High school basketball fans still have about another month or slightly less before they will begin filing into the local gymnasiums to watch and cheer on our Clinton County High School squads on the hardwood.

Fans will be afforded an early chance to whet their roundball appetites this Saturday night, however, when some older but very familiar faces will play the game in a Clinton County and Cumberland County Alumni Basketball matchup.

Slated for a two-game lineup in Clinton County’s Lindle Castle Gymnasium with the first getting underway at 7:00 p.m., the night is a fundraising opportunity for the Clinton County High School boys’ varsity basketball program and the Cumberland County High School Project Graduation effort.

A similar game is being organized to be played at Cumberland County High School in the spring of 2022.

Event organizers Christy Stearns, with the CCHS Basketball Boosters Club, and head boys’ coach Todd Messer, told the Clinton County News this week that the Alumni Games will feature lineups from two eras, teams made up of players who graduated in 2013 and earlier in the first game.

Players from the class of 2014 and later will be featured in the second matchup of the evening.

Both games will involve two 20 minute halves of basketball with a running clock in each game.

Admission to what is surely to be a fun night of basketball action will be $5 and concessions will be sold.

“The Battle of the Paws” as the Alumni Game is being billed, has a full lineup of players registered to hit the hardwood from both groups.

Coaching of the squads, if necessary, will also see a couple of familiar faces on the bench, with Clinton County being led by former head coach and current assistant coach Mike Beard, while Cumberland County players will be taking instruction from former Panther head coaches David Wells and Glenn Murphy.

Fans attending Saturday’s night of basketball are urged to search out and wear letter jackets in the stands, if available and if possible, or if getting them on is not an option, at least carry them with you to indicate your year of graduation from either CCHS.

A partial list of players from the Clinton County lineup will include: Lucas Thacker (97), Jared Latham (07), John Papineau (07), Steven Conner (09), Dillon Flowers (09), Brent Durham (10), Wayne Stearns (12), Ethan Cook (13), Colby Langford (14), Parker Means (14), Chance McWhorter (15), Chase Anderson (15), Lance Claywell (15), Chad Smith (16), Caleb York (16), Jamison Summers (17), Colin Langford (17), Michael Fulton (18), Jaxon Hadley (18), Seth Stockton (19)_, Noah Pruitt (19), and Chase Stines (20).

The Cumberland County squads will feature: Craig Coe (92), Sean Eric Spears (18), Juvan Maxey (14), T.C. Staton (06), Jamie Allen (05), Grant Thrasher (20), Cameron Patterson (20), Chase Patterson (18), Sam Rice (19), Isaiah Dyer (18), Coy Pruitt (19), Andrew Perdue (14), Billy Messenger (18), Tyler Sewell (13), John Webb (09), Dakota Cowles (17), Cedric Owsley (13), Justin Branham (99), Grayson Booher (18), Sean Jessee (17), Steve Allen (00), Landum McIntyre (12), and Elijadah Anderson (17).