CELINA-The Clay County High School basketball season will tip off Thursday here inside Joe Sims Gym, as both the Dawgs and Lady Dawgs host Watertown for TSSAA Hall of Champions play.

The home doubleheader will begin with the girls game at 6 p.m. and the boys contest will follow.

The teams were also set to travel to Jellico Saturday for a noon (1 p.m. EST) tip, before returning home next Tuesday for contests with Van Buren County.

Both CCHS squads advanced to the Class A Sectional round last season and were one win away from making the State Tournament.

The girls fell in the Sweet 16 round to Copper Basin, and the boys’ season came to an end at the hands of eventual Class A State Champion Chattanooga Prep.

The Lady Dawgs finished 16-15 last year, while the Dawgs had a 20-9 campaign in 2024-25.

This year, the Clay County girls were picked to finish tied for third place with Clarkrange in the District 7-A Preseason Coaches Poll behind Jackson County (#1) and Pickett County (#2).

On the boys side, Clay County was picked to finish in the fourth spot, with Jackson County (#1), Pickett County (#2), and Clarkrange (#3) ahead of them.

Red Boiling Springs was projected to finish fifth in both preseason polls.