The second season has arrived for high school basketball, and all teams get a fresh start.

The road to the next level, however, will be more difficult for some.

The Athens Bible School girls take the first steps on Monday, while the Clements boys and girls, the Athens Bible boys and the Elkmont High boys join them on Tuesday in the opening round of their area tournaments.

The Lady Trojans of ABS, seeded fifth in Class 1A, Area 15 take on fourth-seeded R.A. Hubbard on Monday at 6 p.m. at Hazlewood High in Town Creek. The reward for the winner of that game is a meeting with the top-seeded and second-ranked Lady Bears on Thursday.

The same is true of the Colts and Lady Colts, along with the Trojans and the Red Devils on Tuesday.

Both Clements teams meet Hatton on Tuesday at Tanner High School. The boys as the fourth seed play at 7:30 p.m., preceded by the fifth-seeded girls at 6 pm.

Still the reward for both will be the same should they win. They meet the top-seeded and state-ranked Rattlers (Tanner boys ranked third and girls ranked ninth) in the semifinals on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

ABS, meanwhile, is at Decatur Heritage on Tuesday, facing fourth-seeded Speake in the opening round. The reward in this case is at least with an unranked squad, the top-seeded Eagles.

Elkmont is another one with a daunting task looming on the horizon. The Red Devils take on fifth-seeded Randolph with the prize for the winner a meeting with second-ranked Madison Academy.

The road is no less challenging for the Ardmore Lady Tigers, who already know they have a date with second-ranked East Lawrence on Thursday in the Class 4A, Area 15 Tournament at Caddo.

The rest of the county squads get a latter start in better positions.

In addition to both Tanner squads, the Athens High boys and the Elkmont High girls are in the top positions of their brackets and favored to move on to sub-regional play.

Athens High opens Class 5A, Area 16 play at home on Friday against fourth-seeded Hartselle. The Lady Red Devils are at home on Thursday for a meeting with the winner of a play-in game between West Morgan and Randolph.

Interestingly the top-seeded Golden Eagles could face a meeting with 10th-ranked Muscle Shoals in the finals of the Class 5A, Area 16 Tournament on Feb. 13. Although state-ranked, the Trojans are seeded third in the tournament.

The Elkmont High Lady Red Devils, meanwhile, may be the one team flying under the radar. The Lady Red Devils will face either West Morgan or Randolph in the Class 3A, Area 15 semifinals on Thursday.

There also teams in level in between those previously mentioned.

Those are the second and third-seeded teams in the various areas, who have fallen short of hosting area tournaments but at the same time feel themselves very capable of reaching the next level.

The Athens High girls, the Ardmore boys, the East Limestone boys and girls and the West Limestone boys and girls all fall into these categories.

For Limestone County fans, those beliefs will conflict Friday when East Limestone battles Ardmore at 6 p.m. in the Class 4A, Area 15 Tournament at Lawrence County.

Of the No. 2 seeds, the Athens High girls seem the most likely to head to sub-regional play. Athens faces Muscle Shoals in the Class 5A, Area 16 Tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Hartselle.

The Lady Eagles played a strong game before losing in overtime on their last trip to Hartselle and appear destined for a rematch with the second-ranked Lady Tigers in the area finals on Saturday.

The task for the West Limestone girls and boys is the same, beat a team they have beaten twice this season, but a team which has also enjoyed success against top-seeded Lauderdale County in Class 3A, Area 14.

The Wildcats have lost four times to the Tigers, all by close margins. Seeded second, they face third-seeded Sheffield on Friday.

The Lady Wildcats are also seeded second and will be looking for a third win over Sheffield in the semifinals on Thursday.

Sheffield’s boys and girls team each have enjoyed wins over Lauderdale County this season.