Returning almost its entire team after reaching the state semifinals a year ago, All Saints has eagerly awaited its return to the postseason.

The last two weeks, however, have felt like ages.

The Trojans haven’t played a TAPPS game in two weeks since winning the TAPPS 2-4A district tournament on Feb. 14.

All Saints finally gets back on the court tonight in the final game of the TAPPS 4A north regional semifinals at Fort Worth Brewer High School.

The Trojans battle Midland Christian at 9 p.m. today, the last of eight boys and girls games at the school today. Four more regional finals will be played Saturday, with the winners advancing to state.

All Saints will be joined in Cowtown by the Bullard Brook Hill boys, a possible Saturday opponent, and the Grace Community girls.

The Guard face Arlington Pantego at 7:30 p.m. while the Lady Cougars take on Midland Christian at 6 p.m.

All three East Texas teams earned byes in the bi-district round for finishing in the top three at the district tournament hosted by All Saints.

The Trojans and Guard at least played warm-up games this past weekend in Arp’s East Texas Playoff Preview. Brook Hill beat New Summerfield 67-49 while All Saints edged Carthage 67-60 in overtime.

A close game might have been just what the Trojans (34-2) needed, particularly one that started at 9:45 p.m., close to the 9 p.m. start they’ll see today.

“I think that that win will do a lot for us,” All Saints coach Eddie Francis said. “We haven’t played a lot of close games lately. We had to make plays at the end of the game to win the game.

“I think that playoff game will hopefully catapult us into playing well in the playoffs.”

The Trojans, the second-ranked team in TAPPS 4A, rolled through their district, winning each TAPPS 2-4A game by an average margin of 34 points. The only victory by less than 10 points came 70-63 over Brook Hill in Bullard.

All Saints averaged 80.2 points per game in that span, led by Aston Francis’ 22.1 per outing. However, the coach’s son and team’s leading scorer has been battling late-season injuries.

“He does not have the explosiveness or the lift on his shot that he had earlier in the year but he’s worked hard to be able to play with his limitations right now,” coach Francis said.

Not that the coach is worried. He knows other players will step up, having seen it before.

Last year when point guard Spencer Ball tore his ACL in the season-opener, Matthew Brunson filled in to run the offense.

With Francis hurt, Clayton Smith and Sean Phillips have more than filled in and Jaired Maddox (16.7 points per game) has proved more than capable of carrying the scoring load. Seven Trojans average at least 5.4 points.

“I think that’s what makes this group so special; it’s not about one or two players, it’s the whole group,” coach Francis said. “I’m really, really proud of all of them and the way it’s a different guy every night.”

Against Midland Christian (21-13), every All Saints player will need to step up as the Mustangs are a guard-oriented team that, like the Trojans, push the pace, pressure the ball and can shoot from long range.

Midland Christian, the fourth-place team from TAPPS 1-4A, is coming off a 90-44 win in bi-district over Frisco Legacy Christian, the fifth-place team from 2-4A that All Saints beat 75-60 in the league opener.

“I think it’s going to be a fun game to watch,” coach Francis said.

The winner of Midland Christian-All Saints will play either Brook Hill or Pantego at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The Guard (17-9) face a tall task against the Panthers (27-11), quite literally.

Pantego is powered by senior Rickey Brice, a 7-foot senior who averages 24.2 points, 14.5 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game. He’s a North Texas signee after turning down offers from Oklahoma State and Colorado, among others.

Brice accounts for 40 percent of his team’s offense, 46 percent of the rebounds and 82 percent of the blocks.

Brook Hill will have to rely on its strong guard play led by senior Grant Hanks to keep the ball away from Brice.

Hanks is coming off a 31-point performance against New Summerfield, hitting seven 3-pointers in the process. In the two games prior he scored 23 against Bishop Gorman and 21 against All Saints (19 in the fourth quarter).

On the girls side, only the Lady Cougars are representing East Texas. Grace finished third in TAPPS 2-4A to earn a bye into the regional semifinals.

The Lady Cougars boast a balanced squad that passes well and receives scoring from a number of players, including seniors Taylor Kingsley, Kylie Stinson and Bethany Kimmey as well as freshman Addie Daughtry.

Should Grace win, Colleyville Covenant Christian (25-13) or TAPPS 2-4A champion Carrollton Prince of Peace (21-12) awaits in the regional final, which would be played at 2 p.m. Saturday. Prince of Peace edged Grace 43-39 in the district tournament semifinals two weeks ago.

Unlike the change in soccer, TAPPS will still have a final four in basketball. The TAPPS 4A games are set for March 6-7 at Mansfield Legacy High School.

All Saints or Brook Hill would play at 7:30 p.m. while Grace would play at 4:30 p.m. on March 6. The state title games are scheduled for 5 p.m. (girls) and 7 p.m. (boys) on March 7.