The Mainland Buccaneers know this better than most.

“Anything can happen in Lakeland,” coach Brandon Stewart said.

Last year, the second-seeded Bucs upset top-seeded American Heritage, the five-time defending champions, by one point in the 5A finals. The reward was the first state title in program history.

Now, as the defending champs, they enter the RP Funding Center in Lakeland with metaphorical bullseyes on their jersey.

They’ll face third-seeded River Ridge in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Wednesday. With a victory, they would advance to the finals for a meeting with No. 4 Port Charlotte or No. 1 American Heritage.

“I’m just kind of preparing my girls for anything to happen and to be prepared for a war no matter what,” Stewart said. “You never want to make it seem like something that’s going to be just handed to you, and you get there, and it’s not. So just preparing my girls for war for any game we’ll have to play.

“It feels like we’re in the middle of the season rather than the end of the season because we’re still working really hard.”

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Mainland (17-12) survived a gauntlet of a schedule, ranked the fourth-hardest in Florida, and emerged stronger. It won a season-best seven games in a row through districts and regionals.

To earn a trip to Lakeland, it beat the state’s No. 4 team, Booker T. Washington, in the Region 1-5A finals.

River Ridge (25-5) also rides a seven-game win streak, its third run of seven or longer this year.

Junior Lauren Lee is its only scorer averaging double figures at 12.3 points per game. Senior Zaree Nichols is close at 9.4. No one else exceeds 6.1.

“We know they have a few main players that they like to try to get the ball to,” Stewart said. “We’re just going to focus in and lock in on those players, and I think that, if we focus on our game plan and focus on our strategies, we should get the job done.”

Senior Anovia Sheals and junior Olivia Olson pace Mainland with 18.9 and 12 points a contest. Senior Tia Dobson and junior Samantha Lecas contribute 7.9 and 7.3 points per game.

Sheals, Dobson and Lecas served as key cogs during last season’s championship sprint.

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They know what Lakeland is about. But for the players who haven’t competed in the 8,000-seat RP Funding Center, Stewart hoped to give them a little preview Monday.

The Bucs practiced outside at a beachside park.

“If you can shoot the ball there, then you can shoot the ball anywhere,” Stewart said. “To me, it kind of emulates what Lakeland will be because you know how far the depth perception of Lakeland will be.”

Without any games last week, Stewart and Co. also adapted for any possible finals matchup. He has three notebooks featuring three different scouting reports — one for each team.

The finals will take place at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

“We’re just grateful,” Stewart said, “to be back in Lakeland.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school basketball: Mainland girls look to complete title defense