The East Jackson Eagles and Lady Eagles basketball teams are gearing up for another strong season, starting with tournament play at home on Saturday.
East Jackson will host the Wing Slingers Tip-Off tournament beginning Saturday and continuing Nov. 23, 24 and 28.
From there, both teams will go on to host Jackson County on Dec. 4 and then travel to Oconee County on Dec. 5, before returning to host Riverside on Dec. 8.
The Eagles made their first appearance in AA state tournament play last season, going 15-14 overall in the 2008-09 season, and 10-4 in the region.
Also during the 2008-09 season, the Lady Eagles made it to the first round of region tournament play, falling to Rabun County.
That brought to an end a season that saw the Lady Eagles go 9-18 overall and 4-8 in the region.
But a new season brings new hopes and new challenges.
Boys’ coach Brian Turner says he will play some of his younger guys to start out while his varsity players wrap up the football season.
“The first part of the season could be a struggle for us as we try to learn an entirely new offense, especially with us being so young and losing practice time because of the football playoffs.”
“But that is completely fine by me, as I hope to not see the football players for several more weeks,” Turner added.
The Lady Eagles have several returning upperclassmen, including juniors Abby Adams, Mikki McGinnis and Caroline Hicks, along with seniors Shelby Johnson and Callie Moore.
Some new upperclassmen will be on the court as well, including junior Lashundra Gresham and Kyra Cox.
The team will also have several younger players to call on, including freshman Hannah Jackson, and sophomores Keilee Smith, Taylor Patrick, Karla Dodd and Allison Edenfield.
“I feel very optimistic about the season based on the first two weeks of practice,” said Lady Eagles’ coach Amy Larimer. “The girls have been extremely focused and have retained much more than anticipated, allowing us to move quicker than usual. I have five returning upperclassmen that are very experienced and great leaders. I also have some new upperclassmen that I believe will help us tremendously. The younger girls are improving and learning and will be able to step in when asked.”
