The opening night of the WIAA girls basketball playoffs feature both Eau Claire North and Eau Claire Memorial matching up with an opponent out of the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Huskies start their tournament run at home against Wausau East, while the Old Abes travel to face D.C. Everest.

While North's tournament runs have gotten them to a Division 1 sectional final the past two years, the fourth-seeded Huskies feel they're entering the 2010 playoffs with less fanfare. Unlike last season, Eau Claire North has more than one loss, and doesn't boast a Big Rivers Conference title for the first time in three years.

Even as they prepare to play without the comforts of a top seed, the Huskies are hoping a competitive schedule in the regular season will make tournament games easier to handle.

"I think an advantage that we have is the fact that we've had a number of our games go down to the wire," said Huskies head coach Michelle Peplinksi. "Some have gone well for us and some we've lost right at the end, but regardless, we've had pressure situations throughout the year."

Some of the Eau Claire North players also think being a lower seed will help the team play better during this year's postseason.

"The last couple years we've been in the tournament with only one or two losses, and this year, we have a little more," said Huskies junior point guard Kaley Bernhardt. "It kind of takes the target off our backs and gives us a little breathing room compared to the last couple of years."

Meanwhile, Eau Claire Memorial starts the playoffs hoping they've found their rhythm as a team.

The Old Abes struggled to a 3-20 regular season finish, earning the 11th seed in their Division 1 sectional. Recently, though, head coach Jessie Maas has been encouraged by the way her team is playing, and hopes the Abes can surprise a few teams in the tournament.

"We've been playing really well as of late," Maas said. "The last three games, we're really starting to come together as a team. We're starting to find some continuity. We've got a couple of our players that we haven't had for a couple months back. We're really feeling like we're doing some nice things together. We're hoping to ride that into the postseason."

"They're [Eau Claire Memorial's] excited to play that game," Maas added. "They wanted another chance to play against [D.C.] Everest. They're playing with confidence the last few games, and that's what they need right now."