Photo by Cody Tomer Cameron’s Cole Burkett, left, and the Dragons are hungry to make a run in the state tournament.

CAMERON — The Cameron boys’ basketball team still remembers the pain of last year’s first-round exit from the WVSSAC Class A State Tournament.

The Dragons have been battling all season to get back to Charleston and avenge that loss.

They’ll get their chance.

Tonight No. 5 Cameron (18-6) will hit the floor to take on No. 4 Huntington St. Joseph’s (18-7) for a 9 p.m. quarterfinal contest.

“We’re really coming together as a team,” Cameron coach Tom Hart said. “The guys have been talking about the postseason and what they want to accomplish. Last year we got down here and got a taste of it and they have some unfinished business that they want to take care of. It’s going to be tough but we’re taking it one game at a time and we’ll get ready for a fight with St. Joseph’s and go from there.”

St. Joseph’s is coming into the state tournament riding an eight-game winning streak and they’ve impressed Hart in the process.

“One of the things we’ve seen on film is their guards are very quick,” Hart said. “They handle the ball well and shoot the ball well.

“Their bigs are quick and very athletic. They run the floor well and even shoot the ball well, too.

“They actually pull up and try to knock down 3s in transition but they’re also aggressive getting the ball to the rim. They’re an impressive ball team and we’ll have our hands full on Tuesday night.”

Last year the Dragons fell 69-55 to No. 2 Tug Valley in the opening round but this year, Cameron’s veteran squad brings back hunger and experience on the game’s biggest stage.

The Dragons have won the OVAC title and the regional title and are looking to add one more piece of hardware to the trophy case.

“It’s been a fun year,” Hart said. “We’ve got some nice wins under our belt and we’ve had some tough losses. We’ve had different guys step up. Trevor (Beresford) and Cole (Burkett) have been there for us all year but we’ve also had guys like sophomore Lance Hartley score 20 points several times and record several double-doubles. Colson Wichterman has had several 20-point games and he’s come up with some big 3-pointers for us. Connor Powell is pretty consistent in regards to points and rebounds. He really helps us on the defensive end, too. Chris McCauley is our spark plug. He had one of his best games in the OVAC Championship and he gives us a spark on offense and defense. Nathan Haeberle has come off the bench and he’s hit a couple of big 3s for us. He’s really improved on the defensive end and he’s starting to attack the basket. He’s a really good passer, too. I’m just really pleased with our first seven.”

The winner of Cameron and St. Joseph’s will take on the winner of unbeaten and top-ranked James Monroe and No. 8 Madonna on Thursday at 7:15 p.m.