FOLEY – Foley High School students cheered their classmates on the girls’ basketball team Wednesday as the Lady Lions depart for the state basketball semifinal game in Birmingham.

The Lady Lions will face Sparkman at noon Thursday at Legacy Arena, at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

The winner of that game will face the winner of the semifinal between Hoover and Prattville at the 2023 AHSAA State Finals Girls Basketball Championships at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 4.

Foley Mayor Ralph Helllmich said city residents are proud of the team’s achievement.

“They’re going to Birmingham for the Final Four for the first time in the history of Foley. We have an incredible Foley girls’ basketball team at the high school and we’re very proud of them,” Hellmich said Wednesday morning. “If they’re successful, then they’ll go to the championship game and so we’ve got our fingers crossed, but even if they don’t go, they have had an incredible year so we want to congratulate them.”

Foley won a place in the semifinals after defeating Daphne in the Class 7A Central Region championship game Feb. 22.