LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — If you win every period, you win the game. That’s the story of Friday night’s district game between the Moore County Raiderettes and the Eagleville Lady Eagles. Moore County jumped out to a 18-15 first period lead and maintained that lead through four quarters to earn a 70-53 road win.
The Raiderettes came into the district match up fresh off a messy loss at Fayetteville. In that district game, the Lady Tigers used 23 points from the foul line to lift them to a 62-43 victory over Moore County. {To read our complete coverage of that game, click here.} The Lady Eagles came into the game off a 74-29 non-district game against Hampshire.
Moore County still sent Lady Eagle shooter to the line 31 times for 22 charity stripe points on Friday but used double-digit scoring from Paisley Logan, Ellie Graham, and Madison Dingler to lift them to a 18 point win.
Raiderettes lead by seven at the end of the first half
On Friday, the Raiderettes started out their night with a 3-point shot by Ellie Graham and a steal with the layup by Madison Dingler to give Moore County a quick 5-0 lead. Dingler followed several possessions later with a trey to give them an eight point lead. They held the Lady Eagles scoreless until around the four minute mark when the Eagles Eliza McClaran made a put-back basket to get Eagleville on the board. Moore County answered with a trey by Anna Harder – prompting a quick time out by the Eagle’s Coach.
Out of the break, the Eagle’s McClaran made a three that Paisley Logan quickly answered with a jumper. Moore County fouled on the next Eagles possession sending Isabella Sawyer to the line. She hit both to make it Eagles 7, Moore County 13 with a little over three minutes to play in the first. Moore County turned over the ball, then Ellie Graham blocked a fast break shot by McClaran. However, the Eagles maintained possession, and Moore County sent Sawyer to the line. She hit both again.
The two teams traded turnovers then, on the Moore County side of the court, Emma Sazonov dished to Ellie Graham, who hit a jumper for two points. The Eagles turned the ball over again on the next play and Graham went inside for two more to give Moore County a four point lead. One possession later, the Eagles sent Katie Fletcher to the line. She hit one of two to make it 15-9.
The Eagles’ Brinli Bain made a basket underneath to pull back within five points with a little over a minute to play in the first period. Maecy Fletcher then muscled her way underneath – drawing the foul. She hit both to make it 18-11. Eliza McClaran answered with a 3-point shot. Then following a turnover, Moore County sent McClaran back to the line with one second remaining. She hit one of two. At the end of the first period, Moore County led 18-15. Moore County earned six fouls in the first stanza and Eagleville got called for three.
Eagleville started off the second period scoring with an off-the-backboard basket by Rylee Warbritton to quickly pull the Lady Eagles within one. Then, Makenzie Goodwin came off the bench and answered with a trey to build the lead back to four points. Moore County made it a five-point run with an Ellie Graham jumper. Graham added a bucket and an and-one basket one play later to build the Raiderette lead to nine. McClaran finally got the Lady Eagle offense going again with a shot underneath prompting a quick Moore County time out.
Following the break, the Lady Eagles put together their own five-point run to pull back within three with 2:32 remaining in the half. Audrey Harder broke the streak when she muscled underneath for two points. One of two sister acts on the Moore County team, Audrey’s twin Anna Harder scored a trey on the next Raiderette possession to make it Moore County 31, Lady Eagles 25 with a little over a minute to play in the first half.
Moore County called a time out with 52 seconds on the first half clock, then following a pair of turnovers, Katie Fletcher scored the last Raiderette points of the first half. Moore County went into the locker room ahead by seven, 33-26.
Moore County used two treys by Paisley Logan, two from the line by Katie Fletcher, and baskets by Audrey Harder and Anna Harder as well as Ellie Graham to outscore the Lady Eagles 16-11 in the third period. Five of the Lady Eagles third period points came from the line.
The trend continued in the final stanza. Moore County shot 21 in the final period and held the Lady Eagles to 16, including nine from the free throw line. The final score was Moore County 70, Eagleville 53.
Graham, Logan, and Dingler all scored double digits
Ellie Graham led for Moore County with 16 points followed by two other double-digit scorers, Paisley Logan with 13 points and Madison Dingler with 11. Other contributing Raiderettes were: Audrey Harder and Anna Harder (8 points each), Katy Fletcher (7), Maecy Fletcher (4), and Makenzie Goodwin (3). Brinli Bain led for Eagleville with 14 points followed closely by Eliza McClaran with 13 points.
Moore County scored 32 from the floor and another 21 from the perimeter. They shot 17 of 21 (81 percent from the line). Eagleville swished 22 from the floor and added nine more points from the perimeter. They were 22 of 31 (71 percent) from the line.
The win gives Moore County a 4-3 District 9A record and sets the stage to a high-stakes final regular season game against Cornersville on Tuesday in Lynchburg. Moore County currently sits tied with Huntland for first place as they split their regular season games. Huntland beat Moore County 46-39 on January 10 and the Raiderettes earned a narrow one-point victory over the Lady Hornets in the rematch on January 27. Both Huntland, Moore County, and Fayetteville all enter the final week of regular season play with four district wins. Cornersville and Eagleville will play a make up game on Monday with district implications.
The Cornersville Lady Bulldogs will travel to Lynchburg as the current fourth place team with a 3-3 record. Huntland will play Eagleville on Tuesday and Fayetteville has completed district play. •
{The Lynchburg Times is an independently-owned, community newspaper located in Lynchburg, Tennessee the home of The Jack Daniel Distillery. We focus on public service, non-partisan, rural journalism. We cover the Metro Moore County government, local tourism, Moore County schools, high school sports, Motlow State Community College, as well as whiskey industry news and regional and state stories that affect our readers.}