THORSBY – At this point in the high school baseball season, the basics have been covered hundreds of times.

“Either you can hit and throw by now or you can’t,” said Thorsby coach Ab Argent, whose No. 2 Rebels (27-4) will welcome Ranburne (18-6) on Friday for a second-round playoff series.

The trouble, Argent said, is keeping players focused on games at the end of the week while keeping them from getting too excited too soon.

That might be especially difficult for this series because Ranburne knocked Thorsby out of last year’s playoffs.

Ranburne, a traditional power, is good again, but Argent said he believes Thorsby has several things going its way.

First, the Rebels get to play at home.

“Any time you’re in the playoffs, you would rather be at home than on the road,” Argent said. “And I really believe our kids are starting to peak at the right time and gaining a little confidence.”

Friday’s games will be at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. A third game would be played at noon Saturday if necessary.

If Saturday’s game is rained out, it would be rescheduled for Monday, Argent said.

“It’s like I’ve told them all week, we’ve done a good job getting to this point: winning the area, winning in the first round, putting ourselves in a position to host the second round. But you’re going to be judged by what you do in the playoffs.

“They understand. At this stage, you either get it done or you pack up your equipment and go home.”

The Rebels know what they’ll have to do to keep playing.

“We’ve got to come out and play our best to have a chance,” senior Evan Bryan said. “We just have to take it one game at a time.”