The Warren Central boys’ basketball team will kick off the Region 4 Tournament against District 13 runner-up Franklin-Simpson at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Warren Central (23-3) comes in the favorites to win the region, ranked No. 1 in the Daily News Area Top 10 all season, facing a Franklin-Simpson team it has defeated nine straight times. Still, head coach Will Unseld cautions the Dragons can take nothing for granted, pointing to last year’s first-round upset to Barren County in the Region 4 tournament.

Franklin-Simpson (9-15) upset Russellville in the District 13 tournament before falling to Logan County in the title game.

“Definitely humble,” Unseld said. “I think anything can happen in that setting. I think we will be more mentally prepared for this game. I think the lights got us last year. We had a lot of guys that had never been on that floor and even in warmups you could tell it was going to be a struggle.

“It’s a new group, different team, but a lot of those guys have been on the floor now so I think they will handle that part better. We still have to go and compete. (Franklin-Simpson) coach Dee Spencer does a great job with his team.”

Unseld added the continued play of his defense, which has held opponents to 83 points combined in the district tournament, will be a big factor in how far Warren Central advances in the postseason.

“Our defense, that is what we’ve hung our hat on all year,” Unseld said. “We’ve beat some really good teams just because of our defense. Then last night (in the district tournament) we have a stretch where our offense is playing the same as the defense and we stretched it out. That’s when we are really dangerous.”

Tuesday’s second game features District 16 champion Clinton County (25-4) against District 15 runner-up Barren County (18-13). The Bulldogs beat Barren County 59-49 on Feb. 13 and eliminated the Trojans in last year’s region semifinal.

With a win against Franklin-Simpson, the Dragons will either face a Barren County that ended WCHS’s season last year or a Clinton County team that has been ranked No. 2 in the Area Top 10 all season.

“If we can get that far, but for me I am just looking at Franklin-Simpson,” Unseld said. “Both of those teams are really good. That is going to be a good game, but I am concentrating on Franklin-Simpson.”

South Warren (17-10) will begin its first ever Region 4 tournament facing District 13 champion Logan County (20-10) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams were scheduled to meet in the regular season, but the game was cancelled due to inclement weather. South Warren has won nine straight in the series, including an 11-point victory last season.

“It was going to be a tough matchup with anybody that we picked up,” South Warren coach Carlos Quarles said. “They are well-coached. They are a district champion. They’ve done a great job, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

The Spartans will play in Diddle Arena for the first time, but Quarles said he doesn’t anticipate his team will be overwhelmed by the atmosphere — adding preparation will be the key.

“The biggest thing is to have a good warmup and get used to the backdrop,” Quarles said. “I think if we guard initially in the first part of the game we will get used to the flow. I think we will be fine after that.”

The final first-round matchup will see District 15 champion Glasgow (18-12) face District 16 runner-up Monroe County (17-12). The Falcons beat Glasgow 49-48 in Monroe County on Feb. 10.

The semifinals are scheduled for March 9, with the championship game slated for 6 p.m. on March 10.