CCHS hoop teams tip off season this week

High school hoops season tips off its 2018-2019 campaign with the traditional TSSAA Hall Of Fame games week. Two are on tap for Cannon County as they open the season Tuesday at Robert A. Harris Gymnasium at home against the Shelbyville Golden Eagles basketball teams.

The Cannon County Lionettes has the luxury of experience coming back. Fans have seen talented juniors of Madison Gaither, Kristin Fann, Anna Grace Sissom, Taylor Meeks, and Jessie Kauffman grow in the past two seasons.

The lone senior, Tori Knox, will help them, providing leadership, and a talented bench will provide depth, meaning the Lionettes could be in the mix this season for one of the top spots in the district 8-AA race.

Starting the season schedule Tuesday night is Shelbyville. A team that had history back in the 80s and 90s for being the top team not only in the state but also in the country. While those days may be long over, the Golden Eaglettes are coming off a 17-12 season. They've been able to reach 20 wins for several seasons prior and the last time they had a losing season was back in 2012-2013. That was also the last time these two teams met with the Lionettes scoring a 46-41 win in Woodbury.

The Lions are continuing to rebuild. Senior Brandon Miles has developed into a true leader with the ability to continue his basketball career on the next level. Freshman Gus Davenport has emerged as one of the players to watch. If he and junior Wade Love can bring back the chemistry they exhibited when they both played together at Westside, they should be able to give the Lions a few highlights to remember.

The Shelbyville Golden Eagles are also rebuilding. The process is slow coming off two consecutive one win seasons. The Golden Eagles hope to come into Woodbury and get a road victory in their first game to try to turn things around for the basketball program. It will still be a challenging contest for Cannon as they continue to adapt and several players on the team have little or no experience playing on the varsity level but they have the athletic skills that will allow them to compete and grow with each game played.

This Saturday, the Cannon teams head to Tullahoma for a couple of afternoon contests beginning at 12 noon.