The Montezuma-Cortez High School basketball teams will get a police and fire escort out of town 9 a.m. Thursday as they travel to the state regional tournaments in Yuma and Meeker.

The lineup for the escort will start at 8:45 a.m., and the escort will begin at 9 a.m. The escort by Cortez Police Department and the Cortez Fire Protection District will drive south on South Sligo Street, then take East Seventh Street to South Broadway.

Members of the community are encouraged to participate in the escort with signs, honking and words of encouragement.

Tournament play begins Friday night.

The girls team qualified for the tournament bracket for the first time in 15 years, coming in as the No. 12 seed. In Round 1, they will play No. 21 Meeker at 7:30 p.m. Friday. If they win, they would play No. 5 Yuma or No. 28 Brush in Round 2 at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The boys team is the No. 23 seed, and they will play No. 10 Banning Lewis Academy at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Meeker High School. If they win Round 1, they would advance in the bracket to play No. 7 Meeker or No. 26 Florence at 1 p.m. Saturday

If either team wins twice, they will secure a spot in the state quarterfinals March 7-9 at the University of Denver.