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Lincoln County High School basketball fans anxious for the start of a new season will have to wait another month with the tipoffs for the Lady Patriots and Patriots set for Dec. 2 and Dec. 3.

However, that doesn’t mean they’ll have to wait a month to get a glimpse of the 2019-20 squads, with the annual Meet the Patriots basketball kickoff/fundraiser set for Saturday, Nov. 2 at LCHS.

The event begins with a chili and soup supper from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the upper gym lobby.

Tickets are $10 and include admission to the chili and soup supper and the Meet the Patriots event. Tickets may be purchased from any Lady Patriot or Patriot basketball player. They will also be available at the door.

There will be a silent auction followed by a live auction in the J.C. Eddleman Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Lady Patriot coach Cassandra McWhorter and Patriot coach Jeff Jackson will introduce their squads immediately following the live auction.

The Patriots are coming off a 23-13 season where they claimed both the 45th District and 12th Region titles to earn a trip to the Sweet 16 State Tournament. The season ended in a first-round loss to Madisonville-North Hopkins. The 2019-20 season tips off on Dec. 3 at Lafayette.

Key players returning from last season include seniors Riley Bodner, Elijah Frye and Bryston Alcorn, junior Baylor Mattingly and sophomore Jaxon Smith. Other returning players from last year’s varsity roster are senior Preston Durham, juniors Rodney Alcorn, Cade Jenkins and Brady Weaver, and sophomores Lee Amon, Clayton Davis, Colin Green and Cruise Wilson.

The Lady Patriots finished at 24-7 last year, ending the season with their fifth straight 45th District title. They bowed out of the 12th Region Tournament in the semifinals to eventual region champ and state runner-up Southwestern. The Lady Pats open their 2019-20 campaign on Dec. 2, playing host to South Laurel.

Back for her final season is starter Trinity Shearer, a senior. Other returning players with significant varsity experience are senior Lydia Rice and junior Haleigh Releford. Returning players from last year’s varsity roster are junior Savannah Robbins, sophomores Haleigh Ellison, Abby Lane, Ally Lynn, Claudia Padgett and Alyvia Taylor, freshman Chloe Ralston and eighth-grader Talynne Shearer.