NATCHEZ &045; The news isn’t very good on the home front for Adams County Christian School’s girls.

Right now the Lady Rebels are trying to move forward until the holiday break without starter Nikki Hankins, who sprained an ankle Thursday in the last minute of a loss to Parklane.

Now they go to Jackson Prep today in their second game without Hankins &045; the first was Saturday’s 42-34 loss to Class A Huntington.

&uot;She’s going to be out a couple weeks at least,&uot; ACCS head coach Bruce Pickle said. &uot;I’d imagine she’s going to be out until after Christmas. The doctor said six weeks, but it may be three weeks. The other night we were trying to find somebody to get in there. Nikki does a lot of good things for us. We’ll miss her defense more than anything. She pretty much makes our defense go.&uot;

The Lady Rebels’ bout at powerhouse Jackson Prep comes at a bad time, but it could be worse &045; at least right now it’s still early in the season.

It’s the second District 2-AAA game for the Lady Rebels after opening up league play with the loss at Parklane. But the Lady Rebels couldn’t find that spark Saturday in the loss to a tough Huntington squad.

&uot;I’m sitting up here to tonight trying to figure out which lineup is the best,&uot; Pickle said. &uot;We figure Prep is going to press us pretty much the whole game. The key is to take care of the ball and get through their press. When we do that, we’ve got to get good shots off.&uot;

Prep’s Lady Patriots will come with the press and sub in and out their 15 players. Size-wise Prep may be a little bigger, but the Lady Rebels do have the guards that may be able to match up with Prep &045; provided they can beat the press and possibly force them into a half-court game.

&uot;We’re going into a buzzsaw, and hopefully we’re ready,&uot; Pickle said. &uot;They’ve got some big girls. They play about 15 girls, and they have the luxury having 15 girls that can play.&uot;

ACCS boys at Jackson Prep

Apparently there’s only one style of ball played in Banner Hall &045; a full-court press style that doesn’t give in to the opponent.

The Patriots will come with the same attack for ACCS’s boys tonight, and the Rebels hope they can match up well along the perimeter to keep things from spinning out of control.

&uot;They’ll run a lot of full-court man-to-man,&uot; ACCS head coach Ricky Gray said. &uot;If we can handle the pressure, I feel like we’ve got a good chance to compete with them. It’s going to be fun, and it’s going to be hard. It’s what basketball is all about. It’s going to show us where we are and what we’ve got to work on.&uot;

The Rebels enter the game after dropping a 68-59 decision at Parklane to open district prior to Saturday’s win over Huntington. The Rebels are starting to make headway under Gray, in his first season at the helm.

The new system, he said, just takes time.

&uot;We’re getting a lot more consistent with it,&uot; Gray said. &uot;We’re cutting down the turnovers. If we keep them down, I think we’ll have a good chance. I feel very good about where we are. We’ve only been in it three weeks, but I feel like we’re on our way.&uot;