The Dallas County High School Lady Hornets basketball team is preparing to hit the court against a pair of opponents on Saturday.

The Lady Hornets will host their Tip-Off Invitational on Saturday at the Dallas County gym starting at 4 p.m., with opponents West Blocton and Jackson High School attending.

Charles Thompson, head girls basketball coach of Dallas County High School, said the invitational is a good way to expose the players to different playing styles early in the year, which could help the Lady Hornets down the road later in the season.

“You want to play different styles of schools. Jackson is a 5A school and West Blocton is a 4A school,” Thompson said, “so you want to kind of get a feel of what type of competition you could possibly be playing during the regular season.

“You want to get an early start. We’re a little inexperienced, but this allows us to see what we need to build on.”

While last season’s team finished in the sub-regionals, Thompson said the Lady Hornets are off to a good start in practices, but still have much to learn.

“It’s been pretty good. Like I said, we’re trying to take something and build on it every day, but it’s been pretty good,” Thompson said. “We’re a little inexperienced, but we’re happy, yet not satisfied with what we’re doing right now.”