The football season may be winding down, but the basketball season is just starting to gear up.

Last season, Latta’s Lady Vikings earned their first state basketball title since 2007 with a 65-39 win over St. Joseph’s Catholic School. Latta finished with a 19-4 record and although they lost a few seniors, the Vikings should return key starters including TaKeria Legette and Maya Wright. The Latta ladies were ranked third in the state in the preseason Class A polls.

The Latta boys finished last season with a 9-8 record, falling to C.E. Murray in the first round of playoffs. The Vikings will have a new head coach at the helm this season with Chris German, who has served as an assistant coach for the last seven years.

The Vikings will kick off their season at home on Tuesday, December 2 , when they are set to host Marion.

Also in Class A, the Lake View Wild Gators will. The Lady Gators finished the season with an 11-9 record, falling to Timmonsville in the first round of playoffs, while the Lake View boys were winless.

The Gators will open their regular season on the road at Aynor on December 2 and will host Dillon on Thursday, December 4, as the Wildcats open their season.

Dillon’s Lady Wildcats were also ranked third in preseason polls after a record setting 26-1 season and playing for the lower state championship. The Lady Cats will be returning most of their team. The Dillon boys finished 17-8 and will also be returning much of their team.

In SCISA action, the Dillon Christian School Warriors will open their regular season tonight at home against Carolina Academy with junior varsity action beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Last season, the Warrior boys earned a 12-7 record and advanced to the SCISA state championship playoffs before falling 59-34 to the Thomas Sumter Academy Generals. The Warriors will be looking to make another trip to the playoffs this season, but lost key players in Tyler Davis, who earned over 1,000 points in his career at Dillon Christian School; Mark Minges; Will Brown; and Matt Jordan.

The Lady Warriors, meanwhile, struggled last season with just six players. The Warriors went winless last winter, but will return four players this season.

The Warriors will be in action on the road on Tuesday, December 2, at Robert E. Lee Academy and will be back home on Friday, December 5, to host The King’s Academy.