CCHS basketball ready to go

By TONY STINNETT Courier Sports Editor

Months of offseason workouts and preparing for the 2013-14 season will come to a head for basketball players at Cannon County this week.

The Lionettes and Lions open the season at home with two games each Tuesday. They also have a pair of games Friday.

The Lionettes open the season against Rhea County at Robert A. Harris Gymnasium Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. They also face Grundy County at CCHS Tuesday at 6 p.m.

The Lions will begin play against Grundy County at CCHS Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., and they will get their second test later that night against Boyd Christian at 7:30 p.m.

The games are considered Hall of Fame games by the TSSAA. Results for the games do count.

“Hall of Fame games are basically an opportunity to get some work in before the ‘regular season’ begins,” Lionettes Head Coach Michael Dodgen said. “It gives you a chance to play in front of crowds, with officials and against another team before we jump into the regular season.”

The Lions will have a new look with several seniors graduating from last year; however, many of the faces will be familiar ones as several sophomore and juniors, along with solid senior leadership, have revealed the potential for a strong season.

“We have played hard in the preseason and we have had some good results,” Lions Head Coach Matt Rigsby said. “Because you play a lot of players and different combinations in these scrimmages you may not get a true barometer of guys on the floor playing several minutes together, but we like what we have seen from most of the players to this point.”

Both teams will cap a busy week Friday. The Lionettes face Sale Creek (3:30 p.m.) and Van Buren (6:30 p.m.) at Van Buren High. The Lions face Sale Creek (5 p.m.) and Van Buren (8 p.m.).