One more big meal, then we throw up the rock

Depending on family traditions, we have one big meal – maybe two – in front of us to finish out this week and the better part of November before we tear off another calendar sheet next week and move into December, and with that, the start of the 2015-16 high school basketball season.

There was a time many years ago when we would have a half-dozen games already behind us by the time we hit Thanksgiving, but the powers that be decided several years ago that getting roundball underway in early to mid November while football was still going on was just too much.

Thus – we don’t get basketball action until December.

As I mentioned last week, both our Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs get things started together with back to back to back double header outings next week, traveling to Casey County on Tuesday night, December 1, with a girls’ tip off slated for 5:30 p.m., followed by the first home game on Friday night, December 4, when we play host to Franklin-Simpson with a 6:00 p.m. tip off for the ladies.

Then on Saturday, we head west to Bowling Green where both teams will take on Warren East with a 5:00 p.m. tip for the girls.

Breaking down the schedule that we’ll be following for the next four months or so, we’ll be watching 16 nights of double-header action, nine of which are away dates leaving seven in the Castle. The rest of the season’s action is a split of JV/V games, single appearance varsity games or tournament appearances.

Of course the holiday break is slammed with holiday tournament appearances, with both our Lady Dawgs and Dawgs hosting their own events here as well as traveling to a holiday classic on the road.

Then, of course, after a short stretch of regular season games, we make a run at the All “A” Classic field with hopes of advancing to Frankfort and the state tournament again in late January.

As January ends and February rolls around, it’s back to regular season action and, of course, thoughts that are turning to the post-season run in late February and early March.

Just how much of those basketball outings are actually realized of course will once again depend on what Mother Nature throws our way this winter.

Included in this week’s Clinton County News is our annual pre-season look at the teams, players, coaches and cheerleaders.

Hope you enjoy the early look at players, teams and coaches we will be watching this year on the hardwood and the early insight from the coaches as to what we can expect when we do hit the bleachers.

I think this might be one of our very best Big Blue Preview sections and giving credit where credit is due, I have to point to Brett Gibson for the photo, journalism and layout work, and staff members Amanda Sharpe and Teresa Wade for the advertising sales and layout work.

Hope you enjoy this year’s Big Blue Preview, and I’ll see you in the gym next week.