For Escambia County High School Blue Devils’ players, Thursday’s matchup against Madison County in the Class 4A state semifinal is nothing new.

The outcome might be.

Senior guard Fred Knight said ECHS has “a point to prove to everyone” after its season ended last year with a 48-31 loss to Butler in the semifinals.

“I’m not excited at all to go to Birmingham,” Knight said. “We were excited to go last year and it didn’t turn out too well.”

Knight said he has a point to prove to himself as well. Knight scored six points in last year’s loss.

“I’ll be looking for six points in the first quarter this year,” he said.

The key to success during this year’s playoff run is to not get ahead of themselves, junior forward Desmond Williams said.

“We don’t have big heads,” he said. “If we go up Thursday feeling cocky we’ll lose.”

Junior guard Tony McAroy II said the team comes in this year with a lot more focus.

“Coach has prepared us really well,” he said. “It has been a big help.”

Coach Earlando Courtney said he expects his team to have the right attitude going into Thursday game because “the pain of (last year’s) loss is so fresh.”

“You worry about how to motivate players, but just going up there is like ripping a scab off an open wound,” he said. “We will watch games before we play and we’ll  see people get sent home.”

Focus is the key for the team  “Practice is going to be as intense as ever,” he said. “We’ll be going full throttle.”

Williams said it’s the team’s focus on defense and its conditioning that have made the difference in the playoffs.

“We are tiring teams down,” Williams said. “While everyone is bending over we are still going.”

Courtney said he switched to a full-court press after a loss early in the season to B.C. Rain.

“It slows down other teams and doesn’t allow them to get into rhythm,” he said. “It makes teams work the ball down the court and makes teams speed up the way they play.”

For McAroy, defense has been the big reason for the Blue Devils success after starting 5-5 this season.

“We play defense first,” McAroy said. “That’s the goal.”

While the Blue Devils’ defense has improved since the beginning of the season, senior guard Tyrell Ford said it’s also players coming together as a team that has given a big lift.

“When we play as a team everything is so easy,” Ford said.

Ford said even with the slow start he never doubted the team could make it back to the Final Four this year.

“I knew we were getting back for a fact,” Ford said. “We just had to get everything going. This time we aren’t leaving early.”