LOCAL SPORTS | Huntland, Tenn. — A football game broke out at the MCHS Raiders away basketball game in Huntland on Tuesday. With referees taking a “let them play” approach, the Raiders and Hornets tangled up under the boards and fought for more than was comfortable for jump balls. It resulted in a tense, on the edge of out of control rivalry game and a 79-59 loss for Moore County.
Shots just wouldn’t fall for the Raiders on Tuesday night. If their shooting percentage felt like it was well above 50 percent in the previous game against Cannon County, then it felt decidedly lower than 50 percent against Huntland. Will Baker hit a jumper on his first touch of the game to give Moore County a 4-2 lead in the first minutes. It was the only lead Moore County would manage. At the end of the first quarter, the Hornets let by seven points (18-11) and by halftime they’d padded that lead by one more bucket. The halftime score was Moore County 26, Huntland 35.
Huntland put up their big period in the third scoring 23 points. On the other side of the floor, Raider shots bounced in and out of the basket, sailed wide, or came up short. The Raiders managed just 12 third period points giving the Hornets a 20 point lead. Moore County did attempt a come back in the fourth quarter with a 21 point effort but the Hornets matched them point-for-point.
Alex Copeland led for the Raiders with 27 points. Other contributing Raiders were: Will Baker (9), Wes Clifton (7), Keller Morey (6), Will Harder (5), and Colton Bateman (3). Will Parker and Blakely Bobo came off the bench to score a bucket each. Zeier Golden and Braylen Phillips combined for 47 of Huntland’s 79 points.
The Raiders will travel again on Friday. This time, they’ll head to Fayetteville City to take on the Tigers (8-7), who are currently 1-0 in District 9 play after a 57.29 win over Cornersville on Tuesday. Tip off will take place immediately following the girls game and the school is located at 1800 Wilson Parkway in Fayetteville.
Those who can’t attend in person can watch the Moore County Sport Network’s student broadcasting team on the NFHS Network. The Lynchburg Times will also live blog the game on its 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.}