Raiderettes fall in district semifinals

By Jeff Neal | Lynchburg Times Contributing Writer

EAGLEVILLE — The Moore County Raiderettes found life on the road tough as they dropped a 43-30 decision to Eagleville in the district tourney semifinals Tuesday night.

“The more aggressive team that gets to the free throw line usually wins the game. They are a good team. We were frustrated because we did not shoot well,” Moore County Head Coach Herb Horton said.

The Eagleville’s 2-3 zone defense affected Moore County early. They went over six minutes before finally getting on the board. The difference maker was Eagleville freshman post player Cadence Chapman. She rebounded the ball, altered and blocked shots, and scored four points as well as managing several rebounds against Chloe Brazier down low.

Eagleville built up a 20-11 halftime lead as foul problems became an issue for the Raiderettes. Charlotte Ray and Maecy Fletcher each picked up a pair of fouls in the first quarter. In the ball game, refs called 37 total fouls and 23 were whistled against Moore County. Eagleville had 32 free throw attempts to the Raiderettes 10. Eagleville only outscored Moore County by 10, 15-5 at the stripe.

In the second half, Eagleville went over six minutes without a point and the Raiderettes responded by cutting the lead to 26-21. It was the closest they would come. The Eagles scored nine straight points going up by 14 at 35-21. Late in the game, Ray eventually fouled out and several players continued to play with three or four fouls.

Robin Smedley led the Raiderettes with 7 points. Charlotte Ray and Olivia Richards followed with 6 each. Erica Clifton managed 4 points. Madison Floyd scored 3 points. Chloe Brazier and Jayden Lee swished a basket each. Haylee Ferguson led the Eagles with 11 points.

The Raiderettes play Fayetteville City at home on Wednesday, February 24 in an attempt to earn the three seed for the upcoming region tournament. Tip off is at 7 p.m. •

{The Lynchburg Times is an independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg, 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.}