FOXBORO -- It's time for girls' basketball at Mass. Premier Courts in Foxboro, and it's easy to tell one team from the other.

Players on one side are dressed in the traditional way -- wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts with their hair tied in pony tails.

Players on the other side wear ankle-length sport pants and long-sleeved shirts, and cover their hair with scarves.

It's the Christians of New Testament School in Norton versus the Muslims of Al-Noor Academy in Mansfield, but on the court they're all just kids playing a game to win.

Friday was the first time the two schools played each other in an informal basketball league of boys' and girls' teams from private and mostly Christian schools. Al-Noor, the only Muslim school of the group, moved from Quincy to Mansfield last March and is now in its first basketball season of 11 games against schools in various parts of the state.

The faith differences don't matter, said Al-Noor Athletic Director Aminah Muhammad.

`` We just want to play,'' she said, and the school therefore took advantage of the opportunity to be part of the league.

It's a chance for teens of two different faiths to get to know each other, but the court is hardly the only place that happens. Players on both the boys' and girls' teams said they have many Christian friends, and their religion is never an issue.

`` I have friends and neighbors from different faiths, people from all over the world,'' said Al-Noor basketball player Sarah Mortada of Foxboro.

Jibril Nier, an Al-Noor sophomore from Cambridge and member of the boys' team, said the games are not a case of Muslims versus Christians.

`` We're just opponents,'' Nier said. `` About 95 percent of my friends are Christians.''

The players on some of the teams, including Al-Noor and New Testament, also get to know each other well before the games take place because they all practice at Premier Courts.

Al-Noor girls' Coach Halima Khan said the Muslim and Christian players actually have more in common with each other than with teens from public schools because their education is faith-based, and so are their homes, which are likely stricter.

But before the first game earlier in the season, Khan said some of her players, especially those who are used to a totally Muslim environment, did wonder how the players on the other team would react to them. `` They thought maybe they would be looked at differently,'' Khan said.

But once on the court, they found the other players to be friendly and accepting.

`` We're all created the same,'' said New Testament Coach and Athletic Director Jim Shruhan.

He said the players from his school learn about other faiths as part of Bible study classes so they have some understanding of Muslim practices. They also have gotten to know some of the Al-Noor players at practice sessions, he said.

Players from other teams do sometimes ask about the Muslim school and the dress requirements, Mortada said. When they do, she is happy to explain.

For Muslim women, covering most of the body is a sign of modesty, Muhammad said. From the age of puberty on, women are encouraged to expose only their hands and face in public. For that reason, she said, the girls wear long clothing, even to play basketball, and cover their hair. Boys, on the other hand, are only required to cover themselves from their neck to their knees, so they usually wear traditional basketball uniforms.

It may seem to a non-Muslim woman like a scarf would be an annoyance, especially while playing sports, but Muhammad said after wearing a head covering for years, it would be more of an annoyance not to wear it.

`` I've been wearing it since seventh grade,'' said one of the players, senior Fatimah Aboubakr of Franklin. `` I don't even feel it.''

The scarf doesn't get in the way of playing the game, she said, and if it slips a bit, she simply pushes it back in place.

Covering her hair wasn't as easy when she was younger, Aboubakr said, and seeing the stares of others was difficult. But she got used to it, and now understands the reasons why the scarf is worn.

It has become more than just a mark of modesty, she said.

`` I feel more protected,'' Aboubakr said. `` I get more respect.''

Muhammad said women make the decision for themselves, depending on the cultural practices of their country.

`` It is always the woman's choice,'' she said. `` It is not forced on you.''

But at Al-Noor, the head covering is part of the uniform, and therefore required.

It was evident at Premier Courts not only among the players, but also among the many fans, mostly female students and faculty members who cheered their lungs out until the final buzzer. This time, the Christians won, but Al-Noor will get eight more chances against other schools before the season ends.

GLORIA LaBOUNTY can be reached at 508-236-0333 or at glabounty@thesunchronicle.com.