LOCAL SPORTS — It rained three point shots in Lynchburg on Friday in Moore County’s district home opener against Cornersville. The Lady Bulldogs, clearly a perimeter team, scored all but two of their first half points from the outside. Not to be outdone, nine Raiderettes — including five freshmen — swished treys of their own. In fact, 30 of the Raiderettes total points came from the perimeter.

The scoring onslaught ended up being way too much for the visiting Lady Bulldogs. At the end of four, the final score was 61-26. The win lifts Moore County to a 3-1 District 8 record and second place behind still perfect Huntland (4-0). The loss drops the Lady Bulldogs to 1-3 and tied for last place with Eagleville and Fayetteville.

Raiderettes needed a win to advance in district rankings

The Raiderettes (14-7, 2-1) and Lady Bulldogs (6-7, 1-2) faced off for the first time in the 2021-22 season on Friday. Moore County came into the game fresh off a 59-52 victory over Eagleville last Tuesday. Moore County took control early in that game, and despite second half foul trouble, maintained the lead for the entire game. Chloe Brazier led against Eagleville with 23 points followed by Olivia Richards with 14. That win allowed Moore County to edge up to second place in the District 8A rankings behind Huntland. {To read our complete coverage of that game, click here.}

Cornersville narrowly edged the Lady Eagles on January 14 by a final score of 31-30. A win over the Raiderettes would tie the two teams for second place in the district standing with 2-2 records, so the stakes were high for Friday’s home game.

Raiderettes pull ahead in the second and never look back

Cornersville stayed close to the Raiderettes in the first period thanks to their three point shooting. The Lady Bulldogs made four total first period baskets, three of them from the perimeter. Ellie Graham got Moore County on the boards first with an easy layup thanks to a dish by Katy Fletcher. Cornersville turned over the ball on their next possession, then Katy Fletcher drilled the first three of the night on the next play. Graham hit another layup on the next Moore County possession. The two freshman went on a three unanswered scores run to get Moore County up 7-0.

Defensively, Moore County played aggressive setting solid screens and harassing Lady Bulldog dribblers to keep them outside. Senior Charlotte Ray seemed to be all over the court blocking shots and stealing balls. Cornersville scored their first points of the game from the three point line around the five minute mark to make is 7-3. Graham then added another basket and Cornersville answered with two consecutive treys to ties the game 9-9. It was as close as they ever get. Olivia Richards and Erica Clifton also hit first period threes to lift Moore County to 15.

Moore County led by six at the end of the first period and built the lead to 11 by halftime. Moore County went into the break leading 27-16.

Perimeter shots stopped falling for the Lady Bulldogs and the Raiderettes defense heated up in the second half. Cornersville scored just five points in both the third and fourth periods. Raiderettes Head Coach Chad Spencer sent in his freshman midway through the fourth period and they never flinched. The Raiderettes put up 23 fourth period points.

Three Raiderettes score double digit points

Freshman Ellie Graham led in total points with 17 followed by senior Olivia Richards and freshman Katy Fletcher with 10 points each. Junior Erica Clifton added three more and senior Charlotte Ray and junior Maecy Fletcher added a basket each. Ray really stood out on defense where she managed several steals that led to Raiderette points. Five players came off the bench and put points on the board. Freshman Madison Dingler scored five. Junior Paisley Logan, freshman Emma Sazonov, freshman Audrey Harder, and senior Breana Burns all hit treys in the game.

The Raiderettes will play the second straight district home game next Friday against the Huntland Lady Hornets. The game is crucial for the Raiderettes, as a win over the Lady Hornets could tie them in the district rankings with the District 8A tournament approaching. Tip off will happen at 6 p.m. For those who can’t attend in person, the Moore County Sports Network will broadcast on the NFHS Network or you can get live score updates throughout the game at The Lynchburg Times Facebook page. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only locally-owned newspaper in Lynchburg and also the only woman-owned newspaper in Tennessee. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}