The King’s Fork High School boys’ basketball team begins play in the Virginia High School League Group 4A state tournament today, taking on Region 4A North champion E.C. Glass High School at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Stuart C. Siegel Center.

In preparation for this state semifinal, Bulldogs coach Josh Worrell said he has been instructing his players to “just continue to stay focused on what stuff we do offensively and defensively.”

Looking at the postseason as a new beginning, he said he told his players, “Understand we’re in the last two games of our seven-game season,” and only one more game is guaranteed.

Worrell is not without experience at this juncture after leading the 2008-09 Bulldogs team to the Group AAA state championship, and he said the experience does help him.

He said the key at this point to success is “mental focus, complete mental focus.”

“We know what we need to do,” he said — and the other team does, as well. “It’s about which team stays focused longer.”

The Hilltoppers (24-3) are not an entirely unfamiliar to King’s Fork coaches, who have had an opportunity to scout them.

“We’ve seen them at least one time,” Worrell said.

Earlier, he noted the Hilltoppers are scrappy, play hard, attack the glass well and like to speed up the tempo of games.

“They run and jump, defensively,” he said, and track players around to different spots.

In response, “We’ve just got to dictate our style of play,” Worrell said, later adding, “We’ve got to limit them on what they like to do, specifically.”

He does not expect the large venue and big crowd to be an issue for his team as the crowded stands in the regional final against I.C. Norcom High School served as good preparation.

“It’s not anything that’s going to surprise them,” he said.

Tip-off for today’s state semifinal is set for 2 p.m.