The Raiders will play their final, regular season home game against the Huntland Hornets tonight (Friday, February 9). It’s a game in which the bottom two teams in District 9A will be playing for a better seed in the upcoming District 9A Tournament to be held in Eagleville beginning next Tuesday.
It will be the second match up of the Raiders and Hornets this season. Moore County beat Huntland 55-52 on January 24 in Franklin County. Moore County jumped out to an early 14-5 lead in that game before Huntland battled back to within one-point at the half.
Huntland continued to battle back in the third period. They came out of gate swinging – putting up 20 points while holding Moore County to just 14. At the end of three, Moore County trailed 41-36 but fought back in the final stanza to earn the three-point victory. Dawson White led for Moore County that night with 19 points followed by Alex Copeland with 14. {To read our complete coverage of that game, click here. }
Here are a few things to watch for this Friday against Huntland:
1 | It will be Senior Night. Tonight will be the final home, regular season game for seniors Alex Copeland, Dawson White, Wes Clifton, Emery Bryan, and Sawyer Parks. Also on the team but out due to injuries is Logan Hegwood. All six will be honored during senior night festivities, which will take place in between the Raiderettes and Raiders games.
2 | Keep an eye on Lashawn Simmons. The Hornets (9-14, 1-4) will be coming into the game fresh off a 63-51 loss to Eagleville but that didn’t keep Lashawn Simmons from having a high impact game. He scored 25 points. The Raiders will need an answer for #1 if they plan to walk away with a victory.
3 | Watch for a big game from Alex Copeland. Senior Alex Copeland tends to peak at just the right time. He played his best football in the final games of the 2023 season and we look for that trend to continue down the stretch on the basketball court as we approach the postseason. Look for him to play a break out game against Huntland.
4 | Parks and Martin can make an impact. Big men in the paint are hard to stop and Moore County senior Sawyer Parks and junior Peyton Martin are no exceptions. If Dawson White and Copeland get hot from the perimeter and Parks and Martin stay strong in the paint, the Raiders could have a good night.
5 | Have dinner with the Raider Baseball team. Baseball season is right around the corner and on Friday, the Moore County Raider Baseball squad will host their annual Chili Supper prior to the girl’s game. They will serve chili, and drink in the MCHS Cafeteria beginning at 4:30 p.m. before the game and from the concession stand during the game. It’s just $5 a bowl and all proceed benefit the team.
If you can’t attend Friday in person, the Moore County Sports Broadcasting Team will live stream the game on the NFHS Network. The Times will also live blog the action on our Facebook page. •
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