CONYERS — Both of the basketball teams at Heritage are facing similar situations heading into the season.

Each has to replace a lot of talent and leadership while hoping to turn a probable transition year into a surprise postseason berth.

The Lady Patriots lost all four guards from last season’s team that finished 13-11, namely Sarah Herrington, Jasmine Middlebrooks and Zaneta Gray.

Coach Dave LaBarrie is hoping a pair of juniors — Taylor McKibbens and Truvanni Sims — can make the transition to playing heavy varsity minutes after serving smaller bench roles last year.

“I’m hoping that McKibbens, I’m hoping that she steps up as one of the guards,” said LaBarrie, in his fourth year as head girls coach. “(McKibbens and) Sims, those two did not play a lot of varsity last year ... and we’re hoping they can step up and fill some of the gaps.”

The frontcourt is a bit more certain. Of last year’s top six rotation, three forwards return in 5-foot-11 Jana Dixon, Shaddai Wiggs, the team’s only seniors, and Truvanni Sims’ sister, Geovanni.

LaBarrie is hoping that experience, along with the maturation of McKibbens and Truvanni Sims and contributions from players like sophomore guard Breanna Mitchell will help the Lady Patriots secure a winning season for the fourth consecutive year and the program’s first playoff appearance since 2007-08.

“I think this is going to be a real blue-collar team. They’re going to work hard,” LaBarrie said. “This team has worked hard in practice (more) than any of the teams I’ve had the last three years. I only have two seniors so it’s pretty much (an) underclassmen team. And there’s high expectations because they had three winning seasons under me. They don’t want to be the team that doesn’t have a winning season.”

The Heritage boys are looking to complete what has been a successful decade but will have to do it without all five starters from last season’s playoff team.

Leading scorer Shakeem Mitchell and Austin Murray are both at Emmanuel College, while 6-foot-8 center Justin Jones accepted a football scholarship at East Carolina. Meanwhile, Garry Peters, another starter during a 19-10 season, is not back, and guard Miles Harris transferred to Tucker. That’s a lot for coach Ron Bradley to replace in the always-competitive Region 8-AAAA.

“All five starters gone,” Bradley said. “(But) we’ve got an enthusiastic group ... it’s a young team, don’t have a lot of size, but we’re working hard to be fundamentally sound and have a team discipline that will help us compete.”

There should plenty of competition for the guard and wing positions. Doug Butler, one of only two seniors along with post player Rique Denson, is a front-runner to start at one of the back court spots.

Junior Twon Wade, sophomore Charles Moore and freshman Deuntrae Jackson give Bradley depth. The front court, though painfully undersized (the tallest player is 6-foot-6 Ron Foxx), has potential with juniors Jelani Archer and Dezan Gibby.

“It’s a new crowd, and most of these guys are going to be playing more than one year, so they’re going to be around a while,” Bradley said. “I’m real anxious to see them play and see what our personality is going to be. (It is) sort of like opening a Christmas present, you might guess what you got, but until you get inside you don’t know what you got.”