Homestead’s quest for a Summit Athletic Conference championship follows a script they’ve been seeing all season.

Going head first, toe to toe with tough teams that challenge the very makeup of the top-ranked Spartans (21-0, 8-0 SAC).

They’ll get another of those teams Friday.

This time, it’s a familiar nemesis, Carroll (15-4, 8-0) at Carroll with the winner claiming the conference title.

“We know it’s going to be tough,” Homestead Head Coach Chris Johnson said. “Possessions will be big. We need to value every possession. They have a lot of talent. From now on, the next games are basically championship games. After Carroll it’s win or go home.”

The rivalry is nothing short of a classic. In recent history the game has been decided by five points or less and rarely by more than 10. And, often involves a postseason rematch.

This year could be one of the best games yet.

Johnson predicted, “There won’t be any blow outs, we have to be prepared and we have to be prepared for 32 minutes.”

Carroll averages 58 points per game. They also are netting 26 rebounds, 15 assists and just about 10 turnovers per contest. Homestead has been scoring 78 a contest with 32 rebounds a game and 19 assists with 10 turnovers.

Like Homestead, the Chargers have plenty of punch and depth with Jalen Jackson averaging 20.3 points, eight rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. Teammates Ryan Preston (10 PPG), Sam Stryker (10 PPG, 6.4 RPG) and Cody Burkey (8.1 PPG) contribute plenty for Carroll.

Disciplined and methodical, the Chargers are always looking for the right shot, four players averaging more than 2.5 assists a game.

“They are fundamentally sound,” Johnson said. “They are going to make the right plays. They won’t beat themselves. We have to match that on our own end. Any time we play Carroll it’s going to be a back-and-forth ball game.”

Like Carroll, Homestead has lots of options. Fletcher Loyer (24.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG), University of Illinois commit Luke Goode (20.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 5.4 APG), Grant Simmons (13 PPG, 2.4 APG, 5.3 RPG) and Andrew Leeper (8 PPG, 5.3 RPG) are explosive.

“We’ve played a tough schedule, I feel like our kids are ready,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve seen everything we can possibly see. We need to take care of the basketball and get high percentage shots on the offensive side. On the defensive end, only giving one shot.”

It’s the second time in a week they’ve faced a premier team. The Chargers hung tight, dropping a 43-34 decision Saturday against AP Class 4A No. 2 Carmel. Apart from a 14-6 second quarter, Carroll was able to hang with the Greyhounds.

Homestead remained unbeaten Friday, topping Concordia 88-44.

“They gave Carmel all they could handle,” Johnson said of Carroll.

Leading 22-15 after one quarter, Homestead outscored Concordia 56-24 in the second and third quarter to put the game on ice.

“They played extremely hard. We got the lead and then were able to do what we wanted to do,” Johnson said. “We still have to defend at a higher level. When it gets to the tournament it’s going to be a grind-type game. Now it might be two or three passes, in the tournament every possession is going to be key. We need to work on that.”

Loyer led the Spartans with 28 points and five assists. He connected on 10-of-17 shots — including five three-pointers. Leeper had 17, while Goode and Simmons each scored 14. Goode had 14 rebounds and eight assists.