Two local girls’ basketball teams will look to move one step closer to the state tournament when they play in regional semifinals tonight. That pair includes the Highland Huskies, who face Springville in Class 1A Region 7.

Highland has a record of 17-7 after knocking off Hillcrest Academy 53-34 in the regional quarterfinals Tuesday. The Huskies have won five of their last six contests behind a stout defense that gives up only 45 points per game.

Freshman Kamryn Fink has been the breakout star for Highland, averaging team highs of almost 16-and-a-half points and 15 rebounds a game. Sophomore Hailey Brun also scores 10 points per contest and collects a team-high 4.5 steals per game.

The Huskies are facing a Springville team that is 18-4 and ranked seventh in the state in Class 1A, thanks largely to the exploits of six-foot-two-inch center Rowan Jacobi. The junior paces the Orioles with over 23 points and 13 rebounds a game.

The Columbus Wildcats will try to earn their place in the Class 2A Region 2 final when they host Danville this evening. Columbus knocked off West Burlington 48-28 in the quarterfinals to raise their record to 18-4.

The Wildcats play stifling defense forcing over 17 steals and yielding less than 38 points per contest. Lily Coil leads the charge with nearly 16 points, nine boards and four steals per game, while fellow senior Ariana Vergara also puts up almost 10 points and 4.5 steals a night.

Junior Isabel Rendon adds a scoring punch by averaging almost 11 points a game for Columbus, which will be meeting a Danville squad that is 14-8. The Bears have been dominant defensively in their own right, allowing only 38.5 points per game.

Junior Alaina Gourley averages team highs of almost 14 points and seven rebounds a game for Danville, which knocked off the Wildcats when the teams met last season. All regional semifinal games tonight are scheduled to tip off at 7 o’clock.