game where Red Level’s bench could play a critical role.

“We’re going to have to have good bench play,” he said. “We’re going to have people coming off the bench that are going to have to give us some depth and some spark to be able to come in when someone gets in foul trouble.

“We got in some foul trouble the other night and we’re going to have to have different ones coming in during the night and be able to execute our offense and defense despite some of them being in foul trouble,” he said.

Kelley said there have not been any significant changes on his team so far, but added that he is fortunate to have won four games and only lost one.

“So far, we’ve added a wrinkle or two,” Kelley said. “We’re just trying to see what fits best for us and get the right chemistry. It’s still early in the year, but we’re fortunate to be 4-1. We know on the other hand we could easily be 1-4 and we realize that.

“I think our shooting is coming along, but we’re still not happy with our shot selection,” he said. “We’re working on it and we’re excited about (Tuesday night). We’ve got Greenville Friday night, which will be a test for us.”

B-team starts off action tonight at 4:30 p.m.