By Tabitha Evans Moore
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — For three periods Monday night, the Moore County Raiders and Cascade couldn’t shake each other. Neither team led by more than a single point at any break.
Then the Raiders found another gear.
Moore County outscored Cascade 14-8 in the fourth period to pull away for a 41-34 win on Monday night in Lynchburg.
Max Dickey led the Raiders with 14 points, scoring in every period and hitting both of his free throws. Sawyer Boyce added 10, six of them in the decisive fourth period.
Brantly Chapin finished with eight points, splitting them evenly between the second and fourth periods, and Grayson Hill added seven. Laken Wade rounded out the scoring with a third-period basket.
Cascade jumped out to an 11-10 lead after the first period, but the Raiders edged ahead 20-19 by halftime. The third period was a 7-7 standoff that left Moore County clinging to a 27-26 edge heading into the final period.
That’s when the Raiders’ balance showed. Four different players scored in the fourth, with Boyce, Chapin, Hill and Dickey combining for 14 points while the Raider defense held Cascade to eight.
Moore County did its damage inside. All 19 of the Raiders’ field goals came from inside the arc, while Cascade relied on three 3-pointers to stay close. Cascade’s leading scorer, Piercen McGee, matched Dickey with 14 points, including two 3-point shots.
Neither team found much luck at the free-throw line. The Raiders went 3-of-8, and Cascade made just 3 of its 11 attempts.
Max Dickey led Moore County with 14, followed closely by Sawyer Boyce with 10. Brantly Chapin scored 8, and Grayson Hill added 7. Laken Wade contributed 2.
“This is a special group, and I’m excited about what we can accomplish together this season,” Coach Kinsley Jennings said after the game. “Our intensity on the defensive end is what truly fuels us.”
Coach Jennings also said getting a win on the first game of the season showed how hard this group of players had worked leading up to game one.
“MC has a bright future, and I’m proud of the way these kids continue to work and compete.”
Moore County Middle School will travel to Fayetteville on Thursday for a match up with the Tigers. JV girls start at 4 p.m. followed by the JV boys squad. The varsity girls tip off at 6 p.m. with the Raiders to follow. •
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